The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-07-15
ONLY A TRAMP.

| desert, between Yuma and Benson The
| heat was intense Even the talkatiye San
Francisco drummer had collapsed in a
sweltering heap On the end seat. To the
tired passengers the hot hours seemed end
| lessly long. Suddenly the brakeman en-
tered, bringing with him cloud of black
smoke and alkali dust. With one hand he
shut the door, while with the other he
dragged heap of rags into the car.
$50 you were sneakin' ride, were your
| Wall, you be a tough nut, sure enough.
Got anything ter say fer yerself?"
The figure within the tatterS Strengthened
| itself up, wiped the alkai dust from its
eyes, essayed TO speak, then pointed to the
! ice water tank and sank back to the floor
exhausted.
THE poor critters bout done up" said
the man from Texas; where's my fiask?"
'Where'd you get the poor cuss?" asked
/ the San Francisco drummer, wiping his
perspiring brow.
Found him on the brake beam when we
| stopped at the water tank, said the brake
| man.
Great heaveDsl you don't mean to say
that mans been riding under this car"
| calculated the drummer. "Oh, Lordl and
I've been sitting here grumbling about the
heat and the mean DEGREES of fate. Poor
cussl"
Hes all right till we get to Ell Paso,
now" remarked the conductor. "Gainst
the law to put a man off at this part of the
road. Put peddler Of once; found his
pack and fine skeleton a week later"
The tramp ct last regained his breath,
and the tender hearted Texan assisted him
to a seat.
He was man of middle age, with a
stubbe beard and a great scar running
diagonally across his forehead. from the
scalp to the right cheek. His clothes. or
tatters, denoted him tramp-a western
tramp at that.
"Hungry?" asked the Texan.
"Hed nothin' fer thirty-six hours"
Gentlemen" remarked the Texan, "a
strangers at yer door"
eyer all white" said the tramp a half
hour later, as he pulle match out of his
pocket and used it for a toothpick.
Gentlemen, you'd hardly think owned
name by my looks, would yer? but 1 do
and good one at that. George Calvert
ez my title. Thirty years odd ago l used
to say that handle came to me from Lord
Baltimore, the jamestown Puritan, but
never says it now"
''That's perty tough wipe you've got
thar partner" remarked the Texan, re-
spectfully eying the scar across the tramp's
forehead. "Be thar an Injun story thar"
g. aw."
And the tramp looked out of the window
with wistful expression on his SCARED
face before proceeding.
THAT scrfpe never come from an Injun;
ct come from Greaser, and his bones hev
been picked long ago by the cayotes out
thar"
''Taint often tells my woes, cause no
body believes my story. Would you like
to know why I'm wearing rags and ridin'
on car trucks?"
in the year go I was a young man
studyin' law in Boston, with ez good pros
poets ahead ez any man ever he'd afore him.
| he'd just come in fer five thousand by the
death of an uncle, the last of kin. One
evening, at a social hop, Imet Mary-don't
matter about her other name-and-wall,
twas case of love from the word 90. She
was rich mans daughter; my wealth
didn't go fer much 'gainst the governors;
but then he'd prospects
Things went on ez slick ez possible fer
q time, when my health failed, and the
doctors ordered rest and change. The gold
fever struck me, and / made up my mind
one day to dig for fortune in Californey,
and get my health in the bargain. Course
Mary cried, and l give up the trip twice,
but finally got started.
Gentlemen, | loved that gal eff ever NOR
tai loved any critter on Gods green earthl
/ used to lie under the great sky roof on
the prairie at night, wrapped in blanket,
starin' at the stars, building great big gold
castles, and many's the time turned my
boss head round to 90 back to Mary. Ef
had gone back I'd never been here.
wall, I reached the diggings finally
and located a claim ct Gold Hill, and in six
months laid away quite a pile l wasn't
much on drink then, and didn't hev the
red nose l ha' now.
Zone day letter come tellin' me the
governor he'd dropped all he owned in the
loss Of three ships. This didn't bother me
much. Bout three months skipped by
and another come which made me wild.
The letter was all full Of love and tear
stains, and said that the man who had
saved the governor from complete ruin
wanted to marry her. She objected, o.
course, and the old man coaxed and
stormed, and the new lover waited, visit
full like
Il was for goia' home, but Mary said no,
ct d spoil my chances.
Wall, the end come at last. She mar
ried him. The news dazed me ct first, fer l /
couldn't get ct through my head Then | !
left the diggiDgs for nowhere, and ended /
finally jined party OF scouts, |
and wandered over the western country !
fghtin' Injuns
Two years later was one of party Of 1
ten prospectin' in the Wahsatch noun |
tains, IN Utah We had settled fer camp 1
one evening in a natural cave not far from 1
a precipice, from whar we could look in /
the valley and over about two miles to the I
stage coach trail, windin' in an out tween /
the mountains
II was standin' on q rock lookin' at the /
valley underneath. when | saw the stage /
coach way up Oh the trail, roundup the /
bluff. Icailed the boys 10 come and see e., fer |
et was somethin' 20 see in them days We \
squinted through our glasses a. the coach, ,
and waved our hats, though We knew they !
couldn't see. Suddenly one of the BOYS said /
IN an an excited way, Boys, they re eoia'
10 be attacked; see them forms oodgin' IN
an cut round tibet bluff Sure enough
ssld the whole crowd, but how are we goin'
% warn theIns' We stood thar hesitatia' 4
until we saw the coach stop; then we al
made rush together for the trail.
Took Is over an hour 20 get thar, and
We found the women haddled against the
.l.f, the driver and two men shot, ard OK
woman gone. They'd oeeo attacked b
NOVA, Mexican halfbreed, and hiz gsEg
IF cutthroats. The men, headed by the
husband Of the woman Molva had stolen,
had followed the band in pursuit. The