Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 221, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 September 1914 — Page 2

A BAD BOY'S CHOICE

By C. D. NOYES.

(Copyright.) Jo Flyn, alias “Snippy,” was never a good boy. We all knew that he was bad, for our parents and teachers said so, but we boys all liked him. “Snippy" could be depended upon. When he promised any one a licking he delivered the goods, or tpok one himself, which answered the same purpose. He never told on another fellow, and his lessons to good purpose, when nothing more to his liking was to be done. But his lessons never in- ' terfered with the other things. “Snippy” was undersized for his age, but a natural leader, with an irresistible bent for forbidden places and things and a remarkable independence of character. He always took the consequences of his own acts gracefully and never grumbled. We realized these and many other of his characteristics later in life. As a boy, we only knew that he was bad —but we liked him. Before any of us were more than half-grown boys, “Snippy” left school and went to work in the rolling mills. First, he was a buggy-boy—wheeling great balla of white-hot iron from the furnaces to the giant trip-hammer on a curious little two-wheeled, longhandled iron cart, billed a “buggy.” Then he was a fireman —stoker, the Welsh iron-workers called it. “Snippy’s” furnace was always hot, the hottest In the mill. Finally, about the time the rest of us left grammar school he was advanced to a furnace boss, or puddler. We used often to see him stripped to the waist, the' great muscles showing on his back and shoulders, working before the open mouth of a glowing furnace, with a long bar forming the half-molten Iron into the great ball which we had so often seen beaten into ingots by the trip-hammer. It almost seemed the realization of many familiar warnings to see the bad boy writhing and sweating amid the sulphurous gases, prodding the glowing fire with a huge, long-handled pitchfork. Soon after this “Snippy” went out West to a newly opened steel mill, and we-heard nothing of him for several years. Then rumor came to town that he had been seen wearing a striped suit in a western prison. Rumors were followed by facts. “Snippy" was a convict. Many wise heads wagged, and the wiseacres re-i called that they had foretold the end of the bad boy long ago. » Unexpectedly, one day “Snippy” reappeared among us. He had never been handsome, or even passable in appearance, and age had not improved him. He was still undersized, except as to his arms, which were much too long. His chest and shoulders were proportionate to his arms, and much too large for his head. His hair was brickred and his freckles overlapped each other. Both toes turned in and one eye turned out. They were the same peculiarities we had known in boyhood, all accentuated by age. He had, in a large scar extending from the right ear under the chin to the middle of the left cheek. Some well-intentioned, but badly informed, person had thought to Improve "the world by putting "Snippy” out of it, and had left the job unfinished. He was a bad man to look at and worse to handle. “Snippy” was reticent. He gave no account of himself or of what he had been doing during his years of absence, and his reticence was catching. No one asked him. It was natural to associate the scar with the prison uniform. Somehow, we felt that the other ieltow had more need of sympathy than “Snippy” had. ’ He wanted a job. Steel-making had changed while he wore the striped suit; new-tools and new methods had come into use. “Snippy” did not want to learn his trade over again, so he went to railroading. There was activity, danger, and hardship enough in a brakeman’s life to tempt him. Then the mutual dependence and reliance of trainmen on '' each other appealed to him. His rugged qualities of self-reliance and leadership demanded action and expression, and found both in the strenuous life of the freight brakeman. „Jhe mysterious feeling of fellowship that binds together all men engaged in a dangerous occupation—when the care or neglect of one may save or lose the lives of many—instantly recognized that “Snippy" could be depended upon. One . knew instinctively that he would never be found wanting when the test came. He was employed on one of the trunk lines, running east and west on a division of 140 miles of double track, with light grades and easy curves. Trains of 45 or 50 freight cars were not uncommon, even in his time. The train was handled by a crew of six men —the engineer and fireman on the engine, conductor, flagman, and two brakemen, one of whom should always be on or near the engine, and one near the caboose, in which the others might ride. “Snippy’s” usual post was in front. ’' One rainy night in early spring *Bnlppy’s" crew was ordered out for the 140-mlle run westward. He had no’ faith in omens or premonitions, so rwhen he noticed that It was March 18, sand that there were thirteen names •n the “board," he only thought that

