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Show BACK TO THE FARM j Ho swung his swivel chair around from the Hat desk on which documents of all kinds were arranged in orderly fashion and arose to greet the visitor who entered this comfortable but severely plain office. Slightly below medium height he was, hair whitened somewhat by a lifetime of hard service, serv-ice, cheeks ruddy with health, blue eyes sparkling with fire a man of sixty, clean cut, full of energy the heart and mainspring fl-ij'ecting force of the New York Central system, which means boss of 10,000 miles of railways. Forty years and four has William C. Drown been in railroad work; five has he spent as president of the Ifew York Central. And now he has handed In his resignation to to take effect January 1. "Yes," he said, in answer to a question, ques-tion, "I remember very well when I commenced work as a railroader. It was in the latter part of June, 1S69, and a mighty hot June day at that. I was sixteen years old then, plowing corn on a farm out m northern Iowa. It was a big field to plow the sun beat down with broiling rays, and the horses sweated their way between the'long rows as I guided them and bore down on the plow. ( "At one end the big field ran up close against the railroad and when 1 got there I stopped to let the horses rest and to catch a breath of air for myself. Outside, on the rails, was a section foreman, A. J. Leach, and his gang at work. He looked up and saw me wiping my forehead. After a single glance he said: " 'Young man, how would you like to go to railroading?' " 'I'd like it mighty well,' I replied. " 'All right,' said Leach. 'Report for work next Monday morning and start In.' "I did report the following Monday morning, an went to work," Mr. Brown continued with a smile. "I've been right at It ever since." |