The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1898-04-28

ling questions, and I'm afraid Z told
some more stories. Do you know. Sam
my, If ever should lie again I'd feel
just like a tramp? The folks fed me
all could eat oh! but it was good 80
and they let me have some more to
eat on the road. When I showed it to
Rusty and told him I'd had mine he
gobbled up every bit of it.
"'Purty fair fer kid he said, as he
finished the pie in about two bites.
You'll do, Polly. I knowed we could
work it. Now I'm goin' ter use we fair
an give ye jest a leetle of this. Most
fellers wouldn't divvy, bein' as We
didn't turn in no money, but I ain't
mean, an it'll do ye good
'He had got some beer in an old tin
can. I took just one smell; guess it
was mostly the can smelt. It was
salmon can-one. thought he'd b.
mad, but he didn't seem to mind.
HAT ter git over that aorter fool
ishness, Polly was all he SAID, and hi
gulped the stuff down at one swallow.
Then he fixed himself up kind of
coat out of some burlaps he found tied
round a peach tree. He cut holes for
his arms, and fastened the thing on
with pieces of string. After awhile we
went back near the depot, and waited
behind the fence till freight train
came along. He'd got board that
was little longer than am. 4 amt
in no shape ter go long with we jist
yit,' he said, but bein' ye'ce in SIGH a
KILN resh, I'll git ye started right.
So we crawled under car, and he laid
the board lengthwise on one of the
trucks. 1 was awfully scared, but he
said it was easy as sliding down hill.
"'Jist hump up yer back agin the
bottom of the car, eff she goes ter wob-
| blin', he said, AN we bettew keep yer
| eyes shet, mostly. An don't we try ter
git out till she's dead sure stopped
$50 I squeezed in, and lay along the
board, fiat on my stomach. Pretty
soon the engine started, and for about
a minute l thought twas going to be
picnic. The ties just under me looked
like smooth plank walk, and when
looked out sideways the fields and
fences and houses slid by like a regular
panorama. Then we got to going faster
and the dust began to blow up in my
face, and couldn't see thing;I shut
my eyes tight, but it drove into my nose
till I couldn't breath, and when I
opened my mouth I thought I'd be
choked anyhow. It wasn't all just dust,
either. When we got to roaring along
at full speed, and the wheels were hum
ming close by my ears, and the iron
things were rafting all round me, the
gravel began to fly up, too, and it pound
ed me like big hailstones. Yce1 haven't
the least idea, Sammy, how fast a
freight train really goes. And il
doesn't run steady; it swings ahead:
and Stacks, and starts up again with a
yank that almost sends you off back
wards. Then you strike curve, and
your board slides round under you till
you just grit your teeth and say you1
prayers. When I tried to- brace by
launching up the way Rusty told me, II
seemed as if the whole car was iounc
ing up and down on my back. I though:
I was dead boy 20 times that day
Sammy.
81 tell you, made up my mind pretty
quick that I'd had enough, and I was
going to get off at the very first stop
But they didn't stop for three or four
stations; and when they did, there were
SO many men running about and the
engine kept starting up and backing
and switching round so much that
didn't dare move. And the first knew
the train had started up again-and
there I was, slipping round on that
shocking board, laundering along in a
regular hurricane of dust and sand and
stones, with rattling and banging and
grinding and clanking fit to drive you
crazy, in for another ten miles of it al
the very least. And, Sammy, rode thai
we were going thought I'd get off at
the next station sure, and when we
stopped didn't dare.
II must have been sight when did
crawl out, but it was night by that
time. I could hardly see or hear or
taste or smell, l was so full of dirt, and
I ached all over. It seemed as if the
grit had worked into my joints till I
could hardly move, and filled up my
head till it felt as big as a pumpkin
and about as much good. don't see
what any tramp is thinking of when he
steals rides under the cars. He'd bet
ter feed thrashing machine and done
with it.
"How did I get the rest of the way
to New York? It would take too long
to tell all that tonight. promised I'd
come home early, Sammy-and I'm not
playing any low-down tramp tricks
! now, you better believe. But part of
the way I got ride on canal boat
and part of the way I walked. I got
things to eat easy enough, and once
or twice got bed; but I was just a
miserable little beggar, and I felt like
a yellow dog all the time. And the real
yellow dogs-they chase me, Sammy.
"When got to the city it wasn't so
easy. 1 sneaked up and down the
streets ever so long, and pretty near
starved to death before could find out
where those Cuban folks were. And
when I did find them they wouldn't
even listen to me.
"'What you want here, boy?' little
black-looking man said to me-. When
I told him he got mad right away.
More as 100 fool boys do come here
each day. he growled. What we want
of fool boys? You get out, quick
''Think of that, after all I'd been
through to help Cuba! He was going
to call policeman, too, so I had to
rim for it,