The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-07-11
A LONE HAND.
How 1t Was Successfully Played on "a
Western Railroad.


"Those who blame their failures to
Providence or fate. or whatever they may
choose to call their creator-those individ-
uals, sir, are idlers or towards"
The speaker was one of group OF men
lounging on the deck. of the Great North
west, which a few hours earlier had
commenced her slow, upward progress
against the mighty current of the Vel
lowstone. That ne did not belong to
either of the class he condemned was
written in the mingled resolution and COM
placency of his sunburned yisage. while
his right to ''teachsas one having authori-
ty' was established among his hearers
by their knowledge that he was a pros
porous ranchman OF - county, Mon
tana, returning from an eastern visit
Therefore, most of thenI who were be-
ginners on the path along which he had
1ourneycd successfully, bestowed upon
his rather arbitrary assertions an at
tentive silence that offered Eatterys sub
TEST incense TO a talkcr who preferred
monologue to conversation, and STORY
telling" 10 any form OF speech. 1t was
a preference he had acquired during
many a night watch beside camp fires,
when. like a masculine Scheherazade. he
had told his stories under the conviction
that ultimate safety depended upon his
power to amuse his companions until
nerves should have passed.
I'VE all get our chances" he resumed,
| after a pun or two at his pipe and a
| pleased glance aroupd The qbservant cir
| Gle. 1T is our fault, not -the hortls, il
we don't keep hold of them. That is
| truth, youngsters. as solid as these ever
| lasting bluffs''-with a wave of his hand
toward the lofty walls of green which shut
in the Yellowstone from the prairie world
beyond. Chances that may look as full
OF sting as a chestnut burr, but that holl
sweet kernels of success for the min who
has the pluck and the cleverness to grasp
theml And I'll tell you story with thar
text, II you Ikea story which shall be
new, though the text is chestnut"
There was an acquiescent laugh, draw
ing nearer of camp stools. and the rancn-
man continues
1T happened some years since before
the Northern Pacific had crossed the Rock
les The terminus that season was at
Zenith City, and the class OF travel which
demands luxury didn't come beyond Bis
marck, where the company economically
shunted the Pullmans before rushing away
from civilization. So the train which
started from Zenith City one November
morning was made up, as usual, of pas
senger car, a box car and a locomotive,
while its quite unusual number Of travel
ers was composed entirely Of party of
twenty cowboys They had just been paid
off for their summers work, and had
begun their holiday on the previous even
ing with an all-night spree. But amuse-
ment in a prairie town was not varied
enough for them. They meant to go east
for such a length Of time their cash
would endure; and, though it was burn
Ing in their pockets to get spent, thcy
were resolved not to waste any of It in
railway tickets-a resolve of which they
informed the conductor when he came to
L. ,l.- laNN
City.
He was young fellow as were the
cowboys. Everything was young in Mon
tana in those days, except the sky and the
prairie, which are eternal, or seem to be.
This chap Lloyd, however, was slim
built, with a color that changed like a
girl's-threatened with consumption then
though he has got the better OF that
as of other disadvantages-and very queer
he looked among the big, brown, brawny
roughs who left their card-pla ying to
swarm into the aisle. or lean over the
seats nearest those of their comrades
who had answered to his request for
tickets that they had none.
" The company will take money for
fares Also" Lloyd said without CHANGING
at the gathering crowd.
" When the company can get it.. some
body chuckled.
" Invariably Lloyd asserted; or the
passenger VINO refuses 10 pay is put OH
the train
"'You don't say? Suppose you try.
Here are Tim and me TO begin with And
the whole carful after US. for not one
cent of our earning is going into the
moneybags of your - swindling compa-
nyr
Z" That's sop
" You betp
- Not a chip
Lloyd listened to these expressions
of general determination until they came
to an end. Then he was considerably
paler, but his eyes had grown uncom-
monty bright
You will hurt me much more than
the company he said, when he could get
a bearing 1 shall lose my place If
don't collect your fares
" That is your lookout
" We amt going to tell your loss, If
you keep qtact"
'Lloyd's shining eyes turned from one
to an other of the twenty, tall fellows
lounging around him. so sure of the trumps
they held they were in no hurry to finish
the game.
There is a greed for tormeptfng animals
which disfgures most human nature from
Spanish bull-baiters to those rat-fightera
down east. We are not without a touch
of 1t here in Montana. And that the tor
mented animal belongs TO our own kind
adds a keener relish to the fun, when The
party doing the tormenting has swallowed
as much bad whisky as the COW boys had
that morning. So these bright eyes Of
Lloyd's didn't meet any more encourage
ment than did Father Noah's the first