Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1903-09-04
KNIGHT OF
THE HIGHWAY
By CLINTON SCOLLARD,
Author Of "A Man at Arms, The Son
Of Tory" Etc.
Copyright, 1901, by ]. B. Lippincott Co.
All rights reserved.
CHAPTER I.
THE NE'ER-DO-WELL.


The powerful locomotive which
drew the long freight-train came to
sudden stop. Something in the ma
ture of a spasm, so human was it,
communicated itself from car to car,
and each in turn ceased to move.
The jar Weakened Rossiter, out
stretched upon the top of some boxes
and bales, from a heavy sleep, and
on opening his eyes and finding him
self emcompassed by a breathless
tropical blackness he did not for an
instant realize where he was. He put
out his hand and encountered the
boards of the car-roof just above
his head. Then he recalled his
whereabouts. He was reeking with
sweat, for the atmosphere of the con-
fined space was. sitting.
All day the pitiless September sun
had blazed in a coppery heaven; all
day the parched earth had given back
to the sky the fumes of heat; and
yet Rossiter had chung to his oven
like retreat, in the first place because
with every revolution of the wheels
he was carried nearer to his destina-
ton, and in the second place because
he could not easily descend from the
train while it was in motion. Half
"a loaf of bread and few dry cookies
had served to quiet the cravings of
hunger, while two wizened lemons
had in a measure allayed the pangs
of thirst. But now he sought in vain
Q for the last precious bit of fruit
which he had intended to keep
against this time of need. The jolt
ing Of the car had evidently caused
his treasure to roll from the spot
where he had placed it with such
care Uttering an exclamation of
disappointment, he dragged himself
o few feet and placed his lips to
crack in the side of the car, through
which he drank eagerly great
'draughts of the partially cooled night
air. AS he was about to resume his
former position he inhaled a heavy
watt of engine smoke.
1.-The DEVIL" he calculated. "This
is more than I can Stand!"
He seized his little bundle of clothes
and worked his way over the bales
and boxes to the door. For a time
he feared that he was hopelessly a
prisoner, as the obstinate barrier to
his escape would not bulge. The per-
spiration streamed from his forehead
wet as though he had soused his
head in water. He had taken stock
Of the fastenings when he had slowed
himself. away at Clevalo, but he was
discovering that an easy entrance
into a freight car packed with mer-
ehandise that has space enough to
shift slightly does not necessarily
mean an easy exit.
At length, after several sharp
creaks of remonstrance, the door
capped sufficiently to allow him t
squeeze his body through. He cast
glance up and down the adjoining
track and then leaped down. AS his
feet crunehed upon the cinders some
one sprang from the next car to the
top of the one he had just quilted. It
was a brakeman.
You damn tramp!" he shouted,
and raised his hand as though about
to hurl a missile.
Rossiter ran, lodging as he went,
but nothing save harsh guffaw fol-
lowed from the car-top.
''Sold, Johnny" beloved the
brakeman; 'sbut I can tell We if I'd
had hunk of coal, ye'd have got it
blim in the backi"
just then. with long series of
jerks, the train started. An electric
light beyond the tracks threw the
gesticulating figure on the car top
into strong outline for a moment
and his pose held Rossiter's atten-
ton, but the effect was quickly