Through the school: The experiences of a mill boy in securing an education
John Stuart Mill · en
When the train started, and the crew were sitting around with nothing
to do, I tried to enter into conversation with one of them. But I was
_persona non grata_; of a different caste, I was told to “hang my lip
on the clothes-hook,” a grewsome feat and quite a poetic conception.
The window, a little square one, was high above my head. I stood on the
seat in the attempt to look through it into the night. Immediately I
was told to “switch off.” Then I made myself comfortable for the night
by spreading myself at full length on the seat. After a time, the
fumes of the lamp drugged me into a doze, and then the thunder of the
freight and the dull, dull rumble of the train crew’s voices sent me
off into a fretful, but long sleep. In the morning, when I opened my
eyes, and looked out of the back door window, we were passing stations
in Ohio. The morning was very pleasant, and thinking that a whole night
of my presence might have made the train crew tolerant, I ascended into
the lookout, above the roof of the caboose, where, from the cushioned
seat, I could make a splendid observation of country through which we
were passing. But my joy was short-lived. Immediately the thunders of
the conductor called me down and I was sternly ordered to “sit down
where you belong,” a command which was followed by a descriptive phrase
which linked me to a low and disreputable order of creation.
By nine o’clock we brought up in the Cleveland yards, where a new
caboose and a new train were to be fastened to the freight. I was told
to “grab” my belongings and “git the-twelfth-letter-of-the-alphabet out
of this!” which I did, and found, when I got to the ground, that the
freight train had gone off and left the caboose standing in the yard.
Then I went on a frightful, heart-thumping search for the two cars
with the long numbers on them: not spending any time to be rebuffed by
the yard men. I leaped from track to track and searched car after car
until, at last, I found the numbers I wanted, and by following out the
length of the train, came to the new caboose.