traffic was heavy and that Babcock, the engineer, had all the cars he could handle on the slippery rails. But he rode well forward that night, knowing that the frozen ground, thawing in the rain, made the road-bed soft, and that If It were possible for a land slip to occur the conditions were just right for It. Something did happen. It was just as the train wal starting, after having stopped for water at a tank 30 miles from their starting point. “Snippy" stood on the third car back of the engine. A sudden jolt and lurch threw him to Hie ground between the tracks. He knew that something was wrong as he fell, and he heard the cutting hiss of escaping steam. Babcock was too careful a man to stop his train so, without first giving warning with his whigtle. “Snippy” was dazed and half stunned by his fall, but he jumped to his feet instantly. His first impulse was to find the cause of the trouble. The coupling ahead of the car on which he stood was broken, and the two cars between it and the engine were off the track. The engine moved forward slowly, dragging the two cars over the ties. He knew now that a rock had fallen in the cut as the engine passed. Babcock and his fireman were evidently injured, or the engine would have stopped. Fifty yards ahead was a bridge—an old fashioned wooden affair, over a small stream. The eastbound express was due on the other track. "Snippy” knew all of this and more. The same knowledge or intuition that had told him what had happened told him also what would happen should the engine pulling the derailed cars reach the bridge. The car bodies, being so far from the center line of the track, would strike the upper works of the bridge and perhaps cause the collapse of the whole structure. At any rate, it would block both tracks. And the east-bound express? No, “Snippy” had not forgotten that, either. He caught the glint of her headlight rounding the curve at Hickory Grove, only two miles away. Railroad men think quickly in an emergency. "Snippy” did. He knew that the others were coming up from the caboose, 1,500 feet away, as fast as they could. The express would reach the bridge in half the time it would take them to reach him. The derailed cars would reach it before any of them, unless the engine was stopped. , “Snippy” paused to consider and weigh these things a long time under the circumstances, possibly a fraction over two seconds —long enough for the express to travel 200 feet nearer to the bridge. It may- have taken “Snippy” half a minute to reach the engine, while the express covered half a mile. He knew the state of things tn the cab of the engine without stopping to investigate. Babcock and his fireman were helpless on the floor—injured, but not fatally. The cab was full of live steam escaping from a broken injector, not merely vapor such as comes from the spout of a boiling teakettle, but superheated steam from a boiler under pressure of 160 pounds to the square Inch. The higher the pressure the greater the heat, and this was steam that would sear the flesh like molten lead, more fatal to • breathe than direct flame. “Snippy” may not have known the theory of superheated steam or water boiling under pressure, but he did know the facts and did not hesitate. He had already calculated the chances during the two seconds that he stopped to think, pe climbed to the cab, dived into the hissing cloud, and shoved in the throttle as he sprang. The engine stopped two car lengths from the bridge. A score of seconds later the eastbound express with hundreds of passengers passed safely. When the rest of the crew came up from behind and dragged “Snippy” out of the cab he was dead. The next day, in the city, these same passengers may have seen “Snippy’s” obituary—a four-line dispatch from an unknown telegraph office stating that there had been a freight wreck, caused by loose stones falling on the track, in which a brakeman had been killed; the fireman seriously, and the engineer slightly injured. They may have seen the dispatch, but they certainly did not know that the brakeman had coolly, deliberately, and knowingly sacrificed his life to save theirs.

Nature’s Wisdom.

