A SLOW TRAIN.
Southern railroads have a reputation for slow travel, and in some cases it is well merited. A Western travelling-man, making a trip on these lines, suffered a great deal of annoyance from this particular failing, but up to the time of the following incident he had enjoyed himself immensely guying the conductors, trainmen, or any persons having to do with the roads, about their rapid transit.
He was travelling one afternoon on an exceptionally slow train, which came to a stop every now and then without any apparent cause. After expressing himself very audibly to the passengers he resigned himself to the inevitable, and dozed off into short naps, which were interrupted by the sundry jerks of the train, at which he complained. The passengers showed their annoyance at these complaints by angry looks. The conductor had excused the engineer in every possible way. The last apology had been that cattle obstructed the track. The train had started again, and had proceeded about ten minutes, when it halted with a jerk. Up waked the impatient traveller, and petulantly remarked:
"Dear, dear! I suppose, conductor, this worse than slow train has struck another herd of cattle?"
"Struck another one?—not much," replied the conductor; "we've simply caught up again with the first herd we ran into, that's all."
The traveller subsided, and the conductor was left in peace.