Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-09-14
{: HIS VALUABLE sATCHEL.
Why the Travelling Man Wanted to
- Recover 1t From a Wreck.

Why the Travelling Man Wanted to
~ Recover 1t From a Wreck.
From the Milwaukee Sentinel
"The worst case Of fright and about the
best case of nerve 1 ever came across"
said the drummer, was chap who was
travelling through the middle west for a
firm last spring. l met him on the train
and found he played a good game of whist,
SO with two other men we made up little
game. He was my partner and was q very
silent fellow. He didn't even mention
what his line was which is unusual. With
him he had a satchel Of very superior
make, and the way he kept his eye on that
all the time, sneaking little nervous peeks
at 1t every two minutes, led me to suspect
that he was jewelry man and had big
lot Of valuable stones in the grip, though 1
couldn't imagine why a man should take
such chances carrying such things In a
satchel. Well, the smash came-it was my
latest one by the way-just as my partner
was on his way back to the game from
having gone to get some water. In all the
excitement 1 distinctly noted the yell he
let out. 1t was the finest piece of vocal
work of that kind l had ever heard. AS the
car sort OF crumpled up he made a dive
toward US. and / figured that he was think
Ing Of his satchel. My luck was with me
and found way out with nothing worse
than scalp wound and a collection of
bumps. Pretty soon he came crawling out
after me. He wasn't hurt, so far as
could see. but he was whittier than a sheet.
l gave him swig of whisky from my
flask and told him to brace up. He took an
awful hooker, and then began to twist his
fingers and kind Of moan
My satchel! My satchel! My satchelv
"'Well, what's the matter with YOUR
satchel?' l said
It's in there he said. and thought by
his tone he was going to cry. It's in there
where l can't get at it.
Say. you make me tired I said. You
to he ophY anil f1yI no.
self without worrying about any satchel.'
III have to go In after it,. said he,
looking around kind of wild and prancing
like horse with sore feet.
Not your life said I. 'Everything's
loose in there, and the whole thing may
collapse at any minute, and then where
you be? Besides. the cars afire down at
the other end
My Godr he said. 'Afire? That settles
it. I've got to get that satchel then, if I
die for it And he actually tore his hair
I'd never seen 1t done before except on the
stage. but he did it.
"'Oh, take a brace I said. getting dis
gusted with the man. guess the fire won't
do much damage: If it's diamonds
'Diamonds!' he said. Man, it's dyna-
mite. Enough Of it to blow us all into the
skyr
"'Dynamite!' I yelled. What are you
an anarchist?
mo. I'm dynamite agent, he said
Don't keep me here talking. I've got to go
in. I've got to do it. There's no other way.
There may be people in the wreckage, and
If that stuff goes Off
Never mind explaining it, said. Go
in, and the Lord help YOU
That's the sort of thing that takes nerve
1 don't believe I could have done it, He
Topped down and crawled in there and I
watched and waited for a week or so, as it
seemed. and pretty soon he came out look
ing like dead man and bringing that
satchel between his teeth like a dog. be-
cause he needed both hands to crawl with.
Well, we escorted that satchel across two
lots and buried 1t in a furrow and put a
stone over it before we went back to work
at the train 1t happened that the fire
was put out before ii reached the place
where the satchel had been Why on earth the
stuff didn't explode and blow us all to
flinders when the crash came is more than
know or the agent either He said dyn-
amite was always doing things and fail
ing to do things in the most inexplicable
way, and that was what made the life of
"a dynamite agent one long round of ex-
element. He never dared tell what it was
he had in the satchei. he said, because the
railroads wouldn't carry him II they knew
He went back and dug up his travelling in
fernal machine and walked with 1t to the
nearest town, and that's the last / saw of
him or want to see. though he certainly did
have good nerve. Ever since then when I've
seen man with satchel that he seemed
to think a heap of I've quietly moved into
the next car"