The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1892-11-02

From small building across the
way lights were shining. Through the
open doorway he saw men sitting about
stove. He heard their loud Jokes
and hearty laughs. HOW warm and
comfortable they seemed. And he
was bitterly cold. He went nearer
to the place. AS he approached it a
man came and stood in the doorway.
Strange to say the man greeted him
with cordial Hello, pardner!"
He made some sort of q reply in a
shaky voice, for his teeth were chat
tering.
"Trampin' to Frisco?"
Eyes"
oval, it's good walkln', amt itP"
"Oh, yes" Why should his teeth
chatter so?
"Say. now, pardner, I kin tell you
suthin' that beats walkin' all to pieces"
"What is it?"
"Why, bout half mile up the rail
road there's heavy grade on curve.
When the emigrant train goes up there
she don't 90 fast-not much faster'n
horse and wagon. You kin jump on
without any trouble or without any of
the train hands noticin' you, as they
would at a station, and you kin 90 in
to keer and sleep all the rest of the
| night. When you wake up in the
morning you'll be at Mesilla, seventy
five miles from here. That's two big
days journey for man travelin' afoot." !"
1t was worth trying.
"When will the train be along?"
"In bout an hour"
Thank you"
"Say," and the voice grew kindly,
saint you pretty blame cold? Come
inside and warm up"
He followed the man into the house.
There was bar there and some men
were before it drinking. His new
friend led him up to the bar.
This would not do. There was his
resolve to consider. Well he was on
his way back home-that much was
settled. And as for drinking, there
would be just this one glass, to warm
him up. He was really very cold, and
numb, and needed it. AS it was to be
just one and the last, it was well that
it should be large, warming draught.
So he poured the glass nearly full. He
felt the fire of it as it went down. Yes,
/ it did warm one-that was certain He
had eaten so little that the warm liquid
swiftly set up its reign in his tired
brain, and when his new comrade
urged another and still another upon
him, he could not refuse.
"Now, l reckon you better git up
the track if you're goin' to git that free
Pullman pass O. yourn from Toano to
Mesil;t, with no change O. keers" re-
marked his entertainer, glancing at the
cloc.,.
He started up. "Good-by," he said
"God baGth you"
His tongue was thick, though his
gait was fairly steady. He could walk
very fast now, and soon he was up the
grade and at the curve. How strong
his nerves were. No longer did the
night weigh upon him. What diff
| ferent man he was from the creature
who had limped along the ties few
hours ago. How much frmer of pur-
pose.
The light from the oncoming loco
motive shot up the track. The iron
giant coughed, wheezed and painted.
1t was truly hard pull up the Toano
grade. He stood by the side of the
track as the dazzling headlight glared
upon him for a moment. How firm
he was, but how he would have trem-
| bled had he gone there Embraced for
the ordeal. He did not tremble now.
It was a long train. The cars, with
their dull lights, passed slowly at first,
but they gathered speed as the went
along. He would not wait for the last,
for that was the caboose, and in it was
the conductor. What speed the train
had gathered! Still it was not going
very fast, he thought. Now was the
time. 1t would be two days foot
journey nearer to her. He would soon
be at home.
He grasped a hand-rail, lifted one
foot up, missed the step and was
thrown with relentless force under the
wheels.
There was wild cSy, crunching
sound and the train had passed leav-
ing the light dust it had stirred up to
settle down again upon the sage-brush
leaves.
"Say, Bill, heard some one yell"
1t was a trainman who spoke, and it
was the head brakeman who heard
him.
$50 did lit was under the car. An
other tramp gone to Kingdom Come.
ave ought to stop-hadn't we?-and
see about it?"
stop on the Toano grade? How
wild you talk. You must have been
drinking. ."-4iFgo3aast.