The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1897-07-01

iiously as he punched his ticket. He
held it for a moment and edged his lam
tern around so that its feeble light
could reinforce the glimmer from the
bleared and smoky globe above Lam
bert's curly head. The train had started
from the junction with that quick series
of back-wrenching jerks which all vet
eran travellers remember as character
istic of American railways, before the
introduction of coupler buffers" 1t
was a shabby, old-fashioned train--one
whose cars had "seen service" and not
a little of 1t, during the long and event
full war so recently closed. 1t had a
baggage car behind the wheezy old
wood-burner that drew the rickety pro-
cession out into the dim, starlit aisle
through the eastward forest, and, for
the first time in a week, that baggage
car contained trunk. 1t had 'smok-
err" in which three or four negroes were
soundly sleeping on the worn cushions
at the forward end, and three or four
lank, shabbily-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
in appointments from the smoker only
in the facts that its seats were uphol-
stored in dingy red plush instead of
blackened canvas, and that both its
lamps could be induced to burn, how
ever feebly, instead of only one. 1t was
q foriorn, hangdog, shame-faced sort
of train, that seemed oppressed with
sense of its own disrepute--n train that
kept in hiding during the broad light
of day and ventured to stink forth only
after nightfall, like some impoverished
debtor, not loving the darkness better
than light because of evil deeds, but
hating il as IL hated its own shabbiness,
end accepting it as only one plane above
total decrepitude, the junk shop and the
poorhousc. Starting at dusk from
populous station on a north and south
"trunk" line, 1t turned and twisted
through red clay cuttings, jolted over
Undiscovered ties and moss-grown tresy
ties, whistling shrill to wake the watch
ers at ere ss-country stations on the
way, and finally, after midnight, rested
an hour at prominent point, ''state
center" where, sometimes at one
o'clock but generally long after, the
night 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 a
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-
ing road, unresentful of comment on its
loneliness and poverty, and proud, II
anything. of the fact that this way, at
least, it ran fright end foremost" ac-
cording 70 the American idea. with the
baggage instead of the ladies' car next
the struggling engine.
1t was clear, starlit night, sharply
cSid. and the plani:s of the platform at
the junction had snapped and crealed
Under their glistening white coat of
frosty rime. 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
, waiting "Owl" whether he really
thought he could "make it, over to Quit
man in time for the down express at
dawn. You'd better pull out the min
ute she gifts hyuh," was his final in
junction when at last her whistle was
heard.
A 1.-THE, active young fellow in trim
suit of tweed had sprung from the
sleeper before the incoming train had
fairly stopped. and, hailing the first
nian he saw, asked "Train for Tuga-
loo gone yet?" which so astonished the
party addressed that he simply stared
for a minute without reply. voice in
the wilderness, apparently, was heard
above the kissing of steam and the loud
mouthings of the negro porters of the
two rival hotels. "All aboard for Quit
man. il said, and. abandoning his ap-
parent purpose of repeating the ques-
ton in sharper tone, the young fellow
turned end ran nimbly across the dini-
ly-lighted platform in the direction of
the hail.
"Quitman train ?-Tngaioo? he asked
of a dark form standing above the tail
light of the car.
"Quitman it is. Anybody else thar?''
And the interrogative went off in a
shout. 40 answer.
Jaw, Hank! Anybody else?" Still
no answer. Two or three dim figures
were by this time clustered around the
fiaring torch of coffee stand at the
edge of the platform. The conductor
got off and walked impatiently towards
them.
ANY you gentlemen for Quitman?'
he asked.
"Quitman? He'll, no! What's any
man want to go thar for night like this
Pull out with your old sneezer, Jimmy
'nless you'll stop and take cul
coffee"
..Oh, that you, cap? Amt you go'
anybody for us? Thought the judge
was comm up tonight"
''Warn't on my car" said the brake
man of the express. possessively
"Youpg feller n the sleeper all know
Of"
"Got him." answered the conductor
as briefly as possible for man loni
attuned to the southern drawl anf
whose "got" was more like 'gawt.'
"Reckon we might as well git, then" he
continued. returning to the colloquia