Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1893-01-12

That threw me OF my pima
-Then . rooster crowed. m Teller.
with . cold In his nose. counted ten
forward and then backward. an an
other euss, with b1llfrox voice. or
dered me 20 Wake upl the devil wants
your
.You needn't laugh. gentlemen. when
tell you run: an sod you II you'd
been thar. was certain the devil had
come for me--lAte but sure-an' l
didn't wait for him TO ask for my
ticket"
Tom Pope at this point broke into
stentorian laugh
If. gentlemen. you'd seen Sandy
come firing into the car where l was
sitting, yon would never stop laughing.
, You may not believe il, bat his brown
face was as white as your shirt fronts,
and his eyes were as big as billiard
balls He dashed down the aisle and
whispered in my ear:
Toni Tom. come with me"
What's the matter. MacY I said.
What ails your
:. Tom, the DEVILS in my car. He's
been a-cutting up for half an hour. an
I'm most crazy. II you're my friend
come with me
''ae wasn't drunk. because he doesn't
drink. 1t wasn't religious enthusiasm,
because Sandy has no religion
II almost believe he meant what he
said, and that he had been called for.
/ got up in hurry ami followed him
] II hadn't more than got inside the
baggage car when. from among the
trunks, something sung out: Shut that
door and pull down your vestr
SANDY wanted to fight, them" con-
tinued Tom He danced around that
car like prize-fghter in the ring.
'Pshawr I said, that's a boxed-up
! parrot
"An' then tho parrot told you you
lied" asserted McTougal.
"Yesr' says Tom. cheerfully.
! "And then you said--do you remem-
Der what you said?"
/ mo. Mac; but wasn't I at your side
when we got into the next coach a sec
ond later?'
I'VE came back with two brakemcn, "
| McTougal remarked. continuing. Zone
| 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 idea up when he couldn't
find nobody"
| I've flung thoss trunks right and
left in q lively style" observed Pope;
"but not thing did we discover-no
human living or dead thing-not a
\ v>1o~o Srovv, xvh,oh IN pote~
I'VE were puzzled, 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 into each others faces. and
frightened in being blocked in that sort
of way the voice spoke again It said
very distinctly: Let me out! lam dy-
ing-dyingr"
1T was under my arm the voice
was" Sandy exclaimed, lin a big trunk
that had come from camp-meeting.
sung out for Jake to run for doctor il
there was one on the train an Tom
an mo put that trunk on tho floor As
gently as if twas glass.
"'Twas light enough We thought
the poor thing must be almost a skel
eton. got hold of the sledge hammer
Keep mp your courage, ma'am,' shout
ed, AN Wen have you out in a jiffy.'"
"You should see Sandy at that mo.
ment, said Pope, enthusiastically. "He
looked like a hero, every inch of him
He gave that hammer four sweeping
swings. Crash! crash! Rip! tearl OF
came the top. and it was flung clear
across the car. A pile of light, fsccy
TUT followed
| "A dozen faces looked anxiously In
% that trunk, expecting to see the
body of dying or dead woman. Sandy
seemed beside himself with anxiety.
I'VE crowded around the trunk anc
the doctor knelt down beside It.
He pulled out lot of rags very
carefully. run his arms down on
prospecting tour. lifted up great wac
of cotton, took a good long lool
under it, rose to his feet and began u
curse every body, and call 'em pacl
of fools. Then he changed his tune
and began to laugh.
Il asked him little angrily what h
was making such fuss about, and i
he proposed TO take out the body.
" Body! body! ha. Ia, ha, ha! Sc.
here, gentlemen and he tossed out tn,
cotton from the trunk. showing /,
unny-loosing machine at the bottom
This is Stringfellow's phonograpl
that he's had down 10 camp meeting
tho doctor said He took one ant
rugged IL up so as TO 60 by clockwork
The shaking OF the car set 1T in mo
ton.
It's been repeating. parrot like
only what has been told to IL by th.
saints aud sinners. Very simple. 20,
see. I won't charge you anything fol
my visit. conductor Good night. ane
off he went
Sandy. our friends here want II
know how that dream of yours Owe
that trunk ended
'ohl they do. do they? Wal. gentle
men. I had TO pay the cost of tina
trunk, an trunks cost II took
months salary to do IL. which ism
mplimentary 20 the road.
II learned one lesson IL eve
want ter open any mans luggage In
future. III smash it professions
style. ''-Boston Globe