The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1895-11-28
THE RED-HOT DOLLAR.
BY II. ID. UMBSTATTER.

1t lacked three minutes of five by the
big clock in the tower when the east
bound Chicago express rumbled into
the station at Buffalo. The train had
not vet come to a standstill when hat
less man jumped from the platform of
the rear sleeping car and ran across the
tracks INTO the depot restaurant. few
minutes later he reappeared, carrying
cup of coffee in one hand and small
paper bag in the other.
With these he hurriedly made his way
back to the car through struggling
procession of drowsy tourists, who were
taking advantage of the trains five
inmates stop to breathe the crisp morn
ing air. The last of these had already
resumed his sat when the man without
hat again appeared at the lunch counter.
returned the borrowed dishes, and Or
dered coffee for himself. He had just
picked up the cup and was raising it to
his lips when the conductors 'All
aboard" rang through the station.
Leaving his coffee untouched, he
I'LL ufl IL lIN Jill uO tliS
grabbed his change, and started in pur-
suit of the moving train. He had al
most reached it when an unlucky stun
bic sent the coins In his hand rolling in
all directions along the floor. Quickly
recovering himself and paying no heed
to his loss, be redoubled his efforts.
and, though loaing ground atevery step,
kept up the hopeless chase to the end of
the station. There ne stopped, painting
for breath. The slip EG3 proved fatal.
He had missed the train!
As he stood there staring wildly
through the clouds of dust THAI rose
from the track, young woman, evt-
IDENTITY deeply agitated, suddenly APP
peared in the doorway of the vanishing
car. Upon seeing him, she made frantic
attempts to leap from the platform,
when she was seized by man and
pulled back into the car. When the door
had been closed upon the two the bare
headed man in the station faced about
and philosophically muttered:
It's fate!'
Then, after pausing few moments,
as if TO collect his thoughts, he slowly
retraced his steps to the scene of his
mishap and began calmly searching for
his lost change. Circling closely about,
his eyes scanning the floor, he succeed
ed in recovering first one and then an
other OF the missing coins, until finally,
after repeated rounds, he lacked only
one dollar of the whole amount. At
this point he paused, clinked the recov-
cred coins in his hand, looked at his
watch and then started on a final round.
AS this failed to reveal the missing piece
he gave up the search, transferred the
contents of his hands to his trousers
pocket and started in the direction Of
the telegraph Office.
He had proceeded perhaps 20 PAGES
when it occurred to him to turn about
and cast one more look along the floor.
As he did SO his eye fell upon a shining
object lodged in an opening between
the rail and planked floor, a few feet
from where he stood. He stopped to eX-
anime it, and, seeing that it was the
missing coin, reached for it, but found
the opening too narrow to admit his
fingers. He tried to recover the piece
with his pocketlnife, and, failing in
this attempt, took his lead-pencil, with
which, after repeated attempts, he sue
ceeded III tossing it upon the floor.
With an air of subdued satisfaction
he walked away, and was about to con-
vey the coin to his pocket when sud
den impulse led him to examine il.
Holding it up before his eyes, he
stopped, scrutinized every detail, and as
he turned it over and over the puzzled
look on his face changed to one of rigid
establishment. For fully minute he
stood as if transfXed; then, rousing
himself and looking anXiously about to
see ii anyone had observed him, he hur
lied to the cashiers desk in the restau-
rant, and, producing the bright silver
dollar, asked the girl if she happened to
remember from whom she received it.
She didn't remember, but would eX-
change it for another, she said, if he
wished. Politely declining the offer
and apologizing for having troubled
her, he said that as the coin he held in
his hand was separating a loving wife
from her husband he wished very much
TO find some trace of its former owner.
The girl looked up, thought for mo-
ment, then pulling out the cash drawer
md examining it's contents said she
might have received it from the con-
ductor of the Lake Shore express
which had left for Cleveland at 3:15.
She now recalled that when she came
on duty at midnight there was no silver
dollar among the change in the cash
drawer, and that the only one she re-
membercd receiving was from Sleep
mg-Car Conductor Parkins.
The man thanked her and FASTENED TO