The Savannah morning news., 1900-08-15
Fright and Nerve Both.

The worst case of fright and about the
best case of nerve ever came across. -
said the drummer. according to the Mil
waukee Sentinel, was chap who was
travelling through the Middle West for a
firm last spring. 1 met him on the
train and found he played a good game of
whist so with tWo other men we made
up a little game. He was my partner
and was a very silent fellow. lie didn't
even mention what his line was, which is
unusual. With him he had a satcheI of
very superior make, and the way he kept
his eye on that all the time sneaking lit
tle nervous peeks at it every two min
utes. led me to suspect that he was a
jeweiry man, had big lot of valuable
stones in the grip, though I couldn't i'm
agine why man should take such
chances carrying such things in a satchel
Well, the smash came-it was my latest
one, BY =hs way--just as my partner
was on his way back to the game from
having gone to get some water. In all
the excitement I distinctly noted the yell
he let out. IL was the finest piece of vocal
work of that kind that l had ever heard
AS the car sort of crumpled up he made
a dive toward us, and l figured that he
was thinking of his satchel. My luck
was with me and / found a way out with
nothing worse than a scalp wound and
a collection of bumps. Pretty soon he
came crawling out after me. He wasn't
hurt. so far as I could see, but he was
whittier than a sheet. I gave him a 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
satchelr
Well what's the matter with your
satchel?' l said
It's in there he said, and I thought
by his tone he was going to cry. It's
in there where 1 can't get at it
Say. you make me tired said. You
ought TO be mighty thankful to be out
yourself without worrying about any
satchel'
looking around kind of wild and prancing
like horse with sore feet.
Not on your life, said 1. Everything S
loose in there, and the whole thing may
collapse at any minute and then where'd
you be? Besides, the cars afire down at
the other end
My Gcdr he said. Attire? 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 it done before except
on the stage, but he did it.
oh, take brace l said, getting dis
gusted with the man. i guess the fire
won't do much damage. If it's diamonds
Diamonds he said Man its dyna-
mite! Enough of il to blow us all into the
sky!
'Dynamite!' 1 yelled. What are you,
an anarchist"
No; I'm a dynamite agent, he said
Don't keep me here talking I've got to
a I'll.
way. There may be people in the wreck
age, and if that stuff goes Off
Never mind explaining it, 1 said. GO
in, and the Lord help you.
That's the sort of thing that takes
nerve. 1 don't believe 1 could have done
it. He foppsd down and crawled in there
and I watched and waited for a week OF
so, as it seemed, and pretty soon he came
out look ng like dead man and bringing
that satchel between his teeth like dog
because he needed both hands to crawl
with. Well, we escorted that satchel
across two lois and buried it in 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 it reach
ed 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 1 know or the agent
either He said dynamite was always do
ing things and failing to do things Ia
the most inexplicable way, and that was
what made the life of a dynamite agent
one long round of excitement. He never
dared to tell what it was he had in the
satchel, he said, because the railroads
wouldn't carry him if 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 1 saw
of him or want to see. though he GER
tainly did have good nerve. Ever since
then when I've seen man with satche
that he seemed to think heap of I've
quietly moved into the next car"