StNicholas [serial] . n to rain in earnest — greatsplashing drops at first, with quick lightningand thunder. I was drenched through at once,of course. Then followed one of the fiercestthunder-storms of that semi:tropical country :a continuous blue flare, crashing thunder, atorrent of water that bore upon me as if froma broken dam. The conductors prophecy hadcome true: I was wet. It was cool, though,and a relief after the mail-step. I bent myhead to it, and laughed aloud at the wildness ofthe situation. I thought, if we should onlystrike a cow now, there would be nothing left tohappen, and the
StNicholas [serial] . n to rain in earnest — greatsplashing drops at first, with quick lightningand thunder. I was drenched through at once,of course. Then followed one of the fiercestthunder-storms of that semi:tropical country :a continuous blue flare, crashing thunder, atorrent of water that bore upon me as if froma broken dam. The conductors prophecy hadcome true: I was wet. It was cool, though,and a relief after the mail-step. I bent myhead to it, and laughed aloud at the wildness ofthe situation. I thought, if we should onlystrike a cow now, there would be nothing left tohappen, and the fact that we were rushing onto the North through it all exhilarated me tillI shouted and sang and laughed with the rainbeating and blinding me. The storm slack- UNDER THE HEADLIGHT. 305 ened at last, then ceased. The air was much interest and exercise of regaining my position, cooler, and I began to feel chilly with the that kept me awake. rushing wind in my wet clothes. But the And so on through the night. I do not. THIRTY MILES AN HOUR! HOW MUCH BETTER THIS WAS THAN THE PLODDING FREIGHTS! boiler behind me was warm, and I pressed back know how many stops we made in all—how against it. As my clothes dried I grew very many times I concealed myself behind the sleepy. ties, weeds, cars, sheds, or whatever came For a time I could scarcely hold my eyes open, handiest; but it could not have been less than and it was only the occasional stop, and the a dozen in all. Of these places I caught a fewVol. XXVIL—39. 306 UNDER THE HEADLIGHT. [Feb. of the names as we passed the station remember dimly Crystal Spring, Jackson, theState capital, and, more clearly, Canton (Ithink), where we changed engines. I hadcounted on the night seeming very long, and I rain had something to do with his mirth. Hewas good-hearted, though, and went back tohis cab with a pleasant word. If he sees this,and remembers, I want him to know that if Iwas nt clean, I was grateful for his kindness.
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Keywords: ., bookauthordodgemar, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, bookyear1873
