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TEE NEBRASKA ADVERTISER
W. W. 8ANDEK8, mbllthar.
NEMAHA. NEBRASKA.
MAIDEN FAIR.
Maiden fair, midden fair, light of heart and
free from care,
"With thy laugh of liquid music and thy
munner debonnalr,
Standing now at sweet fifteen on the great
divide between
The maturor years of womanhood and girl
hood that has been,
Thou art sweet and wlnsomo quite, with
thy soulful eyes alight,
The reflections of a glory that Is hidden
yet from sight:
With thy tresses of spun gold, lissome form
of perfect mold,
And a thousand beauties ripening as thy
many charms unfold.
Soul as yet unearved, unwrought, by the
graver, deeper thought,
Every fancy like a love-bird yet untrnm
meled and uncaught,
With thy fnmlc and open smile, free as yet
from craft or guile,
And the childish gift of Innocence thy por
tion yet awhile.
But the days nre drawing nigh when deep
love thy heart shall try,
And the arrow shall bring pain which from
young Cupid's bow shall fly;
Vet HiIh bitter-sweet alloy shall bo nothing
to tho Joy
And the measure of the pleasure that shall
soul and spirit cloy.
Then thy heart shnll find Its throne never
more to reign alone,
But to II rid unmeasured harvests In the
happiness well sown,
Destined to a noble life, not made free from
toil nnd strife,
But the maker of true manhood as a moth
er and a wife.
And all Heaven's ceaseless song, thy Hfo
anthem clear and strong,
May tho music of the future in Its perfect-
ncss prolong;
UloBsom born from earth's dull sod, 'neath
tho rain or 'neath tho rod,
Thou shalt bloom to deathless beauty In
the garden of thy God.
I. EDGAIt JONES.
mHtiJMMimiMtiMtMiMMMg.
1 WILLIE'S RIDE. I
Tm
BY A. W. WHITEFORD.
mmmfftwmmmiwmmnmtf
it
XTS7ELL, Willie, there is n chnncc
YY for you to take n ride this
afternoon, if your chores nre nil done
nnd your mother has nothing special for
you to do. The bridge inspectors' spe
cial is due ut noon, nnd we nre to take
them as fnr as Greenfield and return.
We will leave here at one o'clock, and
get uncle in time for a lute supper, so,
if you wunt to go, you know what to
do."
The speaker was George Turner, an
engineer on the St. Louis division of
"the Burlington," with headquarters at
Beardstown.
lie was a general favorite with nil,
owing not only to his continual good
nnture, but he nlso commanded, a cer
tain amount of respect from the fnct,
admitted by nil, that he was the "best
posted" man on machinery in the long
list of engineers.
Although not the oldest mnn on the
list, --his superior ability was always
given the preference, and whenever a
special was to be run over the division,
lie was alwnys reserved for it if possible.
The Willie he addressed was Ills son
n bright little fellow 14 years of age,
whose greatest ambition was to become
an engineer like his father, and whose
greatest happiness wns to be allowed to
ride upon the sent box, with permis
sion to ring the bell or blow the whistle,
us his father directed.
Although still but a schoolboy, he was
we'll versed In railroad terms and rules,
unci could answer nenrly every ques
tion in the long listotlnstructionswith
which every fircmnn must be perfectly
familiar before he has any chnnce of ad
vancement. He knew all the signals,
could name all the registering points
on the division, nnd could tell the dif
ference between "straight" and "time"
orders, with the ease of an old and ex
perienced engineer.
It is therefore almost unnecessary to
Etatc that very soon after his father
finished speaking, Willie's unfinished
chores were all completed nnd his moth
er's consent obtained, nnd when, after
dinner, his father picked up his lunch
bucket nnd started for the roundhouse,
he was accompanied by the happiest
boy in Beardstown.
On arriving rit the roundhouse, Willie
wns as much interested as his father
when the roundhouse foreman in
formed them that it would be impos
sible to tnkc out his regular engine, ow
ing to the fnct that No. 48, the noon
passenger, had come in with n "cripple,"
nnd his engine had been sent out in her
place, and he would have to take 372.
The 372 was n new engine, but n'short
time out of the shop, and was not yet
well broken in.
She wns built on the modern mogul,
or Class IT, style, with three drivers on
each side, nnd was intended for heavy
work. The difference between this
tyle of nn engine nnd the Class A and B,
our common engines, is simply in their
lze and general dimensions the cir
cumference of their boilers, tiie amount
of heating surface nnd the number of
Xiounds of steam they carry.