When the world was young its inhabitants took the naive view that it was adorned to minister to their pleasure. This view, alas, has had to give way under the attacks of the modern scientist. We now know, thanks to these men, that the refreshing green of the wood and meadows is not provided for our enjoyment, but for the serious and practical purpose of plant nutrition; the flowers display their bright colors to attract the insect that conveys the pollen from stamen to sigma. *» By the same .token, it appears, the alpine hare is snow colored so as to be hidden from the sight of its’enemy; while the lion is tawny and the tiger is striped, in order that they may be indistinguishable from, the natural background as they lie in wait for their prey. All these facts are plain enough/and we admire the perfection of these adaptations. Indeed, it may be said that we how entertain a feeling of intelligent appreciation of their greater worth than the ignorant worship o 4 old.

THE EVENING REPUBLICAN, RENSSELAER, Jwix

RECRUIT HAS PITCHED WONDERFUL BALL

(By FRANK G. MENKE.) ' The showing made by Dick Rudolph of the Braves, this year will prove of big help to the recruits that John McGraw has “canned” and may turn loose in the future. Rudy belonged to John some seasons back, but John placed the “N. G.” tag on him and cast him adrift. Rudy, after a season in the minors, felt that he deserved a chance in the big leagues again. He appealed to several managers. His record was good, Rudy was young, but v he was branded with the “N. G." McGraw stamp, and most of the managers turned a deaf ear. “If McGraw says you are not good enough to keep, I guess you aren’t,” they told Rudy- “Any player that shows any promise is kept on the Giants’ payroll. McGraw didn’t keep you, so I don’t want you.”

PLAYERS COMMON LABORERS?

Georgia State Law Says They Are, While President Tener of National League Says No. Are ball players common laborers? That is the latest question that is agitating the fans. If you ask the players themselves such a question (you know they all have plenty of artistic temperament) they will probably be insulted, says Detroit Journal. Warrants are now out for a Federal league scout who Is said to have tried to entice players of the Valdosta and Waycross teams of the Georgia state league to jump. Pres. James Sinclair, at whose

President John K. Tener.

request the warrants were issued,'invoked the George contract labor law, which was passed to prevent anybody from tampering with laborers under contract. They may consider ball players laborers down south (and you can’t wonder that they do when men go out to the ball park and toil in the boiling sun day after day when they might be Booling themselves off in the shade of the magnolia ? trees, but President Tener of the National league doesn’t think so. “Baseball players are neither miners, hod-carriers nor ditch diggers,*’ declares the National boss and governor of Pennsylvania," baseball players are professional men and professional men do,not. strike. I am glad

Dick Rudolph of Boston Braves.

As the above may show, most managers got to the point of thinking that McCray as a baseball judge, was infallible.' If he cut a player adrift they didn’t care to have anything to do with him in the future —that is, all of them felt that way except George Stallings of the Braves. Stallings Xvatched Rudy and Rudy looked to have the goods, Ha-signed Rudy and that pitcher has been the big factor in the wonderful spurt made by the Boston Braves fin the last two months. r Rudolph has pitched wonderful baseball. Few of his games have been lucky wins. He has won through sheer pitching ability. The players have battled behind him at times, but never enough so that he could allow the enemy an average of two runs a game. He had to keep their average under that—and he did.

the strike is settled. However, I don’t believe the settlement arrived, at will be permanent, owing to the belligerency of some of the baseball magnates.” - _ - Funny how Tener in one breath declares the players professional men and won’t strike and in the next says that the settlement won’t last! Not very consistent,- eh?

