Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1891-11-26

stood when babe them all goodby, and
the big tears were running down his red
apple face and he was moaning forth "A
plaintive wall that should take him with
me to the west, for WAS his own Tom and
he said he conid not let me 20. Yes, it was
Just there by the gatejust there-and up
out of the green at that very spot was
thrust small, rude cross, breaking the
spell and bringing the white desert back
pgain, like fash of binding light. Why,
that was the cross that Flanagan had stuck
Mt the head of the dead tramp, whose face
had borne such striking resemblance to
my own-as close a resemblance, perhaps,
as my brother Joe bore to me now that he
had grown to manhood. Then for an in
slant my heart ceased to beat and | stared
/ blanblY Mt the cross and the little mound
of earth on which it's shadow fell. Great
/ God! Could it beg lie had left home in
as good trim rs any young man might need
I to set out. lie had Il passage ticket to
Humboldt and well filled purse, so the
| letter had said. But, ah! he was young
/ and he was innocent and there were harpies
| and fiends by the way
Many young man who started forth MS
well equipped and rs light of heart as he
had never reached the journeys end, and
! here had | in my blindness, for no good
! reason whatsoever, DlOCkeu tne way Vi ohc
whose face was a reflection of my own and
had become an accomplice in his murder
for might almost have known he would
meet his death when l saw him forced, as
it were to the brake beam. ! fixed my eye
upon the cross, and, as it grew smaller to
my sight, it grew larger to my thought. !
knew no peace. One ray of light pierced
the gloom. If Brother Joe had been due
Mt Humboldt on the 18th, by express, how
could he have been on the freight train
that arrived there the same nightY Against
this was weighed the torturing thought
that the letter was full of mistaken no.
tons rs to times and places, and, now that
| looked at it again, | saw clearly that II
he had left home, as was stated, on the
25th, he should have been in Humboldt on
the 18th, and he had not been there at all.
Then ] went through the whole chapter
again, revolving each passage of it in my
wearied brain, and one part of it seemed to
stand out more strongly than all the rest
my strange bond of brotherly sympathy
felt for the man while | sat upon the car
in the dark and cold and he was down in
that death tempting place under the furni-
=, ture car. ! knew little of psychology, and
vet thought it must have been revealed
, to me in misty way at that hour that the
NV brain was in "a whrl and the ugliest
: thoughts would crowd themselves to the
top. so that with it all | was fairly beside
myself.
We were at Red Buttes before nightfall
and there we were to pass the westbound
/ express The thought of that desert grave
:. and the terrible meaning it had for me did
not-no, nor ten times the thought could
> not-prevent me from scanning with in
i. tense eagerness the faces of the passengers
! who thronged into the station for supper
for Red Buttes was marked IS" on thu
time card. But, of course, | was doomed
. to disappointment. The passengers came
= and went as light hearted as you please
y while | stood on the platform with IA hear
y of lead and cursed them for their gayety
u Yes | cursed, for | was a rough man il
> thosn DAYS, and they had no right | ar
gued, to be cheerful when | was down
y cast. ! went back to my train, stamping
Z the platform with my heavy boots as
|, went along and continuing my profanity.
u 1t was with much impotence that
y sought out Flanagan Oh our return to Gov
- Creek.
"You say there was nothing on the bod
. of the-the tramp you buried by which Ii
u could be identified" asked eagerly.
D. "Niver anything at all"
- Are you sure there were no letters-n
" papers-not scrap Of
- cloud on-they was; but they wa
=, nothin bctune the kivers Nv it that Shove
u anything at ALL" said the honest fore
i, man.
IL Covers of WHAT"
3 "Why, the notebook, to be sure. Oh toll
~ yez about that befoor, didn't OiY'
u u "No; let me see it at once" And TO
" lowed him with impatient step, as he hui
= ried to hi, cottage, near the station.
>, "IIcre it is" he said, taking down a re
Il notebook from "A shelf, IAN if yez Xxi
!, fond anything in it that tells who I'll
~ thramp was, yell do better thin liver oul
y Flanagan kin, or amy one else aroun
>, here, for the matther o that"
+, | glanced eagerly through the bool
n There were some rows of figures, meme
u raudum as TO certain routes of travel b
IL tween New York and Council Bluffs,
number of blank pages, and then thi
~ written in pencil and dated at Cheyenne
- week back:
p DEAR BROTHER ToM-A fool and h
money! ] met some men on the train WI
re induced me to bet all had on card gam
% 1t was a swindling trick, of course, and
es lost everything. | might have goI
II through after all had not one of the villain
90 stolen my railroad ticket. The conductt
a. put me off here, and | suppose | must +
Nv main until | can obtain some money ca
, you send me fifty dol'--
III Then pride had made the point of Il
pencil run across the page in heavy lin
d again and again. The writing was Joe
'u He had never finished the letter. lie Ia
al preferred to beat his way to Humboldt
ne like II common train jumper, rather thu
10 TO call on any one for aid.
- "Oi tould yez they was nothin in it," 81
vi Flanagan, reaching for his pipe, IAN no
~ We see Oi know o what ] was talkin. y
ol conducthor j. wavin fur yez. VIII y
- leave me the book?
ne But thrust it into my pocket l tri
to Jay something to Flanagan, but the
,'S was that in my throat which forbs
nc speech: and so with lcaden feet | made II
-" way to the train.
1t was the wrong time Of year for flo
10 ers, and there never are many at HUI
lis boldt, but | gathered all l could find al
u, took them next day to that lone grave
az the railroad track. That was after | h
l. - .,11 . Ia,