Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1901-10-09
THE LINEMAN'S YARN
ey William 8. EleIas. ST..

Inc line repairef laid the .stter he
mad been reading on his knee, and his
rugged face glowed.
What is It. Bnly?" his partner ask.
ed. you look as if some one had left
you a pile"
You've hit 1t of right, Ned; pile
or pleasure. haven't done MANY
things in my life, / guess, for other
folks benefit. but I wouldn't give this
one experience for sound leg In place
Of the shriveled peg"
He extended a shrunken, shortened
hmb and held the misshapen foot closer
to the stove. The lineman was sadly
crippled, but there was no better pole
climber nor more reliable man on the
division.
TELL us all about II, Billy"
"All right, you shall have the yarn.
such ms 1t is. Last October, when you
were in the hospital, Ned, and | was
working alone in the delta, was pull
ing my tricycle. up heavy grade The
line was down five miles below Dezell.
and rush orders came to look after it..
My machine worked hard, and made
slow time up hill. I'd been hearing the
cry of hounds for awhile and was on
the lookout to see deer cross the
track. A long stretch of canebrake ran
alongside, and l could tell the hounds
were coming through It, Just before
reached the top of the grade, and when
the dogs couldn't have been more than
half mile away, there was a crash in
the cane and out burst a strapping
young giant of a niger with the
stripes-that is, as many stripes as the
briers had left. for he was about fraz-
zled out.
HE had lost his hat. He asked no
leave, but was on my machine before /
could say yes or no.
Let me pull her for you, cap,' was
all he said as he showed me aside and
took hold of the lever. Twas no will
l or won't l. He could have pitched
me into the ditch easier than / can
strap on the climbers. And the way
the old machine roared along under the
powerful swing of that niggers arms
left me nothing to do but to hold the
hair on my head and sit on my cap.
About a mile down l looked back
and saw the hounds circllng round and
round on the track. They'd lost the
trail, for the chap that made it was
aboard my machine, and the way he
swung the lever pretty near made the
old three wheeler jump clear of the
rails at every stroke.
''He kept this up for full ten miles,
and we passed Dezell awhizzing. No
one could have seen how we were
dressed or told our color. We split the
wind too fast for clear sight. There
were no loafers about the depot, as
twas not train time.
when we slowed up a bit. I told
him we were pretty near where | had
to stop and he must let me take hold.
HE stepped aside at once and looked
me square in the face. Though as black
as u pot, he wasn't bit what you'd
call bad looking niger.
"'Cap,' he said, don't give me away!
| didn't kill the man | was sent to the
pen for doin up. though there was some
hard swearin done ag'in me. They've
got ON to the Teller that did it, though
hey haven't caught him yet. My ole
mighty sick at home and
wrote word she was pinin to see me
fore she died. l told the captain if
ned let me 20 I'd shore come back, but
lie laughed at me and lowed I'd. go
when my time was out and not befo',
Ind that would have been never. for
was sent up for life. / couldn't stand
t, cap. lyin awake all night grievin
bout my good old nanny.
"'She was always good to me, SO this
nornin when the guard wasn't very
lose l made a break and got good
tart befo' they could get the hounds
rom the camp to the field. My mind
vas made up, cap, to get away or get
killed tryin. Cap, If you'll help me.
'ou'll never be sorry
Il couldn't resist the pleading in that
igger's eyes. There was truth in
hem. ! knew the risk, but your over
Ills were in the tool locker, Ned, and
hey covered the convict's big carcass
airly well. The stripes we sunk in the
Itch with a lot of loose bolts and nuts
led up in the roll.
HE waited IN the thicket while l
lighted w the wire, and then ! took
lin down pretty near to Greensburg.
he wanted my name and address.
rot both, and after nearly crushing my
land in a thankful shake struck off
trough the swamp with my cap on his
lead.
when | got back to Dezell half a
lozen horses were h!tched about the
lepot, and lot Of guards from the
convict camp were In the Office with
sam Coleman, the agent.
"When / walked in, Sam says. Who
he thunder was that pulled you
through here this morning. BillyY
"'Oh.' says l. that was our foreman,
Charley Lang. He was in rush to
,atch No. 16 on the river loop, and,