Win m

A mascot shouldn’t hold his job long with those Cleveland Naps. • • • About the only man who doesn’t go up in the air at a ball game is the groundkeeper. t • • • The Cardinals are called the hitless wonders, but the Pirates are the runless wonders. • * • It is reported that Chance wants Lajole to play first base and help draw crowds in New York. Otjs Clymer, veteran of many seasons, has given away his fielder’s glove and has quit baseball. * • * Buck Freeman, former major leagueplayer and home-ruif swatter, is umpiring in the Canadian league. ♦ « • Nick Altrock is performing better in his acts before and during the game this year than ever before. * * * After watching the baseball strife of the season of 1914 one Is inclined to remodel the name to "base bull.” • * • The Baltimore Feds may be nicknamed Terrapins, but they haven’t been soup for the other teams, as yet. « • « Most ball players are against war— 4 that is, any kind of a war excepting a baseball war where the salaries are all raised. • • • It’s so easy to mobilize armies in Europe it’s a wonder some of our baseball magnates don’t try to mobilize an army—of fans. ♦ • • First Baseman Hoblitzel’s bunting and base-runnihg have been a big factor in the sensational climb of the Boston Red Sox up the pennant ladder. • • • Clarke Griffith puts only qne member of his own team on his greatest baseball team of all time, thereby violating a maxim of Walter Camp in selecting his All-American football team - <

DOLLAR HITS BRING RESULTS

Mike Finn, Manager of the Memphis Chicks, Works Unique Cure for Players Left on Bases. They are Selling one on Mike Finn, manager of the Memphis Chicks, that Is a good one If true in any degree. -Mike, they say, was very anxious about six weeks ago for some base hits that would drive in runs. His men were getting on bases, all right, but the hits to put them over were always missing. Finn claimed that he had more men left on bases than any team in the league. So he proposed that every hit that |>rought in a run would get the hitter one round silver dollar. The scheme worked pretty well and more runs were the result. The Chicks pulled out of last place. Mike let the players’ account run until Frank P. Cdleman sold the Memphis club to Russell Gardner, so the story goes, and by that time It had run up to sllO. The Chick manager carried the bill to Coleman. . Mr. Coleman is not a stingy man, but he has been in baseball for a number of years, and he never had to pay players extra to make base hits. He looked the bill over, then turned It back to Mike with a grunt and a shake of the head, which meant nothing doing. And—maybe it’s all a joke—they say Mike had to dig deep into his own jeans to make good with the players.

CATCHER G. GIBSON IS SLOW

Fanciful Description of Pirate Backstop Trying to Steal Home In Recent New York Game. ’ It will be admitted * that Catcher George Gibson of the Pittsburgh Pirates is a slow man, but in justice to him this fanciful description of his attempt to steal home in a recent game at the Polo grounds, furnished by Heywood Braun, a New York writer, should not be allowed circulation without explanation that it is a trifle exaggerated. Here’s Braun’s story: George, Gibson left third base and started to steal homer Chief Meyers

Catcher George Gibson.

was so taken a-back that for a moment he did not know what to do. He walked over to the bench. “Gibson is trying to steal home. ’What shall I do?” asked the Indian. “Walt him out,” suggested McGraw. Meyers returned to his station, but he grew impatient when he observed that Gibson had paused to construct p pontoon bridge or something of the sort, so he threw to Stock, who tagged the runner from behind.

FANS HOPING FOR A CHANGE

Tired of Seeing World’s Series Battles Played by Giants and Athletics in October Haze. The rank and file of,fans are hoping that the next world’s series combat won’t be between the Giants and Athletics. They’ve grown a. bit tired of seeing these two clubs fight it out in .the October haze, and theV are pulling for some other club to “horn into” the big doings. If the Cubs and Athletics had another world series duel, or the Giants and Tigers, or Giants and Red Sox, fandom would be somewhat satisfied. But the great mass of fans would rather see the Rex Sox and Cubs, or the Tigers and Cubs, than to see either of the teams that battled last year in action again this year. The reason for this is that in the case of a tferies 'between the Giants and Athletics, the fans take it as a foregone conclusion that the Athletics again will conquer. It’s sort of an old story repeated—and they want to hear a new one. They’d rather see two totally different teams in action. \

Segregate Players.

