Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-02-18
HE WAS A TRUE HERO

''There was pretty bad blizzard out in
Colorado last year, too" said Tom Wise,
the clever character actor, who was here
with 1.-The Last Chapter company last
week. at an after-the-show symposium. I'm
the middle of last years blizzard, which
happened in the month of February, an
other 'trouper and myself got on a Union
Pacific train one morning at Hugo. We
were bound for Omaha. The smoker was
comfortably warm, and it surely felt benign
after the fifteen below outside. There was
only one other passenger in the smoker
when we went in there. He was a slight
man of about thirty, and we could tell at
glance that he was hunger After you've
been in Colorado for a while you learn to
spot a hunger at sight. This man was
well-dressed, but there seemed to be a lack
of carefulness in his Setup. There was a
good deal of fineneSS in the man S lace, ana
we didn't attribute for moment his some
what odd slovenliness or hurriedness OF
makeup to drunk. His cough was pretty
bad, and he was pale and tired-iooklhg. we
got into talk with him soon after the tram
left Hugo. Now, 'lungers' out in Colorado
don't mind your mentioning to them that
You know they're 1ungers. So, after we
had been talking with this fine-featured
but slouchy-looking Gf wel1-dresse0 man
for while, 1 said to him:
Pretty vicious weather, isn't it, for
man with only one of EN- left, and that
only d hdii ii oiit W DC HitAho oiouAto e4io
state of Colorado on the cars?
Yes said he smiling in that queer,
saddening way consumptlVes nave; II not
exactly the sort of weather I'd nave CHOSEN
for travelling purposes if L could have help
ed it. But this is what you might call
must trip. I'm not travelling for my
health just now
Must? said I. 'How's that. if it isn't
too much of a rubber-necking question:?
Well he answered, after a coughing
SPELL it's a queer sort of business, but
I've got to carry it through. I've been a
-'lunger'' for d couple of years past, but
I've been practicing medicine in an idle
kind of way in one of the big COLORADO
Springs hotels. I'm house physician Wnlle
last, and when l cash in probably another
hunger will take my place. That's the
custom, you know. A couple of days ago a
man arrived at my hotel from New York
He was under thirty, about six foot three
high, and all skin and bones. He was pref
ty far gone. He had barely registered be-
fore he had bad-well. ne was taken pref
ty badly right before the hotel desk: l
happened to be by and 1 went over to him.
You're in pretty bad way, l said to
him. You struck this attitude at bad
time-in the midst of d blizzard
We'll he replied, I'm pretty far gone,
anyhow, and it DOESN'T make any dlner-
ence.'
".All tne same said. you've got to get
down to a lower level Immediately, or you
won't last a day.
Il knew that this man could not stand
the combination of the great altitude of
ColofdGo 9piihss anu .ns Ia r,ada az.
tohs. DO / nustieo siuolu a'e s1anr1er ana
engagements 10 pus mn III ~ . po;o,onT
pm. train. | got him on the train all right,
pul ne was III az ~ bd 80 ,yo+
mat tlhie. VEL me ttai" ~ "a CnJorsSo
~ my nv w iiiiIe9 - 80, 81 . toI r,on
opiiiiS5 peiote NY u Toi - daaI If offort
ldiSeu niiiseIi up with d soo' oe't VI mn
an" s ss1i w i,'e, 49,, .,;,,+o ,,,oro Tusr
We sot Just ts5 iiiiu III Co,I;r.
Hou tahe uo w ny duoi - ~ 49, -, r., 10 Ne
III oeises - -, 'ie --'''' " ~
7iiip2Tu 20, Gnu a, 49,, -. 49, ,,iuo,, o,d r
ne zen ,''eh .iie1I oi ol.e - II Co.,
sioseu M eS g ~ -iiii 70 -, 20 iioad r.