Owing to the fact that they cannot be
made much wider, on account of all
(tracks having a standard width, the
difference is made 'in the length of the
boiler, it extending back entirely
through the cab, with the boiler head
close up to the tender, nnd leaving only
n smnll passngqwuy on eneh side.
In one of these the right one Rent
ed on a very smnll swing sent, literally
"cooped up," the engineer must ride
nnd handle the engine; nnd though the
left one is intended for the fireman, he
seldom has tin opportunity to use it,
for these engines, pulling henvy trains,
use so much coal and water that he is
kept busy breaking nnd shoveling con,
working the injector, or doing some one
of the countless things nlway.s neces
sary to "make her steam well."
Thus, you sec, it is almost impossible
for the engineer nnd fireman to see one
another, let alone talk to one another,
for the engineer would be compelled to
turn around to do so, nnd thus take his
eye off the track before him.
But "fast time" is the only watch
word known to railroad companies, es
pecially in their passenger sen ice, and
everything else must be sacrificed to
make it, and no engineer enjoys any
thing so much as a new engine to run
nnd a chance to break some other man's
record. So the delight was not nil Wil
lie's, as lie and his father, nftcr signing
the register in the ollice, climbed up into
the cab of 372, to make the necessary
preparations for the run.
They found Sam Buskin, thefiremnn,
there before them, nnd in nnother mo
ment the "hostler" nppenred, and they
were soon out upon the side trnok, wnlt
ing for the special to arrive.
Turner smiled complacently to him
self as he watched Willie moving around
with an air of settled proprietorship.
He examined the valve gear, filled the
Email oiler, placed the tallow pot where
it would keep warm, tried the air
whistle on top of the cab, nnd, when he
begged to be nllowed to "oil round," his
father gave his consent, admonishing
him to be careful and not miss any
holes, remarking to himself, as Willie
picked up the long oiler:
"Tlint boy'll make u good engineer
some day."
lie kept his eye on him, however, to
be sure that everything wns all right,
for, though he wns very proud of his
boy, he did not forget tlint he was re
sponsible for the engine nnd would have
to answer for any neglect of duly.
He had scarcely pronounced every
thing O. K., as Willie finished oiling,
when the sound of n whistle in the dis
tance announced the coming of the spe
cial; nnd in what seemed n very short
time the special was in, the engine cut
on and in on the side trnck, and 372
backed up and coupled on.
After trying the nir brakes, reading
over the orders nnd comparing watches
with the conductor, and receiving a
"high ball," Turner gave the bellropc a
jerk, threw forward the lever, pulled
open the throttle, gave the sand lever n
shake or two and they were off.
Nothing unusual occurred for the
first few hours. Turner sat or half re
clined leaning from the window; the
fireman stood in the gangway or ex
changed nn occasional word with Willie
between fires, ns he sat on the sent op
posite from his father, his eyes first
resting on the rapidly moving scenery,
then in nnd around the engine, as if to
make sure that everything was as it
should be.
When a bridge was reached n stop
was mnde. The inspectors alighted
with their instruments, nnd, after the
necessary amount of tupping, measur
ing, recording nnd the like hnd been
gone through with, they bonrded the
train, and nwny they went till the next
bridge wns reached.
It was just four o'clock when they
left Whitehall, with but one more stop
to make before they reached the turn
ing point.
Everything wns in good running or
der. The 372 wns more than doing her
work. She "steamed" as though it
were n delight to her; she "picked up"
her train right nt the stnrt, and she hnd
also demonstrated her ability to run;
so, ns they neared Apple Creek Hollow,
where the last stop was to be made,
Turner decided to "let her out" a little,
just to see how she could run. This
hollow, as mnny others do, took its
name from the creek that ran tluough
the bottom, and it was six miles over
all; that is, it was a three-mile drop to
the lowest point, then n three-mile raise
back to the level, and ns there were sev
eral sharp curves before the bottom wns
reached, it was possible to get what
railroad men generally call, "a wicked
ride."
As they were to stop at the bottom,
the fireman put in a light fire nnd turned
on the injector. Willie leaned from the
window in joyous expectancy, for the
spot wns familiar to him and he knew
what was coming, while his father
stood up, pulled his cap down a little
tighter, took a firmer grip on the throt
tle nnd "let her go."
Faster nnd faster they went. The
fences appeared to be one continuous
line of rails; the telegrnph poles fairly
flashed by, and the engine rocked until
it seemed to be riding first on one side,
then on the other.
