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Show COLLEGIATE LIFE <br><br> Why, man, this car has been here at least four weeks!" Their voices died away; we heard no more. But, four weeks! we looked at each other in astonishment. No need of wasting time wondering, for before we could collect our senses we were spinning along faster than we had ever gone before. <br> On, on sped the train, who would ever think this world could be so big? Why, one doesn't begin to realize the distance across this vast continent of ours until he has travelled across it in a box car. <br> We gazed through the crevices in our car, tiny as they were they afforded a splendid view. Great, blue mountains appeared in the distance, then very near as the train climbed along. Mountains, covered with beautiful green trees and flowering shrubs. Then again we would get a glimpse of the snow-capped peaks, glistening and white in the sunlight, towering above us at such dizzy heights that our heads fairly spun. Again there would be a rush and a roar as of a mighty wind, a surge of waters and we knew some river was being crossed. Perhaps a tiny hamlet, nestling among the fir-clad mountains would obscure the view, little children running around, care-free and wild. <br> "We're going some, aren't we?" I asked, just to be saying something. <br> "Yes, but it's nothing to what we will go." <br> But it was not for long that we went after that, for we suddenly stopped with a jolt that sent us rolling against each other. Voices, loud and excited were heard outside! All was confusion. Poor little frightened boxes came tumbling down over us. <br> "Oh!" screamed a stove pipe. "It must be a wreck!" <br> A wreck! That meant a delay and we were in such a hurry. Rush orders, too! <br> "All safe in here," called a voice. "Guess the most damage occurred at first car. This means a delay of some days." <br> "Do you suppose we will get to our destination safely?" Commie asked. <br> "Don't ask me," I replied somewhat gruffly. "Wonder if they think those school-children can freeze while we live here all through carelessness, too!" <br> But the longest wait comes to an end sometime, and after four days' wait we began to move away slowly, and with great care, but gaining as everything seemed to go well. <br> Nothing eventful happened until we arrived at Denver. We were to lay over in Denver for a day, to give the train crew a chance to rest, change, load more cars and also to wait for a pass over the road. I cant tell you how it happened, my brains are not capable of working with the accuracy of a human being, but I know I saw our train puff out of the yards, our car seemingly forgotten. <br> Hours passed, hours became days, days grew into weeks, while weeks lengthening into months. A month of weeks must have passed by when one day my comrade saw a car loaded with chickens and turkeys pass by. <br> "Don't you suppose it must be almost Thanksgiving time? I am sure those queer looking objects were turkeys, for they look exactly like those that used to strut across the ground when I was nothing but ore in the soil. Oh, those were days worth remembering, lying cosily tucked away in old Mother Earth! Huh, the day the pick axe struck me in the side, I can feel it yet!" <br> How long we would have stayed in Denver is hard to tell had not a fire started in the district where we were standing. It was that day we were first noticed and sent out on our way. Whizzing out of Denver, at a speed that must have threatened the engineer's safety. The wind whistled and sang through the cracks, and we rejoiced for surely at last we would see Salt Lake. And we did; a week or so later we puffed into the freight yards of this great city. We were switched on to a side track, an official took our car. When we heard the date we almost fainted, December, almost Christmas, and we started sometime last summer! No wonder we were almost stiff with cold. <br> But here we were, this was our destination, the great city we had so longed to see. <br> [Continues on next page.] <br><br> |
