The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-07-09
Stories Of an Inland State.

the poor ana the economical rlcn tdnSico
into knots to accommodate themselves to
the angles of the chair cars, in this smoker,
usually upholstered in wicker. men travel
ing alone viii sit all night smoking the
hours away together. II Is here the con-
ductor repairs at night. and the brakeman,
less active than IN the daylight hours, but
wide-eyed and sleepless. and with pc
culiar:ty common to all conductors at night
In fact all n!ght-workers. the world over,
mildly contemptuous for all sleepy-heads.
AS If it were not the natural thing to sleep
at night!
Here Joseph Reuter-, after hts fight from
the farm Of John Wright took his seat,
and as the train moved out he sat bolt up
right and turned quickly at every sound.
Dick Thomas, the thief, who had turned
his diamonds over to John Wright in part
persh.p transaction, watched joey curious
ly from an opposite seat. $3.50
And as Joey continued to jerk and star;
and fidget at every sound, Dick Thomas
leaned over to him slowly and raised his
index finger in his face.
The action was so ominous that Joey
stared at the finger for moment and drop
ped back in his seat. He considered him
self under arrest.
Then the finger beckoned once and very
slowly, and Joey nerveless and d.straught,
bent to the signal and Dick Thomas. a
stranger to him then, raised voice which
to the last days of his life joey never for
got:
'Quit looking Wild was all he said.
So strongly had the conviction sunk In
Joey's mind that he was under arrest that
he vaguely believed that his captor was al
ready demanding the right of debating to
him just what manner of expression he
should wear.
Just then q station was reached and with
grind and roar the train stopped.
Dick Thomas arose slowly and ambled
through the car and left the train at the
heels of the conductor followed him into the
station, sauntered about with an air of idle
interest. followed him to the locomotive and
back again and aboard the train.
Then Dick Thomas sat down again and
idly studied Joey's face.
Joey was in quandary. Evidently this
man was not an officer, or ne would not
have left him unguarded. Certainly he
was not under arrest But what did this
stranger mean by keeping such a sharp
eye upon him? Then his mind left his own
fears for a momentand grasped at the mys-
terry of the diamonds he had found in old
John Wright's coat-pocket The diamonds
had been there, he had seen them, returned
them. He could not be dreaming. And
here was a stranger who took peculiar IN
terest in him and in his facial expression.
He made a mental effort to connect the two
fo,fac I,rrf IN .nf rnh N
made his head ache.
The train stopped again and again Dick
Thomas arose and followed the conductor
out. Again he returned and sat down be-
fore Joey and looked into his face.
Have you a cigar?" he asked Joey at
last.
NO." answered Joey.
The stranger relapsed into the same old
ty hope of solving the mystery joey bent
forward again and asked:
Where are you going?'
Dick Thomas opened his eyes slightly and
answered CURLY:
Don't talk
Immediately after this rebuff the train
stopped again, and once more Dick Thomas
followed him out of the forward door of the
car In a second he was back in the car
at Joey's side and he spoke with the smile
which comes to men in desperate moments,
the smile which the closed pressed use as
stimulant, word of good cheer to them
selves as much as to say ''be of good heart"
he bent to Joey quickly and said with this
smile and in voice firm but penetrating:
ssOf1ioarS ,ol
the sleeper. Quick,''
He was gone the moment he had finished,
with joey breathlessly at his heels. They
back through the narrow curtained passage
way Of the sleeping car and on to the rear
most platform of the train. Dick turned
to Joey and there was still the pleasant
tone ii his voice when he said:
"Avoid the steps. Climb over the bump
ers. Walk straight back in the middle of
the track. NowI'
Dick Thomas jumped. Joey followed him.
There We're cries on the platform and Joey
as he ran looked back and the train
Then all the lanterns seem to con gregate
ON the rearmos. platform.
group of spangies funmcI CT red light
cleaned He heard tear in the night air
as of breaking stick. He felt the neces-
sity of crying out. bu. found hc had no
voice. Still no pain, although he believed
he was shot. And now he felt the strong
arm of man beneath his arm and a voice.
Come on, Is it the leg?"
The direction of his mind to his leg show
ed him lie was lmping and hs leg was
throbbing in agony and his foot squeaked
in something moist and he knew he had
been shot in the leg and his shoe was full
Of blood.
Keep on,' cried Dick Thomas holding
him up. ut was probably merely a formal
shot fred in parting from baffled officers
Keep on"
Can you keep 1t up all night?" he asked
again.
1T is the leg" answered Joey finding his
voice.
I'm your running-gear. Game leg, brave
heart has won many foot race Keep on,
my boy
Dick Thomas was fairly carrying Joey
low. but he struggled manfulIy over the ir-
-esular wooden ties. Presently he pulled
Joey about and started over field.
What we want now" hk said. sis for
st. That's what they have in the novels
md deserted cabin. Oh, fairy OF ro-
nance, give US a deserted cabin. Now
ook al them back there, Starting up the
rain. They'll run ahead few yards and |
I they stop. that means that they think we |
viii attempt TO climb on again. And IL |
hey do that that means they do not know |
which direction We took and the shot which |
aught you. my boy, was merely perfume
Dry act of a rural official testing his /
cartridges Thank God. The |
rain has stopped again. They have lost |
light Of Us. We can go more leisurely. But |
" here is that deserted cabilT'
so he ratified on while joey closed his |