When the half-wny point wns reached,
their speed can only be described as
something terrific. Turner still stood
with his hnnd on the throttle, ready
for any emergency; the fireman stood
in the gnngwny, directly behind Win,
one arm resting on the rear end of the
cab and holding on to the hnndle of the
tank valve with the other, while Willie
still sat on his seat, holding firmly io
the side of the cab as he leaned from the
window.
j ust as uicy were reuniting me last
curve, before entering on the straight
stretch tlint led to the bottom, there
was n sudden jar; the engine nppenred
for an instnnt to be lifted in the air,
there wns n grinding roar, nnother
lurch, ns though the engine were top
pling over, then n mighty crash, ns
something broke into the cab from the
bottom, on the right side, a succession
of blows, ns from nn immense sledge,
seemed to be pounding the cnb to pieces,
nnd it finally settled down on the right
side, a shapeless mass of wood nnd
iron.
Willie hnd turned at the first lurch,
and realized in a moment what had
occurred. The rear end of the right side
rod hnd broken loose from the crnnkpin,
nnd every revolution of the wheels had
allowed it to swing up ngainst the foot
board on which tlie cnb rested, until it
had broken it to pieces, nnd nllowed the
cab to fall on one side, burying his fa
ther nnd the fireman beneath it, nnd
wns now holding him a prisoner be
tween the side of the cnb and the boiler.
As the pounding had now ceased, he
rightly judged that the rod imd torn
loose on the other end, and the mo
mentum had thrown it free of the en
gine. Turning ns best he could in his
crnmped position, Willie snw something
else which gave his heart a sudden leap,
for he realized that, dangerous ns wns
his position before, it was now doubly
so, for what he saw was n man coining
toward him, waving a red flag.
Some freight train had broken in
two, or was in trouble of some sort, just
ahead of them, nnd unless they were
stopped, they would run into them, nnd
the result would be n terrible collision,
and perhaps death to everyone on
board.
What could he do? For something
must be done, nnd done quickly, for nil
this had taken place in far less time
thnn it takes to tell it.
There he was, held in n little two-foot
space, between the side of the cab and
WILLIE DREW HIMSELF UP TO THE
KOOF.
the boiler, not knowing but what his
father and the fireman were already
crushed to death beside.
No way of stopping, no way of warn
ing the people on the train behind him,
nnd running down a" red flag at the rate
of n mile a minute!
If he could reach the throttle, he
could shut off the steam; or if he could
get his hand on the valve, it would be
but an instant's work to turn on the
air brake. But not only wns lie unable
to reach them from where he wns, but
had he been free, he would have been
powerless, because they were so cov
ered by the broken timbers that it
would have been impossible to move
either one of them.
Even the whistle lever wns broken
and the rocking of the engine was such
that the entire cab seemed liable to top
ple off at any instant und carry him
with it.
Suddenly nn idea came to him, sug
gested by the broken whistle lever as
it swung to and fro with every rock of
the engine. If he could only reach the
whistle, he would be nble to warn the
people on the train, nnd they would be
able to "set the. automatic," which Is
done by pulling the extra bell cord that
runs along the side of every passenger
conch, and thus bring the train to a
standstill.
He knew tlint n smnll strip of wood
was nailed along the roof of the cnb,
a few inches from the edge, to keep the
rain from dripping In the side win
dows, nnd If he could grnsp It, he might
be able to pull himself up on top, nnd
by some means or other sound the
whistle for brakes.
After making two or three deter
mined efforts, he succeeded In grasping
the strip with one hand, and thcn.brnc
ing himself ns well ns he could with
his feet, for the cab was swaying nt n
frightful rate, he quickly reached out
nnd up with the other hand, took a firm
grasp on tho strip, pulled himself up
till he was sitting in the window, then
succeeded in getting his feet upon the
sill, nnd, with one Inst mighty effort,
drew himself upon the roof of the shak
ing and trembling 2ab.
But now he must reach the whistle,
which was the hardest part of his task,
for not only wns the cab rocking, but
the roof wns standing nt such nn nngle
ho hnd to lie down nnd hold ou to the
edge to keep from slipping off.
After trying in vain to think of some
safe menus to rench the whistle dome,
he decided that the only wny was t let
go his hold, nnd take his chances of
J catching i.t as he rolled.
To miss meant instant death, but to
stay where he waB meant death, any
way; so with a long brenth nnd an in
ward prayer for help, he turned over,
let go his hold, and threw himself for
ward with nil the power at his com
mand. There was an Instant of terrible anx
iety, a slip, n rock or two, and then a
jar ns he found himself lying against
the whistle dome.
