Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1897-04-22

Dcrt, SLOWING MS nallu luSPdSc Oh 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 a trunk"
"Wha-at?"
"a tru-u-nk."
"Why in hell didn't you sling II 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-bacling 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-
tion in bold black letters at the endi
T. n. LAMBERT.
U. &. 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, suh," said the rearmost
negro.
We'll, hump 1t abawd, n be quick
about it," Then, raising his voice. he
shouted across the platform: "Shuah
you ain't gawt feedin' bawtle or a cake
o. soap or SIM other tack to fetch me
back again, Hank? Dawg GAVIN 4 !.
reckon we ever will get to Quitman
Z this rate!"
The darkies about the coffee-stand
gave a guffaw of sympathetic rejoicing
over the officials humor. The conductor
was evidently more popuar than the
station master. One of the trunk bear
ers came lunging in at the front door of
the car, and, humble yet confident, ap-
pealed to Lambert:
Little somethin', sub, fur totin' de
trunk. Bin los, mos like, 4 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 owu inten-
tions so often heard in our thinly-settled
districts. Lambert interpreted it to
MEAN Anybody else, perhaps, but not
you" He was already eogitating as to
whether or not the conductor had in
tended some covert sneer in his recent
reference TO feeding 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,
we're 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 tId at depart
ment headquarters, where he had re-
ceived orders to go on and join his COM
pany, then in camp ut Tugaloo. Every
body is mighty sore yet over the late uri-
pleaantness. 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 n conductor OF public
railway. Lambert was on his dignity
in n moment. He looked the railway
man straight in the eye and replied,
with all the calm and dcliberation he
could master: "My ticket would seem
to indicate that such was my intention"
and almost Immediately regretted 1t,
for the conductor looked up in sudden
surprise, stood one instant irresolute,
then saying: "Oh'l All right" turned
abruptly away, walked up beyond the
stove, and roughly shaking the elbow OF
asnoring passenger, sung out: Coates
ville," and let himself out with an en-
phatic bang Of the door.
Two days later, when asked at Quit
man what sort of n fellow the new lieu
tenant seemed to be, Mr.. Scroggs, the
conductor, himself soldier of large ex-
perience and no little ability-a man
who had fought his way from the ranks
10 the command of the remnant Of reg
iment that laid down its battered arms
cmong the very last, n man not five years
Lambert's senior in age, but lustrums
ahead of him in the practical details OF
his professionally. Scroggs, the con-
ductor, promptly said: Hes dam llt-
tie fool" and never dreamed how much
he should one day deplore it.
Newt Lambert, as he was known
among his intimates, was far from be-
ing n fool. He had seen very little OF
the world, II Is true, and, until this De-
cember night, next to nothing OF the
sunny south, where at this particular
period in our national history II was not
every man who could so conduct himself
as not to fall into error. More especial
ly In the military service was an old
head needed on young shoulders, and
n strong head between new shoulder
straps, for army life SO soon after the
great warwas bcsetby snares and temp
tations 1t rarely hears of now, and many
fellow, brave and brainy both, in
the days that tried mems souls 'twixt
Big Bethel and Appomattox, or Bel
mont and Bentonville, went down In the
unequal tussle with foe far more In
sidious than faced him in the field, but
which met him day and night now that
peace had come. 1t was at time when
the classes graduating from the mill
tary academy were being assigned mpin-
ly TO the staff corps and to the artillery
and cavalry regiments. Lambert fan
cicd that he should prefer the associa-
tions and much prefer the stations OF
the artillery TO those Of any other corps,
but an old friend of his fathers, himself
n veteran gunner, advised the young
fellow TO seek his fortune elsewhere.