Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1903-01-30
a BOX CAR ROMANCE.


decided TO bring them to St. Louis Tor
chance at the money hung up by the tair
grounds. The Missouri Pacific owed me
damages for killing nice woyear-old, and
as / was short in cash and never believed
in soaking the railroads, agreed to sign
a release if they'd give me free box car
from Denver to st. Louis for my hive horses,
myself and my outfit. They were glad to
do it and so was |, so had a car sidetracked
and spent about four days putting IN box
stalls for my stable. | rugged up the stalls
in each end, leaving a kind of wide hallway
from the opposite side doors OF the car.
Then l put in some provisions, canned
stuff, a case of bottled beer, some books
and all the newspapers and sporting maya
zines / could buy. | hung my lantern to the
rafter and let 'em know / was ready Tor
the road. Oh, yes, had my dog. I've got
him yet, and, by the way, he can trot as
far and faster than any dog | ever seen.
That's him, setting over there by the
counter. Well, the night we left Denver
they jerked my car around the yards TIL
nv head ached. We were bumped and
jostled for near three hours, and by the
time the train was made up, lingo, that's
the dog, and my five horses, to say nothing
of me, were as nervous as a bunch of girl
graduates. Finally they pulled us down
the yards about mile or so, when | sud
denly discovered that ! hadn't laid IN
enough tobacco. ] asked one of the crew,
who came past, if had time to run over to
the store, and as he said yes, jumped out
with lingo, bought canton OF smoking to-
bacco and caught the train just as 1t started
away toward Pueblo.
We ran along pretty steady then, down
past Burnham, heading up for Palmer Lake,
and | got out my newspapers and began to
read them One was an extra all about
a shocking murder. 1t seems a woman
named Bardee had stabbed her husband,
left him dying on the floor and escaped. l
had read that and another part of the pa
per, when the train jolted to a standstlH.
Pretty soon / heard footsteps crunchlng
along by the track-I had closed both my
ewes. for the mountain air was chllly-and
then there was pounding at the car side,
and a voice yelling: open up! want to
see your contract Of course | opened the
door. and then / saw five men standing
outside in the gray of starit night. i IN
the conductor" said one, gimme your con-
tract" | handed it to him, and was bit
surprised when he thrust it into his pocket
and said to a fellow next him: Better get
in and search the car.
"What's the NATTER" l asked.
"Got anybody in the car with you?" he
snapped.
"Nobody but five horses and dog l
grinned, but he boosted the other chap in
and said: This here is Denver detective.
He's looking for an escaped murderer and
he wants to search the car.
"All right" says |, "but be careful about
that sorrel FLY in the corner stall. She's a
devil with her heels!'
The detective had a dark lantern, and
went fumbling in among the horses, giving
Lady Wilkes a wide berth. There amt
nobody in here but me-" | went on, winking
at the crew assembled at the car door, but
I'm dead anxious for company. I've got
few cold quarts here, all right
Maybe that fetched the detective, but
anyway he came back out of the box stalls
and set down on my bunk. ] opened up a
few, and the crew went back and the train
started. Then the detective, drinking up
nv suds most friendly, said he was after
the Pardee woman that had killed her hus-
band in Denver 1t seems she had made for
the railroad yards during that afternoon,
and it was suspected that she had crawled
into an empty freight. We drltted onto
horse talk then, ana when we got down
TO Palmer Lake got out to catch the night
passenger train back to Denver.
When we got going again lingo, that my
dog. he began to act queer. Lady Wilkes
was kicking a good bit and hanging back
on her halter, but lingo was used to them
capers and ! couldn't make out what he
meant. He sneaked up by the stall, begun
vawing at the straw and holering like he
smelt a badger at least. Finally about mid
night | wanted to go to bed, and com
menced holering at him. He went on worse
than ever, and / got over the partition anc
took a look at the Lady.
What do you think | sees, setting right
under rhe feed trough, her face white anC
her clothes covered with straw and chatf
The prettiest little woman you ever saw
There she was staring at me out OF her big
scared eyes.
Mister" says she, "you won't give M
up?'
Not on your life" says /, wondering /
she was really the Pardee woman as haC
killed her husband, Are you Mrs. Par
dee?" | asked her, and she said she was
but that she never done it. | showed he
the paper, and asked her if she knew dc
tective had searched the car.
ooh, yes, | know it," she said, sittin
in the straw bed that Lady Wilkes ha,
paved up over her. 81 knew they'd sa
that. | heard them come to search tn
car, and ! blessed YOU when you said tina
this horse would kick. | thought mayb
) you saw me crawl in here. Did you? No
Well, | got in while you We're over at tn
store. Is he's Pardee dead? | hope h
isn't dead"
l showed her the paper which said tina
he was found dead, and she put her litu
pale face down in her lap and cried like
I baby. Then | passed her a sandwich an
}, an orange, she wouldn't try the beer, anc
5 squatting there under the feed-box, sh
< said:
HE wanted to sell me. AT least, he sal
he had a friend was willing to marry IN
if he himself would get out of the way. II
[ showed me the money he got-S5O, and
= was to let Howgate, that's the forema
at the brickyard where Pardee works, wa
+ to let Howgate in that night when he called
= My baby was dead only six months, 81
/ know Pardee was bad, but, sir, woma
lilo mo cannot stand tO he sold like that