Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1890-07-12
THE VICTIM
OF HIS
CLOTHES.
by Howard Fielding and Frederick Z. burton.
[CoPYRIGuT. 1901
CHAPTER VIII.-CoSTrNUED.
A PRICE ON MS HEAD.


Then he stopped abruptly and walked
slowly up the avenue for short dis
lance. His heart was beating violently
with excitement and the exertion OF his
run, and he knew that he must get
somewhere out Of sight ut once. just
ahead of him he saw that the street-car
tracks entered tunnel, the sidewalks
and carriage-way rising over hill above
1T. Believing that here lay his oppor-
tunity he entered the tunnel and
walked through its half mile of length
without molestation save from cars
that passed him occasionally. The
drivers and conductors looked at him
sharply, and that made him wish that
he had staid above ground. 1t also i'm
pressed him with the necessity Of dis
guising himself.
At the end of the tunnel he found
himself in front of the Grand Central
Depot. If he could only take train
and go somewhere! lnstinctively his
hand went to his pocket and then he
remembered. Tho thought Of passing
again through on experience Of hunger
with its possibilities of police courts
and ferry-boat concerts so distressed
him that he had half o mind to return
to jenkins and confess himself
lunatic. Then probably he would be
put in straight jacket and be confined
in q ioathsome cell for the rest of his
days. Horriblei
Suddenly he remembered that he had
been in tho habit of carrying fifty
dollar bill in q little pocket unobtrusive-
ly made at the waistband Of his trousers.
Most of US would have thought of that
before, but Mr.. Drane had passed his
boyhood in tho lap of luxury, and in his
manhood had not escaped from her lead
ing-strings until the beginning Of these
unhappy episodes, so that the where
withal was naturally the last element
to enter into his consideration Of practi-
cal problems. In this case he felt GER
tain that his enemy, the tramp, must
have overlooked that pocket He thrust
a trembling finger into it. Glorious!
He felt the soft but firm texture Of
bank note, and no knew that no was
saved He marched proudly into tho
depot and inquired about trains for
Boston. That was still further away
from home, but he had friends thcre
who would identify him and see him out
OF his trouble. A train would leave in
the course Of an hour. Good. How
much? Five dollars. Very reasonable.
One ticket, please.
While the strip OF paste board was be-
ing stamped Mr.. Drane drew forth tho
hidden bill and unfolded it. Then his
heart went down to hold sad COM
munion with his heels.
81 beg your pardon" he faltered, adj
dressing tho ticketseller, "but / don't
think I'll 60 to Boston this evening"
The bill was two.
The tramp had been commercially
thorough in his search through Mr..
, Drane's clothes, and, having found use
for the fifty dollars, had recognized the
utility of an emergency fund and had
limited his reserve to two dollars
Mr.. Drane went out again into the
unfeeling air Of New York and wondered |
whv It was that he had never been able |
before to see any thing in the philOso-
ply Of pessimism. Still it Is not often
that some ccns0ation can not be found
in q situation whom q man has IS much |
as two dollars in his possession. Law
renee found It. he didn't want to 60 TO
Boston, anyway, for there was Bessie,
the good, the beautiful. the soui-satisfy-
ing Besno. She was in New York, and