Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1870-12-15
THE ROBBERS LAMP.

you ii nave UeICSr quarCSrS tu6Fe
than here, in this vile shanty
The money will be safer, ,too-let
alone that the men won't go to
work again unless they're paid
in the morning"
'Is the road safe? / don't
like the idea of Juggling SO much
money. / could defend my
self, or run; but fifteen hundred
dollars in small bills is a big
package to run with"
"Send yonr valise over in ad-
vance"
"Who by?"
"My man."
''Is he trustworthy"
"Honest as the day; and he
needn't know there's anything
in it but dirty linen. He can
start now; and you can wait till
after supper, if you will"
And so saying, the agent of
the railroad company stepped
into the door of the shanty, and
shouted for Patrick; and shortly,
that individual came-as bright,
lively, honest-looking son of the
Green Isle as ever helped build
a Western railroad.
''Patrickp'
eyes, yer honor"
Take this gentleman's valise
over to the village, and leave it
with the superintendent. Tell
him the owner II be after it this
evening"
can is that all, yer honor?'
"That's all-only be quick a.
bout it, and you'll earn an extra
dollar"
"Fm jist the bye for that, any
how. Sure, it's a small bit of a
valise."
And so saying, Patrick pick
ed up the object ofhis contempt,
and trudged away with an ut
ter absence of curiosity as to the
nature of what he was carrying.
The temporary station at
which the construction train
had landed the contractors
gentleman named Perkins-was
at the end of the new Airline
Railroad to and, as the la
borers thereon had not been
paid over promptly, they had
for some days been on a strike,
abandoning the works, and
congregating idly at hamlet,
a fewmiles distant, thereby COM
pelling their delinquent employ
ers to come to terms. Mr.. Per-
kins had brought a good share
of the "terms" with him for i'm
mediate distribution, and, latter a
plain but hearty supper with the
agent, he was about to start on
his tramp, when it was discover
ed that a good size Western
storm was about to burst, and
the walk was postponed until
the sky should clear. In a few
minutes more the rain was COM
ing down in torrents, and kept
it up for an hour or so, at the end
of which time the contractor
padded away over the muddy
road congratulating himself that
the valise in Patrick's care was
waterproof.
"He's had a rougher time than
Twill, anyhow; and now if ! amt
robbed and murdered before ]
get there, | shall do well enough
in spite of mud" And so mut-
tering to himself, the worthy
gentleman splashed forward.
Our present business, howev-
er, is not with his employer, but
with Patrick himself.
The parting injunction to
make haste had not seemed to
make very deep impression on
the careless son of Erin; and he
trudged gaily along with an oc-
casional shrewd glance at the
somewhat threatening sky,
growing to himself:
''Faith, an I'll be there before
he will, an if it don't rain, an
mebbe | will ayit does. Och, but
it's a wake one to be givin' a dol
lar for carryin' the like of this!"
A little more than half way a
cross the open prairie between
the railway terminusand the vii
lage was a tolerable dense grove,
and it was after sunset when
Patrick plunged under its shad-
ows. Nor had he gone far, be-
fore as the gloom rapidly deep
ened, the premonitory flashes
of lightning and deep, smother
ed roars of the thunder gave to-