Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1872-03-14
ON THE VERGE.

III III III OOStOH. u6 LaIu sup
ped at p, about 6 O'Clock
one afternoon, fifteen minutes be
ing announced for supper. l hur
ried into the lunch room with tht
throng, who all seemed as hungry
as myself, and was soon devour
ing a sandwich, a pickle, and {
hard boiled egg, which last l made
as palatable as possible by dipping
it into a miniature pile of sal
which l had impoverished on th'
table cloth, no plates being sup
piled. The fifteen minutes wer,
remarkably short, for which con
tingency we were generally pre-
pared most of us had had expe
rience in these matters, and on
jaws moved with a rapidity which
can only be attained by traveller
who are accustomed to stop fO
lunch at way stations. Ia fact,
had finished my repast two or
three minutes before the bell rang
for the start, which gave me time
to glance over a local paper pub
lished in an adjoining town.
Among the items in this paper
was a statement that the authori.
ties of H had offered FIVE
thousand dollars for the appre.
hension of the perpetrators of a
burglary and murder which had
been committed in that place a
few nights previous, and was the
sensation in this region, as a mat.
/ ter of course.
"All aboard J. shouted the con-
ductor, and there was a stampede
for the train.
| AS l started with the rest,
caught sight of a letter, well
trampled by muddy feet lying on
the floor. | picked it up, and in
stinctively held my steps as i ran
my eyes over the first page to see
whether l should hand it over to
/ the proprietor of the lunch room.
ran it over second time, and
while | felt a perceptible flush in
my face, thrust the letter into my
pocket.
This was. what l had read
Tell Bob to meet us at Dick
Stamps shanty Thursday night.
It's getting too hot for US. H
is a hOoting and war-whooping,
as if a man mightn't as well clear
the earth with one of our pills in
his carcass as to have his body
riddled with old Brandreth's med.
ical ammunition"
| was now obliged to run for it,
as the train was in motion.
When leaped upon the step of
the rear car, a gentleman with
rather a stunning style of dress
extended his hand to help me
aboard.
cit don't do TO stop to read love
letters with the engine bell cry,
ing of we 60, my boys!"' he ex'
claimed with light laugh, at the
same time bending upon me 9
quick, searching glance.
My first impulse was to lower
my eyes from this glance but in
another instant l had collected
myself, and looking him strait il
the face smiled and said:
ga man is apt to catch at ths
oldest moment to read a love let
ter"
l then passed him and took my
seat. As the train sped Oh,
thought over the words read il
the ominous letter Ihad picked up
aud wondered if it were possible
tlat l had a clue by which | nigh
make at least part of five thOusanC
dollars. / kept repeating th'
name in said letter to myself
Dick Mamp--Dick &--DicI
.Mamp. What part of the coun
try does this man live in-thi
Dick Shamp? "That's for mi
to find out" l muttered to my
self. "
1t was in the fall of tie year
and as the night advanced some
chilly passengers filled the stove
with wood and in my rather ex
cited state of mind, the heat be
came unendurable.
Il will take some of this out
side air." / inwardly exclaimed
and suiting the action to the word
l rose from my seat and went t,
the rear end of the car. AS
Deared the door, | observed m.
tacetious friend with a stunning
dress, smuggled up in the corner
where the faint rays of the LAM
lust reached him, dimly lightinl
Hp his nose, brows, cheek bone
and beard. He seemed in a dos
as / approached him. l glance'
hack. when his head half raisel