Mansfield High School - Manhigan Yearbook (Mansfield, OH)

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conductor, always to be relied upon, came on the scene. The disputants calmed when he came in and each hoped for a settlement of the argument according to his own demands. However no conclusion was reached for the conductor did not have the right view of the situation and no one would give anything but a partial version of it. The matter was finally referred to the engineer. He seemed a strange person to go to, yet, when the facts of the case had been laid before him, he presented a solution of the difficulty that made everything seem easily remedied. The talk occasioned by this occurrence was not very remarkable, con¬ sidering that nothing much had happened on the trip. It was discussed pro and con, but in general the sentiment seemed to be in favor of the passenger. The trip was becoming very irksome and many wished that it would end. One or two welcome steps had been made and the passengers recalled them with distinct pleasure. However, when anyone spoke seriously of leaving the train “for good ' a chorus of protest was raised. The usual argument seemed to be that if he had taken three similar long hard trips why shouldn ' t he wait until the fourth was over? At last a stop was made that everyone had been looking forward to for a long time. There was a delay sufficient for a second trainload of people to catch up with the first, and then the crowds united and indulged in a glorious party. A dramatic stunt was very creditably put on by a bunch from the second train, and good things to eat were afterwards passed. After this affair was over a short time was left before resuming the trip, so everyone gave himself a much needed rest. At last a blast from the whistles gave warning that the trains were ready to start. There was a rather “langsam” procession of returning passengers. Spring had come and the little town seemed so inviting that many were tempted to stay. The first train left the second one far behind and passed on swiftly to the end of the journey. The passenger s were less than ever inclined to read the dull dry books, but irritating trainmen compelled them to keep their attention fixed upon the pages. During all this time Sam had gradually become one of the common pas¬ sengers for he had wisely told himself that he would rather keep to his book than to finish the trip in disgrace. The peace of the journey had remained unbroken for a long time. However it was broken one day by a most persistent trainman who began to marshal his forces and suggested to the travelers, as their journey was nearing an end, that several should make farewell addresses to the company. So the party of travelers helped select those who should close the journey with appropriate remarks. It was with a great deal of painstaking labor that the chosen ones pre¬ pared their speeches, constantly changing and rechanging them to suit the taste of the aforesaid trainman. Some were eager to relinquish their task, but the ever busy Conductor paused in the midst of his rush to deliver a lecture to the shirkers. It seemed strange that the trainmen and the con¬ ductor and even the engineer should have so much to say during the journey, page eleven

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Pushing aside any more who wanted to speak to him he started through the train. As he made his way from coach to coach he was hailed with the most joyous of shouts and exclamations, and he in turn did his share of the “shoutin ' . ” At last he came to the smoker (gasser, more appropriately,) and to his horror he found it full of girls, and may the saints bless us— every girl was talking as fast and as hard as she could. Thrusting his head in a little way, Sam admonished them to “turn off the gas. ” The girls looked indignant and gave Sam their cold shoulder, leaving him to return to a more congenial atmosphere. Walking back through the train, he noticed nearly everyone was read¬ ing. The books were dry and uninteresting-looking ones, and slowly Sam extracted a similar one from his own suit-case and began to read. In the course of a half hour or so, sonorous noises proceeded from his corner, filling the whole coach. No one took any notice of it. Suddenly the door burst open and the conductor rushed in, immediately beginning to lecture the crowd on their carelessness. Many were surprised at this sudden outburst, until the conductor pounced onto Sam, who had been peacefully sleeping; then they realized he was really the object of the lecture from the very start. “Don ' t you know you have no business going through the train when it is moving? Can ' t you realize that you might get killed by such carelessness? etc., etc., indefinitely, until Sam was very indignant. The anger of the conductor broke forth anew, and when he had finished his tirade he was obliged to gasp for breath. But this conductor was an extraordinary mortal, as the passengers realized thruout the trip. It seemed as if he was con¬ stantly berating someone of the party all the time, but at intervals he became hilarious and jolly with the rest of the crowd. The passengers took little notice of the country passed thru, for it was much the same all the way. However, within the train, events had come to pass that furnished talk for a long time. One young fellow had become decidedly annoying to his fellow travelers. Several trainmen in turn argued with him and tried to get him to be quiet. Their efforts had no effect what¬ ever and at last the irate conductor took a hand in the matter, and without listening to any excuses, he dragged him from the train. The young fellow picked himself up, and shaking his fist at the vanishing train, indulged in very uncomplimentary phrases about the conductor. Various views were taken of the affair by the passengers. Sam felt very sorry for the young fellow and was loud in his denunciation of the con¬ ductor. A very studious girl took her eyes from her book long enough to remark that she thought it was no more than he deserved. He didn ' t need to think this trip was being taken just for fun. But this event was overshadowed by one occurring soon after. It seems that a trainman had gotten into a violent dispute with one of the passengers. A great many sharp words were exchanged. The passenger insisted on “sticking up for what he termed his rights and the trainman declared he was overstepping his bounds. Not one of the other passengers cared to interfere so the dispute continued. It waxed hotter and hotter until the page ten

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but the passengers were young, (though plenty old enough in their own estimation) and their parents had entrusted them to the train officials. Between the time of the selection of the speech makers and the deliver¬ ing of the results of their efforts, two very elaborate functions were enjoyed by the members of the party. The first was at the expense of the engineer, who all the time had been keeping a steady hand on the throttle. The other was given by the members of the party as it would be the last chance for them to enjoy a social good time. They seemed to have no trouble at all in enjoying themselves to the fullest extent. At last the day of the speech-making arrived. It wasn ' t a very joyful day for the majority of the passengers for it marked the last day they would all be together. During the journey all had made good friends with their fellow passengers and it is hard to give up friendships that may never be renewed. So it was with serious faces that the party assembled to hear the ad¬ dresses so carefully prepared. They were five essays, speaking the careful and thoughtful work expended upon them. A little music was given by a few of the passengers and it vvas such as anything fine is apt to be—An ex¬ quisite sample of unrevealed beauties that might follow. Finally the end came and the passengers descended reluctantly from the train. As they left they were handed a paper, signifying the satisfactory completion of the tedious journey. Good-byes were exchanged with the engineer, the conductor and the trainmen. It is small wonder that the last were given the most lingering handclasps, for, altho they had annoyed and harrassed the passengers more than anyone else, their very watchfulness had instilled reverence and respect into the hearts of the passengers. Every passenger, as he walked away, looked back at the train with a true feeling of affection in his heart, and as he went on and took up the thread of his life in a strange place and among strange people, the experiences of his journey were indelibly fixed in the mind. page twelve