The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1892-08-04
-- 1
m most crazy If you're my friend

"He wasn't drCnk, because ne dOesn y
drink. 1t wasn't religious enthusiasm,
because Sandy had no religion. l al
most believed he meant what he said.
and that he had been called for. L got
up in hurry and followed him.
81 hadn't more than got inside the
baggage car when from among the
trunks something sung out, Shut that
door and pull down your vestn
"Sandy wanted to fight, then" con-
tinued Tom. HE danced around that
car like prize fighter in the ring, until
the voice cried out quite loud: 'Damna'
tionp 'Pshawr said to Sandy, That's
a boxed up parrot"
can then the parrot told you you
lied, asserted McTougal.
eyes," says Tom, cheerfully.
"And then you said-do you remem-
Der what you said?"
'No, Mack; but wasn't at your side
when we got into the next coach sec.
ond late?"
"We came back with two brakemen,"
McTougal remarks, continuing. Gone
of them brakemen looked on top of the
car an under it an in it. He stuck to it
that there was a ventriloquist about
but gave that idee up when he couldn't
find nobody"
eve flung those trunks right and left
in lively STYLE" observed Pope, "but
not thing did we discover-no human
living or dead thing-not place from
which the noise came We were puz-
zled, you may believe; and if the search
had stopped there the road might have
warehoused that coach, for no railroad
man would have Travelled in car that
was haunted. But the end came. While
we were looking in each others faces,
and frightened in being blocked in that
sort of way, the voice spoke again. It
said very distinctly: Let me out! am
dying-dyingr"
sit was under my arm, the voice was"
Sandy exclaims, sin big trunk that
had come from camp meeting. l sung
out for Jake to run for a doctor, if there
was one on the train, an Tom an me put
that trunk on the floor as gently as il
twas glass. Twas light enough. We
thought the poor thing must be almost
a skeleton. l got hold of the sledge.
hammer. Keep up your courage,
ma'amr shouted, AN we'll have you
out in jiffy.'
"You should have seen Sandy at that
moment" says Pope enthusiastically. /
"He looked a hero, every inch of him.
He gave that hammer four sweeping
swings. Crash! crash! Rip! tear! Off }
came the top, and it was flung clean
across the car. A pile of light, feecy
stuff followed. A dozen faces looked
anxiously into that trunk, expecting to
see the body of dying or dead woman.
Sandy seemed beside himself with anx-
iety.
eve crowded around the trunk and the
doctor knelt down beside it. He pulled
out lot of rags very carefully, run his
arm down on prospecting tour, lifted
up great wad of cotton, took a good
long look under it, rose to his feet and
began to curse everybody and call 'em
2 pack of fools. Then he changed his
tune and began to laugh. asked him
4 little angrily what he was making such
q fuss about, and if he proposed to take
put the body.
"'Body! body! ha, ha, ha, ha! BOD
here, gentlemen and he tossed out Ghe
cotton from the trunk, showing a funny
looking machine at the bottom. This v
monograph that he's had
down to camp meeting the doctor said.
He took one of Edison's concerns and
rugged it up SO as to go by clockwork.
The shaking of the car set it in motion.
It's been repeating, parrotlike, only what
was told to it by the saints and sinners.
Very simple, you see. won't charge
you anything for my visit, conductor.
Good night, and off he went.
"Sandy, our friends here want to know
how that dream of yours over that trunk
ended"
"Oh, they do-do they? Wal, gentle
men, had to pay the cost of that trunk
an trunks cost in these times. 1t took
salary to do it, which isn't COM
to the road. 1 learned one
lesson. If | ever want ter open any
mans luggage in future I'll smash it in
style."-E. D. NJ. in New
York News.