The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-08-28
Fr!ght ard Nerxy Both.

fright ara NerSy bOtH.
The worst case of fright and about
the best case of nerve I ever came
across sai the drummer. according
10 the Milwaukee Sentinel. was a
chap who was travelling through the
| middle west for a firm last spring. I
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 a
very silent fellow. He didn't even men,
ton what his Inc was. which is unus-
ual. With him he had a satchel OF
very superior make. and the way he
kept his eye on that all the time. sneak
ing little nervous peeks at IL every two
minutes led me to suspect that he was
a jewelry man, had a big lot Of valu-
: able. stones In the grip. though l
couldn't imagine why a man should
take such chances carrying such things
IN a satchel. Well. the smash came
IL 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 /
distinctly noted the yell he let put. IL
was the finest piece OF vocal work OF
that kind hat / had ever heard. As
the car sort OF crumpled up he made
a dive toward Us, n / figured that
he was thinking OF his satchel. Ny
luck was with me and l found a "a
out with nothing worse than a scalp
wound and a collection OF bumps. Pref
~ soon he came crawling out after me.
H. wasn't hurt, so far as / could see,
be was whittier than a sheet. l gave
him a swig of whiskey from my flask
and told him TO brace up. He took an
awful hooker. and then began TO st
his fingers and kin Of moan:
My satchel. My satchel. Ny
satchel,'-
Well, what's the matter with our
s~atchel?" l said.
Its in there he said. ar! I
thought by his tone he was goinf q
cry. Its in there where I can't get ut
it,
Say. you make me tired. l said.
'You ought to be mighty thankful 10 be
out yourself without worrying about
any satchel.'
I'll have 10 go in after it, said he.
looking around kind Of wild and pranc-
ing like d horse with sore feet.
No on your life said |. Every
things loose in there, and the whole
thing may collapse at any minute. and
cars afire down at the other end
My Cod" he said. 'Afre? That
settles il. I've got 20 get that satchei.
then, II | die for it, and he actually
tore his hair. I'd never seen il done
before except on the stage. but he did
"'Oh. take a brace I said. getting
disguised with the man. I guess the
fire won't do much damage. II it's
diamonds
Diamonds he said. Man its dy-
Mantle Enough of it to blow US all
into the sky
Dynamite: l yelled. What are
you. an anarchist
No; I'm a dynamite agent he
said. Don't keep me here talking.
I've got to go in. I've got t. do IL.
There's no other way. There may be
people in the wreckage. and If thar
stuff goes off
Never mind explaining it, ! sail.
Go in. and the Lord help YOU
That's the sort OF thing that takes
nerve. | 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 looking like a dead
man and bringing that satchel between
his teeth like a dog. because he needed
poth hands to crawl with. Well, we
escorted that satchel across two lots
and buried It in a furrow and put a.
stone over 1t before we went back to-
work at the train. Ii happened that
the fire was put out before It reached
the place which 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 dynamite
was always doing things and failing 10
DO things in the most inexplicable way
and that was what made the life Of a
dynamite agent n long round Of er-
cltement. He never dared to tell what
II was he had in the satchel. he sair.
because the railroads wouldn't cay
him If they knew. He went back and
Dug up mis- travelling Internal machine
and walked with IL to the nearest town.
and that's the last / saw OF him or
want to see, though he certainly did
nave good nerve. Ever since then when
I've seen a man with a satchel hat he
seemed to think a heap Of I've Quietly
moved into the next car"