The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1884-02-01
BILL SMILEY's SCARE.

prlslng young man, who improved his
teksurHy by appropriating other people 8
property whenever he got the chance.
he was a jobbing carpenter by trade.
his chief occupation was that of q
railway thief. The method he adopted
was to travel short distances on the
diiIerant suburban lines, with the object
OF picking up stray umbrellas, hand
bags, and other portable articles which
We're insufficiently guarded by their
owners He had an innocent way of
rushing from a railway carriage just
as The train was moving of,
selzlng,in his hurryand confusion some
BODY else's hat box or umbrella from
the rack. On the comparatively rare oc-
casions when his mistake was discovered
before it was too late to rectify it, his
profuse apologies were generally accept
ca with more or less credulity. But, as
rule, ne managed to get clear away
with his spoil. and so skillfully and eau
uously did he conduct his operations
that he has never yet been convicted,
though he was painfully conscious that
the police had their eye upon him.
One evening, feeling inclined for a lit
tie excitement, he took a third-class
ticket at the Charing. Cross station on
the District railway. and strolled down
on the platform. Keeping a sharp look
u as he lounged about waiting for a
tram to the West End, his attention was
attracted BY the suspicious demeanor
o. a tall, 4ankee-looking man, who
seemed anxious to avoid observation,
and made his way to the far end of the
station. He carried Il carpet bag, which
he carefully placed on the ground,
while he walked the yard in front
OF 1T. Bill remarked that, when any one
CHANGED to approach, the man mounted
a ovcr the carpetbag in a very reso.
lutte manner. He tried the experiment
himself, ana felt convinced that the con-
tents of the bag must be valuable. As
the result of deliberate observation, he
came to the conclusion that the mysteri-
GUS stranger was not easy in his mind
about having the bag in his possession,
from which it was no. difficult to surmise
that be had not come by it lawfully.
While these reflections were crossing
Bits mind, a tram came into the station
and in the midst of the confusion which
ensued. he saw the stranger take a step
" . oAiN olSOcU a pcSSIllS Sudlts ~
few words were exchanged between
them, during which Bill yielded to a
sudden Impulse which prompted him to
seize hold of the strangers bag and
make off with it.
Before there wasa chance of his delin.
quency bel gdiscovered Bill had leaped
into the train, which was already begin
ming to move. He felt a little dismayed
at what he had done, for he was accus-
toned to act with much more circum
spection. The chances we're that the
stranger would Immediately communi.
cate his loss to the railway
officials who would at once tele-
graph down the line. This uncomforta-
Bile prospect caused Bill to break into a
cold perspiration, for familiarity with
the danger of being apprehendeG for
robbery had not bred contempt tor the
ordeal. But by degrees he began to
breathe more freely as he recollected
the strangers evident reticence. If, as
Bill suspected. the man had reasons for
desiring to conceal his SILENTLY, he might
prefer to put mp with his loss rathe1
than eat a disturbaE,p.
But still, d II cid not feel at all com
Portable. and he fastened to stow the
bag under the seat, sc that it might not
attract the attention of the guard in case
he was warned TO look out for it. While
he was thus occupied, the passenger
who Was seated opposite to him OBJ
served, f~acetiously.
"That amt dynamite, is it mate?n
"No," replied Bill with a grin, though
he was secretly vexed a his movements
having been noticed. "It's the coat Pm
agoin' to wear to night when l hsve sup
per with the Prince of Wales and the
rest of the royal family"
But strange to say, the facetious re-
mark OF his fellow passenger made IN
uncomfortable impression upon Bill
IisQuieting suspicion. He had hitherto
assumed that the bag contained valu-
ablcs of some kind or other; but on that
point. of course, he had noactnal knowl-
edge. Now he came to think of it, it
was possible that the contents of the bag
might be very different from what he
bargained for. This view of the ques-
ton assumed an ominous significance
when be recollected the demeanor of
the stranger and his o%utlandish ap-
pearance. Bill was familiar, like every
one else, with the recent Fenian out
RACES. Surprising the stranger belonged
to the dastardly gang who went about
causing death and desolation by means
of infernal machines!
Bill could got help shifting uneasily in
his seat when he thought OF the bag re-
posing snugly underneath him. 1t was
very easy to scotf at the notion of its be-
ing the instrument of a diabolical out
rage. For some reason or other, he
found 1t impossible to dismiss the suspi-
cion from his mind. His fellew-passen-
GERS aimtess remark seemed TO have
acted like a revelation, and, in spite of
himself, his suspicious began to grow in
to a sort of dreadful ~foreboding. He
o r%ecollected that when he lifted the
bag he heard n strange rattle inside 1t,
and the eonnd was repeated when he
was puttingsit under the seat. Trffilng
as this circumstance was, it helped to
Incl ease his uneaslness. Whether his
adventure had Hurried his nerves, or
his state of health rendered him liable
to morbid fears, it is certain that he
soon became firmly convinced that the
prize fer which he had risked h~isliberty
was an internal machine which might
blow him to atoms ut any moment.
The face;:ous fellow passenger, r
marking Biz. perturbation, which
plainly show ID itself in his pale face:
pood-naturedly asked it he was i'll, and
offered 10 put the window down. This
friendly interference caused Bill to, col
lect his scattered wits, and 10 reject Sc
riously what he had better do. his I'M.
pulse wac to seize the bag and hurl it in:
to the darkness. But he was restrained
from doing this, partly from a lingering
hope that his booty might be really val.
uab!e after all. If an explosion resulted
from the ba, being dropped into the
tunnel, he would be Immediately appre'
hended Ne the author OF the outrage
On the other hand, some tendish ma
chinery might be at work inside thu
bag at that very moment, which rem
dered his hesitation almost suicidal.
This last reflection brought on q sor
Of franziei desperation which lmpellet