The Florence daily tribune., 1899-02-25

yond and just here ran over q nstrow
hank # earth santiug abruptly down
on either side
The tramp lit his lantern. and. TAX
ine ef bis coat. wrapped II crrta.ly
sro nd Then be los down on ties,
hat on hi. face and began 10 cr p
slowly along. squirning and craving
like worm
After seemingly endless time of
creeping and feeling carefully with his
hands he fllt the smooth cold steel at
the track end abruptly The rail had
been removed Just at the highest pailr
in the gully
New he had nothing more 20 do but
wait And be killed lie wondered how
It felt 10 hc shot. A strong dc.ire %
get up and iun tool; Procession OF iiuI
hul be might Just as wen b. shot saw
ing the tram rs now. so ne lay sdlt
"Muybe ! won be killed might
git through some way. An old u5
count like ne nd be likely to ~
through with whole hide. Anyway
twout be much lost. II 'twouid only
comet
IL seemed ar bour since he hHd la,u
there then he l. ard The rumbnu1 .rI
The distant ''Whuu-o-w whuO 900.
mud iu mir ate the uuiu rounded th5
curve. The tramp flung his coat into
thn gully and sprHng go his feet wav-
ing the lantern mp and down over his
bend Five pistol shots ruug out slf-I.-
ly above the nuiEc of the tr;tin, the u-
tern tumhled into the gully, and She
tramp fol- forward across the track the
ugine coming TO a stundstin within
two feet of his body.
Instantly q clauur OF voices arose.
che engine pufied menthlessiv, liehts
ll-hcd through the darkness the ties
were examined, the lantern, the roUy
and an empty pistol were rescued fruu
the gully, and the tramp was lifted 10y 70
loz n pairs of hands
'l-t l. dead " they cried "Sho-
dead Murdered by train wreokCs'
a young doctor elbuwed his WY
through the crowd. He was of tan
commanding presence, and they tell
back before his authoritative voice
"Mabe way, therer'
He knclt down beside the tramp and
utter rapid examination said "Ihc
man isn't even seriously hurt There is
only flesh wound in the hip. lie has
,uinted from fright
Even as he spoke the tramp opened
his eyes, a young girl sat down and
took his shaggy head into her lap.
whore he moved uncasily from time to
time as he told his story.
He's IA real herol" cried the girl
"A brave noble fellow, God bless
hint cried another woman,
A man held his brandy flask TO tho
tramp iiTs and another shook his hand
heartily, The tramp seemed to handy
understand it all. He blinked at them
+tupidly, but ching to the brandy flask
They carried him aboard The train,
and the engine backed slowly toward
the town. mile away. and It's tho
tramp r-clined upon velvet cushions,
surrounded by sympathetic faces for
the inst time in his life treated as an
equal, man among men strange.
new desires stirred vaguely in his
heart
II aint been nothin hut no count
so fur he thought, "bnt m mighty
glad cQuld save EN- all, mighty glad.
I'VE win make up suitable reward
for that brave fellow. said an old gen
tluuuu bat the young doctor spoke up
suddenly.
''see here That man is fake His
story is the thiunest | ever heard. | say
he took up those rails and waved tue
train in the hope of reward shooting
himself to give weight To the story, Do
you think of five shots aimed straight
az man only one would hit him and
inilict slight flesh wound1 And if he
feared the wrecEers why didn't he
wave the train on the other side of the
eupey Any sane man would have done
that
This was am indisputable fact, and
the passengers began to comprehend the
whole matter,
"He says he heard the two men at
o clock the Young doctor went on
why, he could have gone to Fords-
Vile and got "a posse to capture them in
that timel And he says he tool, the
lantern from farmhouse stable. Why.
he could have gone in and informed the
farmer Pshaw The thing couldn't be
palmer He was after the reward You
will be lucky If you are not sent up for
this old fellow
The passengers laughed CT We're an
cry, according TO their various temper
mnents. while the tramp tried to un-
ierstnd the meaning of the change in
heir manner, but could not exactly
comprehend. Hadn he saved the train
They took him to the hospital at
Fordsville, and later ON the men whom
ihoy had left behind came in to report
chat they could not find the slightest
race of the wreckers or any evidence
TO prove the truth of the tramps pre-
posterous story.
In the morning the young doctor
called at the hospital and the nurse
who received him said; THE man is