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Show A VACATION AT A COUNTRY RAILROAD STATION "I was reading the othor day," said tho cheerful Sir. Phllklntross, "of somo-body somo-body that Just missed a train nnd so hnd to wait six hours at a country railroad station as If that was about tho toughost thing that a man could bo called upon to enduro. Hut do you know I'm thinking of spending my va-cation va-cation that way this summer. For It there Is anything I like to do It is to loaf, Just .loaf around n country railroad rail-road station whero they havo about two passenger trnlns a day each way, with a freight coming nlong occasionally. occasion-ally. "Qulot and ponce, with nobody about and tho wind ruffling Idly tho leaves on tho trees, and tho empty glistening rails stretching away mysteriously. Hack from tho platform down at ono end of tho station thoro's a boat nil crated up, and a mowing machlno llko-wlso llko-wlso crated, and a few boxoa and barrels, bar-rels, and I look them over with Interest, Inter-est, undisturbed by anybody and with plenty of time, and then I tako n look Into tho freight and baggago room and then Into tho empty waiting room, and then I scttlo down on tho station platform In tho shade, with my back comfortably agalnBt tho building" nnd loaf until It's pretty near time for the 10:22. "Along about ten tho station agent comes, and then protty soon two or threo peoplo that aro going to take that train or to mcot peoplo coming on it, and when tho peoplo begin coming com-ing llko that, why, I Btojf loafing, or I loaf In a different way; I loaf with the lntorcst of attention, and the coming of tho train is a great ovont to mo. "I stand around and without intruding intrud-ing view tho peoplo, nnd thoy all Interest Inter-est me, every "one; and to bo suro, moro people como; and ono or two wagons or carryalls arrlvo aud draw up at tno back or tho station and tholr drlvors como around to Join tho yes, tho throng on tho platform' "And then away down tho road, far out of Bight beyond tho curvo, wo hoar a whistle sho's coming; and In a mlnuto you Beo tho engine coming a-humming a-humming with tho 10:22; with tlio flromnn keeping tho bell going, and tho trnln baggage man Btandlng by tho door of tho baggago car, and peoplo on tho platforms of the cars. And tho baccago man drons off a trunk or two Dr thrco or four, and half n doron poo. plo got down, nnd tholr friends moot them or tho drivers that havo como for them tako possession of them, and tho station platform Is a sccno of lively live-ly activity whllo tho peoplo In tho cars look on and glanco up at tho signboard sign-board to seo what station this Is. "And then the station plntform gradually grad-ually thins out, and everybody that's going Is now aboard tho train, and thoro's nobody left standing between tho platform and tho train except tho trnln conductor. Ho looks coolly along the train and sees that everybody every-body Is off and everybody's aboard, and then without turning around ho raises his hand calmly as a signal to tho engineer, and tho fireman pulls on tho bell ropo, nnd the engineer pulls tho throttlo nnd gives the big engine Just a breath of steam and starts tho heavy train so easily nnd amoothly that you scarcely realize it has started until you ace it moving, nnd tho conductor con-ductor stops coolly up on tho front platform of tho forward passenger car and tho train Is off on Its way. "Then tho station agent drags' In thoBo trunks that tho train has left, and flva minutes lator the last of tho pooplo about tho station havo disappeared disap-peared and onco moro you have tho station all to yourself. "Hut horol Hero's a whistle! What docs that mean? And looking down tho lino, you seo tho thick, blnck smoko of a coming engine nnd you discover that It's a freight train. And maybo this Is a single track road and (Tils a passing station, nnd then you soe that pondorous locomotlvo coming, dragging Its endless lino of cars, and turn out hero on tho Biding. "And then In-due tlmo tho next passenger pas-senger train comes nlong and wo havo that scone on the plntform repented, and then tho freight goto tho right of way and soon, with everything around now all to itself, it pulls out. "And then you sottlo down on tho station platform again with nil tho world to yourself, responsible to nobody no-body and with absolutely nothing to bothor you, nnd steop yourBelf in peaco and quiet, nnd if you enro to look so high you can see thero your friends the whlto clouds loafing by, and then looking down again and across tho fields bright In tho sunlight, you hear tho breozo rufllliTg tho troes and you hear tho birds and maybo In sheer contentment of spirit nnd complete com-plete bodily rcstfulncss your bond drops nnd "When you wnko up and look around to see It anything new has happened In tho world slnco you dropped off you seo coming along tho track slowly and silently a solltnry figure, all tho tlmo looking down In front of him and to either sldo as he comes tho section boss, looking along tho track, and After you havo mot him thus for two or thrco days, If he takes you for a man, ho will tell you when tho track wns stono bnllnstod and when they put In tho 00-pound rails, and If you tell him, which Is truo, that everything along hero looks kopt up In perfect ordor ho will toll you that this section last year took tho prize offered by tho company for tho best-kept soctlou on tho road. "Marooned at a way station? Why, I am thinking of spending my vacation that way this summer at a . country rnlliond station," |