Brookings weekly register. (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1898-1903, 1900-05-10


gotten the terrapin. At any rate,
was soon sharply reminded Of their ex-
istence. 1t is not exhilarating to start
out Of an incipient nightmare relating
to rats and look into the curious eyes
of q young terrapin. The diamond
back was trying to climb up my whisk-
ers, and his feet were not warm. At
the moment l tossed him off with
smothered yell l kicked at the covers
with all my might. for there was some
thing cold clawing along my legs which
reason told me was the count" got
him out gingerly, with an icy sweat on
my brow, and, placing the two adven-
turers on their backs, peeped eau
tiously out between the curtains to see
whether had alarmed the car. No.
not at all. And there still sat the col
cred porter, with closed eyes, polishing
away at the same boot, l presume, at
the rate of q stroke a minute. the brush
hitting the boot about one in five.
An opportunity like that was not to
be lost. l had been scared wide awake.
wanted company, and it seemed too
bad that even the porter should have
the advantage of me. decided he
shouldn't.
First l took the infant diamond back
and placed him gently in the center of
the aisle, his head pointed toward the
rear Of the car. He meditated a mo-
ky as colt. waited until he had got
well within the lamplight and then
coughed loudly. The porter started,
looked inquiringly at the shoe, then at
the brush, murmured something that
sounded like "Yas, sah," and was
about to relapse again when, as his
head lowered. his eyelids and mouth
suddenly sprang wide open, his arms
dropped to his sides, and he gathered
in his feet and bent forward, staring
hard. The deadly terrapin steadily ad-
vanced. The porter arose. His eyes
bulged, and l could hear him breathe.
Suddenly his arm shot out, and his aim
missed the turtle by an inch or two.
The porter had disappeared, and the
rear door of the car was slammed to
violently. As quick as a cat hoped
from the berth and collared my pre-
cious infant, which was gazing at the
lamp in a state Of mild wonder. Back
in the berth again l lay, listening. A
faint sound, as Of mirth, came from
the lower berth opposite, but when !
stole a look the curtains were tightly
drawn. The sleeper above me was
making mush" or smoking a pipe"
and there was considerable snoring
roundabout.
Presently the door Of the car opened
again, and / heard voices, one saying.
"Well, where Is it?"
There was a brief silence. and fur
tive glance showed me the half clad
conductor on his knees gazing down
the aisle. with the porter. still open
mouthed, behind him.
ut was right dar." said the latter in
a loud whisper.
The conductor stood up and shook
himself angrily. well, it amt there
now, you durn idiot! If it was as big
as you say it was"-
Homes to lGawd, Mis- Jackson, it
was that long" He measured off about
q foot and a half of atmosphere with
his black hands. 81 was a-blackin
away an a-whistlin when look up an
see um. He had eyes in um like
coppah snakes, an / up an threw that
dar genl'man's shoe in numbah 8 at
um. Dar's the shoe. Hyah" He ran
down the aisle and picked it up. 81
threw it at um, an he came a-leapin at
me like alike "a alligatah."
"Sam," said the conductor quietly.
you've been drinking again."
"Mis' Jackson, talk two hummah's
Nv peach-two hummahs-hones' to
Gawd!'
"Oh, get to work" said the conduct
or. "You saw a coachroach, I guess"
"Cockroastv' cried Sam Indignantly
as the door banged. "Cockroastw He
could say no more, but with wrath
shining in his eyes and sculptured on
his lips he took up the shoe and brush
again and wagged his head at the aisle
ominously.
While the train ran on I lay there
hoping for sleep and amusing myself
meanwhile by pulling the tails Of the
terrapin as they occasionally projected
through the meshes of the side net. An
hour went by, perhaps, and my in.
somnia had not weakened. had
counted some 1900 sheep Jumping
over a fence when Of a sudden there
arose on the affrighted air, clear sand
resonant above the muffled thunder of
the speeding, train, a bass snore--a
deep, prolonged and piteous sound, as
of one in distress. ! looked out. 1t
was the porter.
"Come. my love-" said I, plucking
the estimable "count" from the net
''the stars are shiningr' I adjusted
him in the aisle and directed his foot