Daily camera., 1897-01-14
young feller n the sleeper all know

as briefly as possible for man long
attuned to the southern drawl and
whose got was more like "gawt."
Reckon we might as wei. git, then, he
continued, returning to the colloquial
present indicative of verb of manifold
meaning and usefulness. Tell Hank.
| WI yCu?-Lct 'er go, Jack" ne shouted
to the engineer, with wave of his Ian
tern. \ 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 lets of steam flew kissing out
on the frosty air. One after another the
three cars !urCed sharci: forward and
then slowly rolled forth in.o 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 yanls
at the bell rope be whirled about and
hurried to the door. The train came
willingly to 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"
''Whv in hell didn't you sling it abawd
fhst 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-hawx,
by criminy!" And so, growing volubly.
the custodian of the "Owl" swung him
self out from the steps. han~ino by the
left hand to the iron railing and hold
ing extended fnis green and white Ian
tern with the other. A compile of stall
wart negroes came painting forward 10
meet them. the offending trunk on their
shoulders, and went stumbling up the
sloping embankment towards the slow
ly-baclling 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 end:
T. 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, suh," said the rearmost
negro.
"Well, hump it abawd, m be quick
about it." Then. raising is voice, he
shouted across the pIatflr.a: ''Shuah
you amt gawt feedin'- '-bawtle or d cake
o. soap or SIM other truck tofetch me
back again, Hank? Dawg GAVIN + l
reckon we ever will get to Quitman
t this rate.''
The darlles 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 iungiag in at the front door of
the car, and, humble yet confident, ap-
nealed to Lambert:
;+tlo e,,b f,,r =
trunk Bin los, mos like, # it had n
bin f'r 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
tions so often heard in our thinly-settled
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-bottles, 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 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-
rleasantness. 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
neop1e IN treat him with discourfesv-