The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-12-28

"After that I never tried the truck ride
except as a last resort. l found out other
tricks. One OF these tricks was to sneak
into the baggage car. l generally had COM
panions in this racket. When the con-
ductor or express manager finds you out
you have to put up something. LII they
like your shoes you have to give them up.
Perhaps your hat will strike their fancy
ind maybe they'll give you an old n for
it. I gave up my collar and vest the first
time. But / got a six-dollar ride for it.
Yes, it is pretty rough sleeping on the floor
among the boxes, but it ia better h rid
ing under the car. | often gave up clothes
when I had money about me; it was cheaper
in the end. But this sometimes left me in
a mighty shabby state. / looked like a
tramp and / felt like a tramp.
sometimes I fell in with a queer crowd.
Once / met two bad actors who were trying
to make another town. When the baggage
we talked to him and the actors started in
to give a regular entertainment. The con-
ductorr came in, and the Pullman car con-
ductor too. and one actor did the Shakes
peare act while the other Clipped in a song
and dance. I had n pocket harmonica and
gave them a solo, besides playing an ac-
companiement for the song and dance man.
Q, that was a great night, that was!
speaking of music reminds me of another
time when I was taking q straight ride in
southern Illinois. 1t Was something like an
emigrant car, in which you sleep in the best
style you can with a coat for a pillow or
with your head up against the > window,
Well, we all got kinder sociable in there.
There was a Jewess in tho car who made
some coffee and passed it around in a tin
cur. We weren't any of us very flush and
weren't living very high, and the coffee was
a big thing. We all thoughtthe Jewess was
an angel. Then We all got to singing. We
sang about everything you. every heard
solos, duets, but mostly choruses. While
we were singing away l heard a voice and
sometimes two voices that I couldn't ac-
count for. These two voices were doing
tenor. or trying to, and ! couldn't make out
where the deuce they came from. Some of
the others heard the voices, too. By and by
somebody said, WHO'S that singin' with
us?' In a little while we got puzzled about
it again. This time the Jewess noticed
kinder queer. i guess they amt ghosts are
they?' i said. One of the mon said it
sounded under the seats, and we laughed.
But the man crouched down and shouted
out: 1t is under the seat' The Jewess
reached over and said 'Hush!' But the
conductor was just coming through. and
he said: What are you looking at?' and
doubled up between the backs of the two
seats. And there was another one at the
next seat. You zee they couldn't keep from
joining in or the singing. Well, we found
that those TWO fellows didn't belong to that
Jewess woman at all, but she had just
helped them to get home. that she'd piled
some of her traps SO as to hide them, and
had been passing in bread and things to
them all day. They hadn't been able to
get a drink for seven or eight hours and
it's a wonder to me they could sing"
Til printer slipped the coffee for a mo-
ment and added: mo, sir, you couldn't
beat the coffee that Jewess made on the car
VIcToR SIMS.
DOWNRIGHT.