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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 18, 1907)
r wi flM ifcwr " to4) y - 4.44 nr .'V !."' JANUARY 18, 1907 The Commoner. 13 wj-n' 1 - r "Ju. K , n r w, t y f tOhw J The Cost The gleam of the headlight was dulled hy the flying snow and sleet, and although the engineer opened the little window every few minutes and wiped the outside with a bit of waste, he could see but a few yards ahead. The heavy engine rocked and rolled, and the tense muscles of the arm that grasped the throttle were aching like mad. Suddenly a whistling post flashed into the little circle of light thrown by the flying engine, and the whistle sounded. By instinct, more than by sight, the train stopped at the little station and the engineer stepped down from the footboard to get his orders. "How long you goin' to hold us?" he queried. "Gettin' your orders now,"- said the operator. "Wires workin' bad. How long you been out?" "Twenty-three hours. Got in and got turned around again right away. Hurry 'em .up. I'm so blamed tired and sleepy I can hardly stand up." ' Tick, tick, tick, went the instrument, and the operator hurried ..his stylus over the manifolding sheets. "Here you are, old man." The engineer took his orders, and in the dim light read the faint writing .on the thin tissue paper: "Train No. twenty-eight (28), en gine No. "eight seventy-seven (877), will meet train No. fifteen (15), en gine No. nine sixty-five (965), at Curzon's Switch.'' Copies were handed to the fireman, conductor ,jwd brakeman, and after the conductor had given the "high sign" the long train, laden with hun dreds of human lives, rolled out again Into the storm and darkness. - On and on, thrusting her pilot into the sleet and snow, the old engine rocked and rolled. The fireman toiled and sweat as he threw the coal into the greedy firebox. No time for him to grow sleepy. The only thing that can stop him is to fall to the floor of the cab in utter exhaustion. Over on the right side of the cab a nodding figure holds on to the throttle. Twenty-three hours of nerve racki'ng strain. Thousands of dollars and hundreds of precious lives com mitted to his care, and then worked piled upon him till body and brain balk at the load. On and on the engine rocks and rolls and the hand on the throttle relaxes. The sleet clings to the win- Mr. Metcalfe's Book "OF SUCH IS THE KINGDOM" And Other Stories from LIFE NOW READY FOR DELIVERY "To those who havo road thorn, thoso Btorlos nood no praise; to thoso who havo not road thorn, I commend thorn as soothing, strengthening und Inspiring. Tho articles are really heart talks and explain tho soorotof Mr. Motcalfo's suc cess as a journalist. Ho knows human nuturo and Is universal In his sympath ies." W. J. BUYAN. Cloth bound, printed from clear typo on heavy pap or, gilt sldo and back stamps, 200 pages. Sent postage prepaid on receipt of 11.00. Address Richard L. Metcalfe Care The Commoner LINCOLN, - - - NEBRASKA. dow until sight is cut off. Lower and lower nods the engineer's head. Na ture refuses to stand the strain any longer, and the engineer is asleep. A red light flashes by and the fire ma.u yells with horror. "Curzon's, old man. Remember your orders!" But the hand on the throttle is numb. The airbrake is untouched. Crash, bang! And the heavy engine has crossed the switch and is dashing straight into the one pulling train No. 15. The fireman sees that there is no chance and with one last de spairing shout at his companion jumps from the gangway. And then comes the final crash the crash that awakens the engineer, not in this world, but in eternity. For a day the world shudders with horror at the awful accident. The papers are full of it. Everybody de mands that the one to blame be pun ished. Then comes tho simple an nouncement that "the engineer was asleep and disregarded orders." That is all. And the men who forced him to work until human na turo refused to stand it longer dis miss from their minds all thought of the lives lost, but keep on complain ing that such accidents reduce divi dends. But the dead