Daily camera., 1897-01-15

he was standing on Iuue WOOueu
platform whose shrunlten planks left
black, gaping seams between their up
per faces. now. at least, beautiful in
their thick coat Of srarklirg white. Ex
cept where the footmarl,G of the train
men marred the smooth cXpanse, and
where in two or three places the planks
were gone entirely this cleaning sheet
stretched the length of the platform to
where the white bulk of his trunk stood
on end at the eastern edge. The charred
and blackened relic of fight of stairs
led from the platform 70 the sloping
ground some five feet below, but not
even a hand-rail warned the unwary
against breakneck plunge into space
Part Of the platform itself had beer
burned away. aud some charred and
blackened posts, sticking bolt upright
from the ground in the shape of mar
row rectangle. showed that wooden
building of some kind had formerly
stood along the rear of the rickety
staging. Midway along its length, on
the southern side, shed with sloping
roof had been loosely thrown together,
and the ends nearest him, boarded in
and pierced for a door and couple of
windows, bore over the threshold in
black stencil the legend Ticket Office"
Under the shed were couple Of
plows and some boxes. Out on the
bare slope, midway between the track
and a "snake" fence that paralleled it
some twenty yards to the south, dozen
bales of cotton were huddled, three of
them partially covered by old war-worn
'paulins and ponchos, the others en-
tirely exposed to the rain of sparks to
be expected from any passing engine
when tie wind happened to blow from
the track; and all of them, evidently,
defenseless against the predatory
hands of plfcrers. for Jagged rents were
torn in the coarse sacking of each, and
huge fstfuls of the white staple had
been dragged from dozen gaping
wounds in every bale.
The red soil, showing here and there
through the scant and withered herb
age, was scanned with mule and wheel
tracks, and few rods away broken
down farm wagon lay with spoke
bristling hub close by its shattered axle,
while the tire, rolling away from the
general wreck, seemed to have Crawled
off to die by itself, and leaned rusting
against one of the charred timbers.
The southwark view was limited to a
long, low ridge of ugly, white-fecked
cotton stalks. Eastward the sun was
breaking q pathway through the fringe
of trees along another ridge, and a faint
line of mist, rising sluggishly in the in
teryening low ground, with the holloW
rumble of the train crossing an invisible
bridge, told of the presence of some
slow-moving stream. Westward the
track came into view around a thinly-
wooded hillside, with a clearing here
and there, in which some low cabins
were scattered.
With this cheerful outlook to greet
him at three points of the compass,
lambert turned him to the north. There
but, as three or four rails were missing
Opposite the west end of the platform,
git stood 10 reason that the railway com
fpany found the other all that was neces-
sary to the traffic of so bustling place
as Tugaloo. A brown freight car stood
on the siding with wide-opened doors,
and some household goods loomed in
plain sight. There is more honesty
in this community than the United
States marshal would give us to believe, =
thought Lambert. as he recalled the eX-
tract from a recent report which was
shown him at department headquarters.
He laid his satchel and sword upon the
platform, and. wrapping his blue cir
oular about his shoulders, took a few
steps, forward and a peep into the in
terror of the car. From the midst OF
bedsteads, bureaus and cheap old-fash-
ioned furniture, quantity of bedding
had been hauled out upon the floor, and
from the midst of the bedding woolly
head protruded-that of a negro fast
asleep.
Beyond the car stood dusty open
square Iordered on three sides by dingy
NODtltIl structures, SOlllc u tNo Sibi
but most of them only one in height. A
wooden sidewalk framed the square in
some places. and in others only indica-
tions of its former presence were to be
seen. The sidewalk was bordered by a
rude railing, to which, it was evident,
rorses and mules were tethered during
business hours. for at one of the rails,
even now, sprawled upon the soft, hoof-
paved dust, long-eared quadruped
was half hanging by the bride rein,
while the dilapidated saddle had worked
. around during the night until it set
tied upon the animals side.
Judging from such signs or legends
as were visible over the doorways of
Tugaloo, Lambert's impressions were
that the vending of intoxicating drinks
was the principal industry, as there
were'three saloons to one store devoted
to general merchandise which estab-
,;shment, painted white and with an air
of.prosperity and flock of cotton bales
around it, bore the sign of l. Cohen. and