Report has it that American league clubs have been cautioned against putting up their players at the same hotels wheye Federal league teams stop. It is not feared that any American league players will jump, but the idea is that with Federal league agents and players buzzing about, playing the game on the field becomes a secondary consideration to money talk.

in all dunr NEIGHBORHOOD There Is Hardly A Woman Who Does Not Rely Upon Lydia E. Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound. Princeton, Ill.—“ I had inflammation, hard headaches in the back of my neck ““i a weakness all ■rtffySEteyrOß caused by female . ... trouble, and I took Lydia E. Pinkham’s |B|| Vegetable Com„pound with such excellent results that I am now feoliusfiuoI. recommend the 7 / // Compoundand praise “ /1 ittoalL Ishailbe / / gi a d to have you 1 I —’publish my letter. There is scarcely a neighbor around me who does not use your medicine. ’’—Mrs. J. F. Johnson, R. No. 4, Box 30, Princeton, Illinois. Experience of a Nurse. Poland, N. Y.—“ln my experience as a nurse I certainly think Lydia E. Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound is a great medicine. I wish all women with female troubles would take it I took it when passing through the Change of Life with great results and I always recommend the Compound to all njy patients if I know of their condition in time. I will gladly do all I can to help others to know of this great medicine. ” —Mrs. Horace Newman, Poland, Herkimer,Co., N. Y. If you are ill do not drag along until an operation is necessary, but at once take Lydia E. Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound. « If you want special advice write Lydia E. Pinkham Medicine Co*, (confidential) Lynn, Mass. The Wretchedness of Constipation Can quickly be overcome by CARTER’S LITTLE LIVER PILLS. Purely vegetable —act surely and gently on the liver. Cure W { TLE Biliousness, Agjiiagp ■ *,y EK Headache, ■MMi Dizzi- 1 ness, and Indigestion. They do their duty. SMALL PILL, SMALL DOSE, SMALL PRICE, Genuine must bear Signature B PARKER’S HAIR BALSAM A toilet preparation ot merltL Helps to eradicate dandruff. For Restoring Color and Beauty to Gray or Faded Hair. Me. and *I.OO at Druggists. for weak ■ SORE EYEB The Psychology of It. StUyvesant Ogden, a San Francisco millionaire, said In Washington the other day: “The present business depression—if, indeed, there be a business depression—is psychological. There is, I mean, no smallest excuse for it It is born of the nightmare fears of men’e minds. In a word, it reminds me of a music hall girl. ■ “The stage manager of a music hall rushed to the proprietor the other night and said: " 'Turn 14 refuses to go on with her trained mice. She says she’s been completely unnerved ever since that young student was eaten in Chicago.' * PIMPLES ON HEAD ITCHED I . Tell City, Ind.—“My baby’s. head was covered with sores and t)Wstop was a solid scab. It began with pimples and he would scratch his head until it would bleed and then scab over and keep spreading. He would claw his head and fret, it itched and burned so and I was afraid he would never have any hair on top ot his bead again. "A* friend recommended Cutlcura Soap and Ointment to me. I asked our family doctor and tye said, 'Yes, go right ahead and use them.* We got one cake of Cutlcura Sogp and one box of Cutlcura Ointment and they healed him from the first In a few days his head did not seem to itch or bother him in the least and before we had used one set he was healed and he has a fine growth of hair.** (Signed)'Mrs. Rosa M. Hanks, Jan. 16, 1914. Cutlcura Soap and Ointment sold world. Sample of each free,with 32-p. Skin Book. Address postcard “Cutlcura. Dept L, Boston.**—Adv. Intermittent Knlcker —Any luck? Bocker —No, the fish seemed to b< In part time schools. Truth crushed to earth may find a good deal of comfort in lying low fo> a while. « .i 1 i" ■ ii i, 1 " i—Mggge-ggß Granulated Eyelids. qnickly relieved by Mans* Eyes?~Druggists or Merihe Eye Bemcdy Co.. CMcage W. N. U„ CHICAGO, NO. 37-1914