engineer sleeps through it all. Only the wife and babies in the dosolated cottage think of him. . The engines keep rocking and roll ing along the steel rails, with other sleepy and exhausted engineers at the throttle, and the huge drivers, as they strike the rail joints, keep sing ing the lulling refrain: "Dividends, dividends, dividends, dividends." spokesman of the committee. "We merely want enough wages to enable us to live between the hour of quit ting work and the hour of beginning work again. Just give us a fair wage and we can provide our own recrea tion and reading matter." However, as tills was an interfer ence with "vested rights" tho Benevo lent Employer refused to deal with his employes, except as individuals. Similar "Hello, Binks! Did you give up your railroad passes the first of tho year?" "Yes, just like I gave up my ap pendix vermiformls." The Retort . Preparing Him The young gentleman who had just been engaged as editorial writer on the newly established daily paper in the metropolis was about to begin his labors. Naturally he sought informa tion as to policy. "What is to be the policy of this newspaper?" he asked. "-This paper is to attack all forms of wrong," replied the owner. "It will defend the interests of the people. It's mottp is liew to the line, let the chips 'fall where they may.' How ever, in writing articles on financial topics it would be well to avoid re ferring to or attacking the following business enterprises." So saying the owner of the paper laid before the new editor a list of business ventures in which the owner was interested. Gazing thereon for an hour or two the new editor proceeded to write stir ing editorials on "spelling refdrm," "how to increase the potato yield," "the great American hen," 'the psychology of love," and other topics of grave moment. One Thing Lacking The Benevolent Employer received the committee from the employes in his palatial office. "I do not understand thepurpose of this visit," he exclaimed. "I can not believe that you are dissatisfied. I have provided you. with a gymnasium, "a reading room, a bath room, and lockers for yourclothing. In short, T have done everything I could think of to make your employment here pleasant. "What .is It that you want now?" "O, not very much " replied the One day I said to Dorothy, "Great pleasure I would take If you would bake a batch of bread Like mother used to make." "All right," the little wifo replied With fond and loving gazo, "I will when you can raise the 'dough' Like father used to raise." A Prophet "Times will be very hard for many of tho peoplo in this section," re marked the philanthropist, banker and prominent citizen. "Why do you think so?" was asked "I am going to need the money I have loaned in this community, as I have determined to subsidi I mean endow a university in another state." Thus by careful preparation a man may be able to bring his prophecies to pass. DON'T RUST FENCE w unrbon Bprlrm HuJ, Kitro JlP?' & V'nwd. No Au,u: w ";n inj irini, 71 rm nml KM ?incot at'1SW No. HO. Also iii Htylci Lawn, Fonco, Oata logno O. Ontaloffuo Fruo. Writo for one or both. THE WARD, FENE CO. MAKJ.ON, UiUL&SJi liox 110 4 H jTyyfy TT7T"lT7'r7T "I 'FENGEWPS& on-tic Jit. Sold to tho Fanner at nholr. salal'rirm. Knlly HtrrmUd. f'atnlogfrcn VViMiM Ul'lUWU FENOE QO.JT Ux2JI Winchester, Indiana. CREAM SEPARATOR This Is a pcnulno offer mndo to introduce tho Brain Leaks Trouble will double when worried about. Kind words aro legal tender where even gold coin Is counterfeit. It takes a real sleety day to make a man realize his advancing years. When a man does his best he is pretty safe in depending upon God to do the rest. When a young man begins calling it "salary" it is a sign that ho is of the opinion that he is too good for his job. This is the time when the prudent housewife begins to hoard her canned fruit with jealous care In order It) make it "last." The easiest part of a good law is the proposing thereof. Enacting it ,is harder, and enforcing it is usually a gigantic task. Just about the time we get ready to do some big thing we are com pelled to