Bising slowly, and bracing himself
as well ns liq could, he straightened
himself up, caught hold of the little
strip of iron that works the whistle
valve, and sent out n short, sharp and
decisive call for brakes.
Waiting n moment, he gave another
jerk nnd then nnother, and the sound
of the grinding nnd crunching ns the
brakes gripped the wheels told him
that his signal was heard.
Their speed slackened, became slow
er, then much slower, and finally they
stopped altogether but a few feet from
the renr section of the freight trnin that
had broken in two, with the wrecked
cab still holding in plnce, nnd with
Willie hanging on to tfiie top of the
whistle dome.
Bridge inspecting wns for the mo
ment forgotten, nnd everybody turned
in to rescue the two imprisoned men ns
Willie climbed down from his perilous
position nnd hurriedly explained the
state of affairs.
The two men were found still uncon
scious, but not seriously hurt; nnd
after they had been brought to nnd
mnde comfortable back in the conches,
attention was directed to Willie's part
in the affair, nnd he wns prnUed nnd
complimented till he refused even to
tnlk about the occurrence, but sat close
to his father, as if he were in need of
protection, nnd looking very unlike a
boy who had just exhibited the judg
ment and displayed the nerve that is
not found once in n hundred.
But even this hnd to be passed over for
the time, for "a clear track" is the motto
when out on the road, nnd the business
of the trip wns now considered.
As they were stopped close to the
bridge, nt the bottom, the inspectors
proceeded to make their final test, while
the freight engine pulled up the second
section of the freight train, and then
returned nnd pulled up the special,
crippled engine nnd all.
An cxaminntion disclosed the fnct
that Turner hnd "shut oft," while hia
arm was yet free, and this accounted
for the suddenness with which thoy
were brought to a standstill nfter the
air wns applied.
After a considerable amount of tele
graphing back nnd forth, the freight
train nnd crippled engine were "net
out;" the freight engine wns turned nnd
coupled on to the special, the section
men were given orders to pick up the
broken side rod, nnd the trnin was
brought into headquarters by the
freight crew, with Turner, his fireman
and Willie in the conches.
By the time they reached Beards
town the two injured men were nble to
walk without assistance, and on tho
second dny following were nble to take
out their regulnr run, nnd though Wil
lie's nction cnllcd forth personal let
ters from the superintendent nud mus
ter mechanic, nnd made such a hero out
of him that the story had to be told and
retold for weeks to nil who saw cither
him or his father, he never seemed to
think he hnd done anything but what
he should have done, while his father
still smiles complacently and says:
"Yes; that boy will make a good en
gineer some day." Golden Days.
SAMPLE ANSWERS.
The Professional "Timelier" (icti
from I'uoule on the Streets,
An inquisitive man wnswalkingdown
Fifth avenue thp other day when he was
uccosted by one of those forlorn-looking
and seedy specimens of humnnity
known to the police as "professional
touchers."
"My friend, could you help me to get
a bite to eat? I'm a stranger in the city
and can't get any work and haven't had
a thing to entail day."
The inquisitive man hnd henrd this
many times before and wns about to
pass on when his curiosity got the bet
ter of him and he stopped and said to
the beggar:
"I suppose that in the course of your
profession you have occabion to make
that plaint of yours severnl hundred
times a day and you must get n varie
gated lot of answers. Now I'm willing
to squander n quarter on you if you will
give me n few assorted replies you hear."
The beggar eyed the quarter, con
cluded it worth while, nnd spent ten
minutes of his valuable time in enrning
it. Here are the quarter's worth :
"No!"
"Naw!"
"Sure. I'll drop you a check in the
morning."
"Haven't nny change to-dny, my
man."
"You're a cheerful liar."
"Get over on your own side. I'm
working this side of the'street."
"Dimes."
"Nickels."
"Bennies."
"Slope 1 There comes a cop."
"Just gave my last cent to your friend
round the corner."
"Not to-day."
"Bats!"
"Gesticulations in imitntion of th
denf and dumb nlphnbet."
"Can't touch me, pnrtner. I've got
my fingerscross'ed."
"King' off l',' Chicane News;, , ;
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.
A French agriculturist has grafted
tomatoes upon potatoes, with the re
sult tlint his plant produces potatoes
underground arid tomatoes above.
A jenlous husband in Bcllcfoutc, Pn.,
thought his wife had too many nd
mirers, nnd to make her beauty less at
tractive, he shot off the tip of her nose.
After sharpening an indelible lend
pencil, John Benshnw, of Yonkcrs, N.
Y., used the same knife to cut his corn.
Blood poison resulted, and the man
died.
