Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1898-03-31
HELPED THE BRAKEMAN TO LIFT
THE LIMP FORM.

them coming, for they were sitting on
their horses, still as statues, when the
old woodburner came creeping round
a curve, her links and chains rafting
like dray on cobblestones.
Halt" cried the leader, and the en-
gineer hooked her over.
"What do you want?' demanded the
conductor.
"What have you got?' asked the
bushman.
The negro fireman must have seen
the humor of the mans reply, for he
poked his head round the corner OF the
cab and laughed laugh that seemed
to come from the very bottom OF his
bare feet.
$50 de Lawd, dat am funny" said
the negro, wiping his eyes.
Nothing that you can have said
the conductor back at the bushman.
Immediately the negro opened his
mouth and began to ripple again, but
this time the flow of his mirth was
broken by the sound Of muskets. Bang!
bang! went the guns of the marauders'
and the negro, changing his laugh to
cry Of pain, fell upon the deck and
begged the brakeman to shoot him.
"I's done killed. Fo' de Lawd. Is
shot plumb frew de hat"
"Then die, you crazy niger" shout
ed the brakeman; "think I'm going to
waste a load on vou?'
When the conductor and the brake
man had emptied their guns at the
gang, the engineer opened the throttle
and backed away with the bullets rat
Ting on his front end and smashing
the glass In the cab windows.
Upon arriving at Shady Rill they
found that only the tip of one of the
negro's fingers had been shot away,
and when the engineer had bathed the
finger in black OIL bound it up with
a rag, and kicked the negro three or
four times, the fellow was able to take
his place at the furnace door.
The conductor instructed the oper-
ator to report what had taken place to
the army officer in charge of the rail
way, and then went over to the Shady
Rill plantation to warn the women
there of the coming of the bushwhack-
ers. He had been over once or twice
for supplies, which were given, IT not
grudgingly, reluctantly, for how were
these poor women, whose fathers and
husbands and brothers were down
there where the steady, monotonous
booming of cannon spoke of danger and
death, to smile upon the people OF the
north? These men were come into the
country, the women were able to per
suade themselves, to take the property
of the people and lay country waste; sc
now, when the conductor lifted his hal
in the presence Of the venerable damt
and her proud daughter, the womer
drew themselves up and looked dowr
upon him from the veranda.
"If they ali no'the'n soldiers, I reckon
, they cant more'n kill us, and If they al
J southern soldiers they ali southern gen
tlemen, so we might bettah take DUAL
chances with them than with you all
who ah not soldiers at ALL"
"Neither are these soldiers; they ar
, bushwhackers and murderers. Come,
beg Of you, let me help you to escape.
At that moment the sound Of mnsket
, nv was heard from down behind the or
: chard, and moment later an oil
white-haired wench came falling roun'
: the house, rolled up the veranda step
and threw herself at the feet of he
,, young mistress.
. "Fo' de Lawd, honey" she howled
/ ode wood fatty full o Yankees.
!. fought dey dun been our folks, case de
a dun hab on blue clos, but mint da
fool Jim poke his head obeh de fenc
! an shout: Git out dis yeah o'chad
!, dee oil bang loose at him, an, TO tn
: Lawd, dey dun TAX he heat out an ca
J. II right 70 my ole eyes"
Anegro can always be depended upc