The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1897-02-03
Young Teller n the sleeper all know
copyright 1904. by }. 3 LippIncott Company.l

I Young Teller N the sleeper all KNOW
| Of"
Got him." answered the conductor,
as briefly as possible for man long
| attuned to the southern drawl and
whose got" was more like "gawt."
| Reckon we might as we'll git, then" he
continued, returning to the colloquial
present indicative of verb of manifold
meaning and usefulness. Tell Hank.
| will you?-Let FER go, Jack" he shouted
| to the engineer, with wave of his Ian
| tern. A yelp from the whistle was the
| answer; the fireman crawled out from
a warm corner in the baggage car and
shambled drowsily forward to the cab.
| Sudden jets of steam flew kissing ont
| on the frosty air. One after another the
three cars lunged sharply forward and
| then slowly rolled forth into the night
! The conductor clambered up the rear
| steps with parting wave of his lantern,
slammed the door after him and came
| up the narrow aisle to look at his pas
senger Before he had time to speak,
| however, his attention was attracted by
| a succession of yells from the track
to their rear. Giving an angry yank
at the bell rope he whirled about and
hurried to the door. The train came
willingly to a sudden stand, and Lam
bert, slowing his hand luggage on the
| empty seat before him, heard the fol-
lowing lively colloquy, as did everybody
else who happened to be awake and
within radius of 200 yards:
what d'you want?"
"Come back hyuh, say"
"What d'you wa-a-nt? I amt goin'
to back in thar now"
"Huyh's trunk"
"Wha-at?"
"a tru-u-nk."
"Why in hell didn't you sling it abawd
fihst off?" sung out the conductor, dis
gustedly. "Ain't you felluhs got any
brains? Back up, Jack!" he shouted
forward, signaling with his lantern
again. Somebody's left band-bawX,
by criminy!" And so, growing volubly.
the custodian of the "Owl" swung him
self out from the steps, hanging by the
left hand to the iron railing and hold
ing extended his green and white Ian
! tern with the other. a couple of stall
wart negroes came painting forward to
meet them, the offending trunk on their
shoulders, and went stumbling up the
| sloping embankment towards the slow
| ly-backing baggage car. The light from
| the lantern fell on the new canvas cover
and on the fresh brown finish OF the
| straps and handles, then on the inscrip-
ton in bold black letters at the end:
1. N. LAMBERT.
| u. S. Army
At sight of which the conductor
! checked the half jocular, half resentful
TRADE he was composing for the bene-
| fit of the stationmaster and abruptly
| asked:
"Whuh's it goin'?'
"Tugaloo, subj" said the rearmost
negro.
well, hump it abawd, m be quick
| about it," Then, raising his voice. he
| shouted across the platform: "Shuah
you amt gawt feedin'- b;lwtle or a cake
o. soap or SIM other truck to fetch me
back again, Hank? Dawg GAVIN f /
reckon we ever will get to Quitman
t this rate!"
The darlSies about the coffee-stand
gave OUTLAW of sympathetic rejoicing
over the officials humor. The conductor
was evidently more popular than the
station master. One of the trunk bear
ers came lunging in at the front door of
the car, and, humble yet confident, APP
pealed to Lambert:
Little somethin', sub, fur totin' de
trunk. Bin los. mos like, f it had n
! bin FIR us. Thanky, sub. Thanky."
And the negro's eyes danced, for the
douceur handed him by the young owner
of the vagrant baggage exceeded his
hopes. He strove, indeed, TO turn and
renew his thanks at the rear door, but
was collarcd and hustled unceremoni-
ously OFF the car.
"You amt goin' to get off at Tugaloo
this time o night?" asked the conduc-
| tor, finally, and with that odd en-
| phasis expressive of doubt as TO pas
senger's knowledge of his own inten-
tons so often heard in our thinly-settlcd
districts. Lambert interpreted it TO
mean Anybody else, perhaps, but not
you" He was already cogitating as to
| whether or not the conductor had in
| tended some covert sneer in his recent
reference to "feeding-botiles," for Lam
ert was but one-and-twenty, and youth
| ful-looking for his years. The tone
Of this inquiry and the look which ac-
companied it after deliberate pause and
study of the proffered ticket, however.
were far from aggressive or discour-
teous. yet the unintentional misplacing
of the emphasis, following an allusion
equally hapless and alike unintentional,
had given umbrage to the boy. You
must expect to hear no end of unpleas-
ant things" he had been told at depart
ment headquarters, where he had re-
ceived orders TO go on and join his COM
! pany. then in camp at Tugaloo. Every
body is mighty sore yet over the late un-
pleasantness. Hold your tongue and
keep your temper" were the parting in
| functions; and he meant to do both.
All the same he did not intend to allow
people TO treat him with discourtesy-
certainly not a conductor Of public