postpone it in order to at tend to a lot of little things. Just about the time we aro con vinced that capital punishment is wrong we run across some man who is reaping riches by enslaving little children. If ever we find a man in public office who thinks he is getting enough salary we are going to make a des perate effort to engage him for the museum circuit. It is said that Opportunity knocks but once at every man's door. The trouble seems to be that the man in side Is so busy "knocking" that he fails to hear Opportunity. We-would be very glad if we could again meet the good old lady who never mended a garment without saying, "Patch by patch is neighborly, but patch upon patch is beggarly." Doesn't it make you mad to pay $20 for a suit of clothes one day and then see it in the window the next day marked down to $14.98 under the announcement, "Grand January Clear ing Sale?" The sight of one child crying in the streets will excite all beholders . to sympathy. The knowledge that thousands of children are crying, freez ing and starving In the tenements, excites only a passing thought. ft FREE PEOPLES CflEAM SEPARATOR In cverv neighborhood. It is tho best and sim plest in tho world. Wo ask that you show it to your neighbors who hnvo cows. Send your name nnd tho namo of tho nearest freight ofilco. Address PEOPLES SUPPLY CO. Dopt. 177 Kansas City, Mo. OOOOCOOOOOOOOOOOOCXXXXXXXX) ASSETS OF $1,327,179.94 is tho Statement of THE 0L0 LINE BANKERS LIFE of Lincoln. "Salary and commission will bo paid to an old lino llfo man of oxptrlenco. Address. jjua him, jjiui-uui, ntiuruHKn. f 84 Days' I ( E Free Trial, I A irrrljtHPrpM - Let Me Qaetc Yow a Price ea Chatham Incubator Die Ioeabttor Dok fm. Duo'l think '.boTbc a IneoWor until rro heii tram b Munnon (JamnbelL. I'rti. Huiun CnpbllCoM iU., tiurretn Af DtrxtU,Ultk. Ifjmillt. mtilt th MbtluJuc! IUr, A&n$t tUl (J , TsjxU, Kwnt. W B JsbsMa I rp lti.l 40, 60 er 90 Days' Trial on Old Trusty 99 Try chicken raisin ron tho John n Dion. Mr neonle are an on. tmiBloKtlc lot. wo get tho results Freight M. H. JOHNSON CO., 2.year guarantee. Low price. Old Trusty Cataloguo tells the whole story It's FKKE write for It today. CLAY CENTER, fyEB. 40 DIIEKDS Finn piiro brod chickens, dncks, kccso a' d turkoyn. Northern raised, hnrdy and very hrautlful. Larg est poultry farm In tho N.W. Fowls, okks nnd Incubators at low prlcus. Bond 4c for Jno7G-puK poultry book and catalog. It. v. .NKUHKUT. KOX828, Mankato, Minn. EALTHY TREES H0HEST ,H UAun uraitouanpiotcmiudodpcacb'fc, budded chorry 15c. Concord Tropes $2 per 101 Black Locust $1 por 1000. Oomploto colored eat. t rco. Qalbraith Nurteriaa, Box 84 , fan-bury, Neb. Apples ic, Teach 6c, Plums lie, .-A Cherries Wc. Best quality yr aK Brooa Dcarcrs, (rnutea y -v? stock, not seedlings, yr Mjt i Concord Cranes 2c. r.fK!y' line ttl.OO TVr - 1,W0UI). WXA SrhtvXlFci vV "vtw: Vo hare a com- nlcte lino of Vegetable, lower and Farm Reeds. Our anro Illustrated cat alog free. V GERMAN mmBEHIEB. CVSnx 85. BEATRICE. Neb. AVfl WTaV W 1 l(tin1a rv aif TsTnnA 1flf i4- Thoroughbred nnd fire dried. Write for our biK .illustrated Catalog, free tjuurtneea ctwntt I K?gll lmlliiiivin(r. A nrrntnl hrivicraif- " "iJvtviW4.s.ssrsi "iz'izsrm'x-. IKiVAtirvJuvo octou nuvw Shenandoah, Iowa- rjrest Of cd corn growers in worlii OUR SEEDS, PUNTS, Roses, Bulbs, Vines, Shrubs, FnOIT AND ORNAMENT. AL TKEK8 havo ben tho standard of excellence for ovor half a century. Yon tako no chances In buying of us, as no fairer prlcen aro quoted oa high quality goods. ThO host aro always most sat isfactory la roBultu. We mall pdfltpatd, Seeds, liases, l'laMts, Jlulbs, Vines, Etc.. and guarantee safe arrival sad satlafactioH, largor by exnrosa or frelcht. Yon will bo interested in oar extraordinary cheap otters of over half a hundred cholco collections of Heeds. IManU, Xtosea, Etc. Yonr address on u postal will briug yon our elegant lC8-pago Catalogue- FltKE. Bond for it today and boo what values wo givo for a Uttlo money. 63 years. 41 greenhouses, 1200 oerou. THE STORKS & HARRISON CO., B0X4QSt PAINESVILLE, 9Hip. f' i XStf.if& Jtr- -