Daily camera., 1897-01-14
CAPTAIN CHAEh1ES KING y !
copyright 1894. by J. B. Lippncott Company.]

liously as he punched his ticket. He
held 1T for a moment and edged his Ian
tern around so that its feeble light
could reinforce the glimm2r from the
bleared and smoky giobr above Lam
berts curly head. The tram had started
from the junction with that quick series
Of back-wrenehing jerks which all vet
cran travellers remember as character
j istic of American railways, before the
Introduction of coupler buffers" 1t
was a shabby, old-fasnioned train--one
whose cars had seen service" and not
little of it, during the long and event
fulwar so recently closed. 1t had a.,
luggage car behind the wheeZy OLD
wood-burner that drew the rickety pro-
cession cut into the dim, starlit aisle
through the eastward forest, and, for
.mS 1l1sL Time IN week. rhat baggage
car contained a trunk. 1t had "smok-
er," in which three or four negroes were
soundly sleeping on the worn cushions
at the forward end, and three or four
lank, shabbilv-dressed whites were con-
suming tobacco and killing time under
the single lamp at the other. 1t had
"ladies' car"-so called-in which no
ladies were visible, and which differed
in appointments from the smoker only
IN the facts that its seats were uNhol-
stored in dingy red plush instead of
backened canvas. and that both its
lamps could be induced to burn, how
ever feebly, instead of only one. 1t was
forlorn, hangdog, shame-faced sort
OF train, that seemed oppressed with
sense of its own disrepute-a train that
Kept in hiding during the broad light
of day and ventured to sink forth only
after nightfall, like some impoverished
debtor, not loving the darkness better
than light because of evil deeds, but
.N,hating it as it hated it's own shabbiness,
and accepting it as only one plane above
total decrepitude, the junk shop and the
Eoorhouse. Starting at dusk from
Dopulous station on north and south
'trunl." line, it turned and twisted
through red clay cuttings, iolted over
Undiscovered ties and moss-grown tres
ties, whistling shrill to wake the watch
/ ers at ss-country stations on the
way, and finally, after midnight, rested
an hour at a prominent point, state
CENTER" where, sometimes at one
o'clock hut generally long after. the
hight express came glaring up from the
south along the glistening rails of an
other "great northern" route, and three
nights IN the week.. perhaps, gave 1t
sleepy passenger or two to trundle away
westward towards the big river town it
managed to reach by sunrise, once
more to stink out of sight until dark,
when again it crept forth and stole
away on the return trip over its clank-
inc road, unresentful of comment on its
loneliness and poverty. and proud, il
ANYTHING, of the fact that this way, at
least, it ran right end foremost ace
cording o the American idea, with the
baggage instead of the ladies' car next
the struggling engine.
1t was a clear, starli. nignt. Sharply
*cold. and the panks of he platform at
the junction had snapped and creaked
,.nder their glistening white coat of
frosty riqne. The up train came in even
later than usual--so much so that the
stationmaster had more than once
asked his friend the conductor OF the
I waiting "Owl' whether he really
thought he could ''malle it, over to Quit
= man in time for the down-eXpress at
lawn. You'd better pull out the min
viute she gifts hyuh," was his final in
junction when at last her whistle was
Heard
A 1.-THE, active young fellow in a trim
suit of tweed had sprung from the
sleeper before the incoming train had
fairly stopped, and, hailing the first
man he saw, asked: ''Train for Tuga-
loo gone yet?" which so astonished the
party addressed that he simply stared
Tor a minute without reply. A voice in
1he wilderness, apparently; was heard
above the kissing of steam and the loud
n1outhings of the negro porters OF the
two rival hotels. "All aboard for Quit
man." it said, and, ebandoning his ap-
parent purpose of rel Sting the ques-
ton in sharper tone, th young fellow
turned end ran nimbly ac. >ss the DIM
Weighted platform in the direction of
the hail.
"Ouitman tt ain 7-1ugalooT he asked
of a dark form standing above the tail
Eight of the car.
s.Quitman it is. Anybody else thar?"
And the interrogative went off in
shout. No answer.
"Aw, Hank! Anybody eise?' Still
no answer. Two or three dim figures
were by this time clustered around the
aaring torch of a coffee stand at the
edge of the platform. The conductor
got off and walked impatiently towards
them.
a "Any you gentlemen for Quitman?''
he asked.
"Quitman? He'll, no! What's any
mar want to go thar for night like this?
Pull out with your old sneezer, Jimmy,
'nless you'll stop and take cup
coffee"
"Oh. that you, cap? Amt you got
anybody for us? Thought the judge
was comm up tonight"