Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-04-06

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"Ain't you qoina to bcd tontght2" he
OStcd.
keep your eyes and cars open and wire
attor us. | suppose it's all right about
No. -, " he shouted, as he swung on
the platform.
The station agents voice followed
them out into the night.
"Sho coming along all right. Sup
pose you II meet her al the Gap. She's
due there at $40"
due there in five minutes, thought
Mr. Gray to himself as he meditatively
pulled at his fire Havana, "and by good
rights / should have been sleeping the
sleep Of the just and innocent hours
ago. The train soon seemed labOring
i'll heavy sea. The hoarso painting of
the engine came throbbing back on the
night, The huge Pullman rolled deep,
first 10 one side awhile, then to the
other as it trailed on around the sharp
reverse curves Of some unseen grade.
Out of the darkness 10 the right and
against the northern stars doomed up
dim, bulky >-lapes, and Gray realized
that the foothills were reached. that the
long tortuOus climb was beginning Up,
up, higher and higher steamed the
straining giant in the lead, the dense
smoke clouds rolling rearward lighted
brilliantly every few seconds by thu
glare from the roaring furnace into
which Scut's shovel was heaping coal
by the bushel. No. 1873 was doing her
best, as Long predicted, but even her
superb lungs and tempered muscles
could barely drag so heavy Il burden.
Only nine or ten miles an hour was she
making now, thought Gray, as once
more the sleeper door was opened and
the conductor, followed by brakeman,
hustled in He glared suspiciously into
the dim recess Of the smoking compart-
ment, the brakeman peering over his
shoulder.
"Ain't you going TO bed tonight" he
asked.
"Presently,' yawned Gray, elf get
sleepy"
Your friend there in the other car
hasn't lost much time. He's snoring
like he hadn't slept for six weeks.
Who're d he say he lived:"
"Puwnee "
"Know him there?"
"No nor anybody else. -
"Never been out here before"
Gray was il no mood for talk much
less for cross examination. He shrugged
his broad shoulders impatiently and
said, Never
The conductor hcsitatod, looked long
and fixedly at his passenger, studying
what he could SEQ Of his face, figure and
clothes in that dim light He turned
half reluctantly away, then turned back.
"Well, if you want any sleep before
we get to Butte you'd better be getting
it, " said he with that broad freedom of
manner and absence of conventional re
straint begorten of years i'll the bound
less west and then stood awaiting the
result
It came, not too soothingly or salts
factorily.
"When | want it, III take it. -
The conductor drew away with dis
tinct sense of another defeat. He stirred
up the porter with no gentle touch.
Glow many of your passengers have
got guns" he asked
/ The negro started from his seat, dazed
and frightened "Only two or three Of
'em, that l see. was the answer. THAT
! officer in lower and two gentlemen III
8 and .. What's the matter
Nothing as yet, but I've a good
mind TO wake the lieutenant - sand Jar,
Wis, his fingers working nervouSly as he
glanced about the car. The porter's eyes
were big, his eyeballs staring.
"Wait till | como back, said Mr.
Jarvis presently, and let himself out at
the rear door. The last sleeper was dark
ana silent. Every curtain seemed
drawn. Jarvis found his bunch Of keys
and after few seconds tumble opened
the door. The air within was close, al
most sitting, for every section was oc-
cupied lie found the porter snoring in
the smoking room, stirred him vigor-
ously and propounded rapid questions.
/ The hewildered darky answered to the
point. Some of the young men among
his eNcursionists might have pistols in
their grips, hut he d only seen one in a
/ hip pocket. There were 10 ladies aud l2
men, he said, all unconscious of danger
of any kind, and, as il was a chartered
car and they were ont for II long pleas
ure trip, no doubt there was plenty Of
money, 10 say nothing Of watches and
jewelry in the party. 1t was the first Of
the kind that had come up the road for
month. Jarvis knew it had been we'll
advertised. What more likely than that
the daring fellows who had made things
lively on the other road should have
planned to hold up this particular
train: What better place could they Sc
lect than the lonely, rugged, almost
mountainous tract between Thunder
Gap and Bowlder Greek; And if they
weren't already boarding his train, one
or two at time, just AZ they did on the
X. p, then call him Chinaman. That
swagger and stylish young man at tho
junction, "salOOning the soldiers and
making himself solid with them, the
shivering tramp at Willow Springs who
was SO promptly found and SO lavishly
paid for and provided for by the same
suspicious party G. Fancy his enlistingl"
thought the conductor; "that cock and
bull story that he told Long was enough
to damn him from the start }, aud now