Stale sermons are not admired by
the archbishop of Canterbury. He nd
vises his clergy to burn their scrmonn
nfter they have been preasl ed three
times.
Taxes are remitted on Paris houses
which nre unoccupied. If any part of
the house is untenanted, a correspond
ing reduction is made In the amount
of the tax.
A small inheritance enme to n
London pauper at the age of 70. He in
vited his friends to a champagne sup
per, and he drank so freely that within
three days he died.
An undertnker nt Leavenworth,
Knn., during the recent reunion of sol
diers in that city, displayed in the win
dow of his coffin shop n banner with
these words, "Welcome, Comrades!"
The dairyman of Syrin marches his
goats to the houses of his patrons, and
milks them on the street in sight of his
eustomers. Should they express n wish
'for the milk of any particular goat, the
'wish is gratified.
If one dollar were loaned' for 100
years, at six per cent., with the interest
nnnunlly collected nnd ndded to the
principal, the investment would nmount
to $340. At eight per cent, it would
amount to $2,203; at ten per cent., $13,
809. There are five centennrinns in the
ilittle village of Friendsville, Pa. They
nre Mrs. Mary Cnllen, aged 104; John
Gibson, 102; William Seeley, 102; Mrs.
Philaney Golden, 100, and Mrs. Helen
Gnrcey, 100.
A gentleman who needed wifely
attentions was recently married at Van
Buren, Ark. He interrupted the cere
mony long enough to adjust one of his
suspenders, both of which were held
Jn plnce at the back by the restraining
influence of one button.
A cord of wood, weighing 4,000
pounds, will yield nine gallons of alco
hol, 200 pounds of acetate of lime, 25
gallons of tar, and 85 bushels of char
coal. Wood alcohol is almost a perfect
Substitute for grain alcohol for me
chanical and manufacturing purposes.
EXPLAINED HIS OWN JOKE.
,Y Tnle of One or Kiiuluml'M llent story
Tellers.
"Sir Francis Lockwood, of England,
Whose death was announced lately from
London, wns one of the best story-tellers
I ever henrd," said Attorney Henry
Wollmnn. He was ut Sam toga in 1S90
with Bnron Busscll, lord chief justice
of England, and won grent prominence
nnd popularity during his stay there.
He could tell a story better than Chaun
cey Depew, and that is saying n great
deal.
"He wns n victim of one of his own
jokes during that meeting of the Bar
association, however, that furnished
some of us much umusenicnt. At a din
ner party one evening lie was relating
anecdotes of some of his early experi
ences, nnd told of oncedefendingn mnn
for murder. One of the strong points he
mnde wns an alibi, which he thought
wns a very good one. After the cas2
went to the jury, in a conversation with,
the judge, hi asked him what ,he
thought of the. alibi. The judge said he
thought it ddu Uful if the jury accepted
it, and then Si Francis replied:
"'That's top bad, for 1 had half n
dozen other ullbis just ns good I could
have used.' M
Everyone laughed at the remark, and
it found its wo, into the newspapers
the following in' ruing. Baron Busscll
intimated to SL Francis that lie hail
made nn error,' d if the printed story
got back to En, land It might cause
harsh comments the British idea of
jesting might no . cnteh the point. At
the dinner partwthe following evening
Sir Francis arose nnd explained to the
guests that whay ie had said was a jest.
He made the cxpU nation so that no one
might draw n vgmg inference of the
conduct of the 'English courts. The
fact that he felt'compelled to explnin
his own joke furnished much nmuse
ment in itself." Kansas City Journal.
Delicious W'nlrmt SitnilvvlelicH.
Shell half a poundof English walnuts.
Put the kernels intu a pint of boiling
water; boil for a rjilnute. Drain nnd
cover with stock; ni"'d a bay leaf, n few
celery tops and a slice of onion; cook
gently for 20 minutcts; drain nnd skim;
chop fine; ndd hnlf. n tenspoonfttl of
bt.lt and n dash of'cnyenne. Spread
between thin slices pf buttered bread
nnd cut in any shnpcl preferred. Servo
these with terrapin, Mobster n la New
berg, duck salad on mock terrapin,
which, by the way, intakes a very &utis
factory and inexpensive hot dish for
an evening pnrty supper. Mrs. S. T.
Borer, in Ladies' IIom Journal.
Hxiilnliieifc.
Magistrate Prisoner) nt
ried? 4
ire you mar-
"No, yer worship; thlise scrntehes on
my face came from sffjinblincover a
bnrbed wire fence in Jiie dark." Pear-
ion 6 weekly. .
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