La Junta tribune., 1899-12-30
Hus,s. aArus on rnE HAn'sul
no sr. 10.
sr ruosxx rrrLp.

=
ties an used 'em for kindlin' an
stove wood, an the result wuz that
when the war wuz over there
wuzn't anythink left Of the HANDFUL
md St. 10 but the rollin' stock nd
the two streaks NV rails from one
end Nv the road to the other. In
the spring NV 81 he'd to go out
into Kansas; and takin' the HANDFUL
md ST 10 and at Palmyry Junction
! wuzn't long in fndin' out that
the HANDFUL and St. 10 railroad
wuz jist about the wust cast of
rollin' prairer l ever struck.
There wuz one bunk left when |
boarded the sleepin' car, and he'd
presence NV mind 'nuff to ketch on
to it. 1t wuz then just about dusk
an the niger that sort NV run
things in the car sez to me: "Boss"
SEE he, "I'll have to get you to
please not to snore tonight, but to
be uncommon quiet"
"What for?" sez l. "Hain't
paid my two dollars, an hain't /
entitled to all the luxuries NV the
OUTFIT"
Then the niger leant over an
told me that Colonel Elijah Gates,
one Nv the directors NV the road,
an the richest man in Marion
county, wuz aboard an it wuz one
Nv the rules NV the company not to
do anythink to bother him or get
him to sell his stock.
The niger pointed out Colonel
Gates, nd l took look at him as
he sot readin' the "Palmyry Spec
tator." He wuz one of our kind
Of people-long, raw-boned nd
husky. He looked to be about
sixty-may be not quite on to sixty.
He wuz MT bothered with much
hair on to his head, nd his beard
was shaved, all except two rims or
fringes NV it that run down the
sides NV his face and met under
meath his chin. This fringe filled
up his neck so that he did MT hev
to wear no collar, nd he had MT no
jewelry about him excep' big car
nelian bosom pin that he'd the pic
ture Nv woman's head on it in
white. His specs sot we'll down
on his nose, nd could see his
blue eyes over 'em-small eyes,
but kind ur good natured. Be-
tween his readin' NV his paper md
his eatin' plug terbacker he KEEP
toler.ble busy till come bedtime.
The rest on us KEEP as quiet as we
could, for we knew it wuz an honor
to ride in ,he same sleepin' car
with the richest man in Marion
county md director NV the
Han'bul md ST. 10 to boot.
Along bout eight o'clock the
colonel reckoned he'd tumble into
bed. When he'd drawed his boots
md hung up his coat nd laid in
fresh hunk NV nat'ral leaf, he
crawled into the best bunk md
presently we heerd him sleepin'.
There wuz nuthin' else for the rest
Nv us to do but to foller suit, md
we did.
1t must have been about an hour
later-say along about Prairer City
that woman come aboard with
baby. There war MT no bunk
for her, but the niger allowed that
she might set back near the stove,
for the baby 'peared to be kind Nv
sick-like nd the woman looked like
she had been cryin'. Whether it
wuz the jouncin Nv the car, or
whether the young one wuz hungry
or he'd a collie into it, l did MT
know, but anyhow the train had MT
pulled out NV Prairer City afore the
baby began to take on. The mig
ger run back as fast as he could
md told the young woman that
she d have to keep that baby quiet
because Colonel Lily Gates, one
Nv the directors Nv the road, wuz
in the car md wunt be disturbed.
The vounr woman caught nm the