Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1897-01-08
three cars lunged sharply forward and


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 On angry yank
at the bell rope he 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 want? I amt goin'
to back in thar now"
"Huyh's trunk"
"Wha-at?"
"A tru-u-nk"
"Why in hell didn't you sling 1t abawd
fihst off," sung out the conductor, dis
gustedly. CANT you felluhs got any
brains? Back up. Jacll!" he shouted
forward, signaling with his lantern
again. Somebody's left a band-bawx,
by criminy!" And so, growing volubly.
the custodian Of the "0wl" 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 embanltment towards the slow
ly-baclSing baggage car. The light from
the lantern fell on the new canvas cover
and on the fresh brown finish of tho
straps and handles. then on the inscrip-
ton in bold black letters at the end:
l. N. LAMBERT,
U. 8. 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 his voice, he
shouted across the platform: "Shuah
you amt gawt feedin'- bawtle or cake
o. soap or SIM other truck to fetch me
back again, Hank? Dawg GAVIN Il I
reckon we ever will get to Quitman
'tthis rate!"
The darlies about the coffee-stand
gave guffaw 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, # it had n
bin FIR us. Thanly, sub. Thanky."
And the negroes eyes danced, for the
aouceur 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 of the cur.
"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-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
tep6a6 soma covort Spea,. In b;c ,.anar, 4
reference to "feeding-bottles, for Lam
ert but one-and-twenty and youth
Unlocking 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 unplens-
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" We're the parting in
functions; and he meant to do both.
All the same he did not intend to allow
people to treat him with discoartesy-
certainly not . conductor of public
railway. Lambert was on his dignity
in moment. He looked the railway
man straight in the eye and replied,
,,.,fh oil tha on1,,, n1 l,ar 1,a
could master: "My ticket would seem
to indicate that such was my intention"
and almost Immediately regretted it,
for the conductor looked up in sudden
surprise, stood one ipstcnt irresolute,
then saying: "Oh! All right" turned
abruptly away, walked up beyond the
stove, and roughly shaking the elbow of
a snoring 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 fellow the new lieu
tenant seemed to be, Mr.. Scroggs, the
conductor, himself a soldier of large eX-
pericnce and no little ability-a man
who had fought his way from the ranks
TO the command of the remnant of u reg
iment that laid down it's battered arms
among the very last, man not five years
Lamhert's senior In age. bHt lustrums
ahead of him in the practical details OF
lis PROFESSIONALS. Scroggs, the con.
ductor. promptly said: Hes q dam Lit,
tie fool" and never dreamed how much
he should one day deplore It,
Newt Lambert, us he was known
among his intimates. was far from be
ing fool. He had seen very little Of
the world, it is true, and. until this De
parnhar ,,irht n mot bipy of the