The Warner weekly sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1885, 1884-01-25
Bull SMILEY'S SCARE.

He was q jobblng carpenter py Itaoe'
but his chief occupation was that ot &
railway thief. The method he adopted
was to travel short distances on the
diferant suburban lines, with the object
of picking up stray umbrellas, hand
bags. and other portable articles which
were insuficiently guarded bv their
owners. He had an innocent way oil
rushing from a railway carriage just
as the train was moving on,
seizing,in his hurry and confusion some
body else's hat box or umbrella from
the rack. On the comparatively rare oc-
casions when his mistake was discovered
before il was too late to rectify 1t, his
profuse apologies were generally accept
ed with more or less credulity. But, as
a rule, ne managed to get, clear away
with his spoil, and so skillfuIly and eau
tiously did he conduct his operations
that he has never yet been convicted,
though he was painfully conscious that
the police had their eye upon MIN. -,
One evening, feeling inclined for o ut
tie excitement, he took q thlrd-claSs
ticket at the Clearinghouse station on
the District railway. and strolled clown
on the platform. Keeping a sharp LOOK
out as he lounged about waiting Tor o
train 20 the West End, his attention was
attracted by the suspicious demeanor
OF a tall, Yankee-looking man, who
seemed anxious to avoid observation,
and made his way to the far end OF the
station, He carried q carpet bag, which
he carefully placed on the ground,
while Re walked tie yard In front
of il. Bill remarked that, when any n
CHANGED to approach, the man mounted
guard over the carpetbag in a VIZ reso'
lutte manner. He tried the experiment
himself, ana felt conviI G ID that t le con-
tents of the bag must be valuable. AS
the result Of deliberate observation, he
came to the conclusion that the mysteri-
GUS 8 ranger Was not easy in his mind
about having the bag in his possession,
from which it was no. difficult to surmlse
that be had not come by 1t lawfully.
While these reflections we're crossing
Bills mind, a train came into the station
and in the midst of the confusion which
Ell ed, he saw the stranger take a. 8 ep
foi ward and accost q passing. guard. A
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 delln-
uuency 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 accls-
toned to act with much more circum
spection. The chances were that the
strai g,r would Immediately communI-
cate his loss TO the railway
officials who would at snce tele-
graph down the line. This uncOmforta-
HE nsnsnea . red n1li 20 h:e.s .
cold perspirauon, for familiarity with
the danger of being apprehendeu for
robbery had not bred contempt for the
orde l. But by degrees he began to
breathe more freely as he recollected
the strangers evident r~eticence. II, as
Bill snspec 4, the mar had ria on5 Tor
desiring 10 conceal his identity, he might
prefer TO put mp with his loss rather
than ere ate a disturbance.
But sill, b n did not feel at all com
forsabie. and he fastened to STOW the
baz under the seat, so that It might not
attract the attention of the guard in case
he was warned TO look ont for it. While
he was titus occupied, the passenger
who was seated opposite to him OBJ
served, facetiously:
That amt dynamite, is 1T mates?
NO. replied Bill with a grin, though
he Was SECRETLY vexed a his movements
having been noticed. sits the coat I'm
agOiu' to e to- night when ! have sup
Der With the Prince Of Wales and the
rest OF the royal family"
But TRANCE to say, the facetious re-
mark OF his fellow passenger made an
uncomfortable impression upon Bill
Smiley, by suggesting TO his mind q very
disouieting suspicion. He had hitherto
assumed that the bag contained valu-
ableg Of some kind or other, but on that
point, Of course, he had no actual knowl-
edge. Now he came to think OF 1T, 1t
was DOssibie thatthe contents OF the bag
might DO very different from what he
barQained for. This view OF the ques-
ton assumed an omiDous significance
when be recoIlected the demeanor OF
the stranger and his o~utlandish APP
pearance. Bill was familiar, like every
one else. with the recent Fenian out-
RACES. Surprising the stranger belonged
10 the dasfardly gang who went about
causing death and ~desolation by means
of Internal machinesl
Bill coaId not help shifting ~uneasily in
his seat when be thought OF the bag re.
posing snugly underneath him. Lit was
veSy easy TO scof at the notion OF its be-
ing tho instrument Of . diaboIical out
rage. For some reason or other, nc
found IL IMPOSSIBLE to dismiss the suspi-
cion from his mind. Ills fel~l@w-passen'
gers aimless remark seemed 10 have
acted like a revelation, and, in spite O.
himself. bi~sssspicions began to grow In
10 a sort Of dreadful foreboding. HI
now recollected that when he lifted tn.
he heard a strange rattle inside il
and the sound was repeated when h'
was pulling Il under the seat. TrlfitnI
rs this circumstance was, It helped =
inc ease his uneasiness. Whether M
adventure had Hurried his nerves, o
b;a ctafa nf haaffh randarad him liabl