by Nat Williams
Tippie was the name of that dog I had as I was growing up in
Mattituck, Long Island, NY. That's ninety miles east of NYC. Freight trains came
out daily from Jamaica in the Queens. They finished in Greenport, thirteen miles east
of Mattituck and returned to Jamaica the same day. So Tippie and I used to ride
in their engine for the round trip from Mattituck to Greenport. They did switching
in each town along the way. Tippie also loved to go swimming with me in a fresh water
lake 1½ miles from our home. Whenever I went under, he would swim around in
circles, looking for me.
On my last trip on the freight train, Tippie must have eaten
something with poison in it while he was wandering around in Greenport. He died
in my arms as I sat on the fireman's seat on the return to Mattituck.
God bless Tippie forever! He will always be in my heart!
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