The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1906-01-19

collar ripped, the band of the white shirt
went also, and long nails furro wed the
flesh almost to the shoulder.
1.-The instant seemed to answer whole
lot of questions. Instinctively my lett
fist shot out, taking him flush on the
point of the jaw. He dropped off the
trunk, and, painting for breath and
throbbing in every nerve, l waited for
him to rise, All thoughts of my own
safety, of his future, even of his wife, were
brushed aside in that moment. Only let
him rise and I'd
"But he didn'e rise, and to my own
painting was added that of the engine as
we came to stop beside the tank. l
heard the fireman pull down the spout,
heard him swing it clear again when
water had been taken, yet the sounds
seemed to belong to some other stop at
Winchester. they did not belong to this
night at all My eyes were glued to the
man on the floor. Was he
Il shook myself as once more the rattle
of the cars broke through my conscious
ness, and moved around the trunk to
where he lay. Thank heaven, he was
breathing. Ialmost laughed as Irealized
that but for the excitement of the moment
l would not have been likely to question
this fact. 1t was a heavy breathing,
almost a snore | bent down and opened
the front of his shirt Then l once more
took stock.
"The five pieces of baggage for South
Mountain told me what to do first. They
would have to go anyway, SO trundied
them close up to the doorway. Then,
half carrying, half-dragging Burt, got
him to the trunk below the bunk. From
the top of the trunk 1 dragged him up,
toppl.d him into the berth, and arranged
him as comfortably as l could.
Luck was all with NE atSouth Noun
tain, for, not only was there no new
baggage to take aboard, but the suspi-
cion of hot-box on one OF the rear cars
kept Jackson CONVENIENTLY out of the
way don't know what said to the
agent, but at least managed to make
him understand that wanted to get the
door closed again as soon as possible.
OF course, he knew me, and l remember
he was chatting me when I closed up
once more and put up the chain.
"a clear two hours to Smiths Falls,
and the possibility of even little more,
if only that hot-box did its duty. felt
as though l had a new lease of LIE. A
halfsmothered groan from the bisnk de-
termined me on my first duty. l climbed
the trunk, and took look at Burt. Evil
IDENTIFY, he was recovering from the blow.
But if his strength returned, but not his
reason, what then? Were we to go
through the whole performance again?
Now you may laugh if you like, but I'll
swear that just then some one whispered
in my ear, Give him some water l
started, turned, then tried to laugh. But
the attempt was not a success.
Going to the cooler, drew a dipper
of ice water, and again mounting the
trunk. forced little between his teeth,
holding hin, up meanwhile; then, still
with my free arm around him, poured
the remainder down his spine
"He shivered, spluttercd, ard shook
himself little Ali of which symptoms
1 took to be encouraging. On the
strength of them, l went for more water,
and, obedient to command, he swallowed
a little, and then LITTLE more. All the
while, he was taking M in over the tim
of the tin dipper. But the eyes that met
mine were not the eyes that had looked
at me across the trunk at the other end
of the car.
cat last he said somewhat weakly!
what is it all about, and-cr-who the
deuce are your
My heart gave a big jump as realized
that there was neither sggressiveness nor
enmity in the tone. In few words /
tod him all that had happened up to the
time that he had clawed at my throat,
showing him in evidence the burrows OF
black blood which still showed.
"'And then?" he queried.
"'Well then, IL swatted you,' blurt-
ed out.
He was sitting up now, his feet hang
ing over the edge of the bunk.
with your fist?" he asked.
'Where?"
Il had to grin at that. Where I
thought it would do the most coed, GA
the point of the jaw, ans wered.
HE felt the jaw with his forefnger,
and 1 wondered what WAS coming next.
Full two minutes mu. have Fpassed be-
fore he spoke again.
"Young 'un," he said, L don't under
stand it, but know this. l got into
this car tonight as drunk as boiled owl
and at this present minute, I'm as sober
as a Judge. I've read all kinds of things
about that punch on the point Of the
jaw, how some of these prizehghter chaps
declare that when they were going out
with one on one side of the face. another
on the other side would bring all their
wits back again, so that the fellow who
landed beat his own game, but I'll be
hanged if that one you gave me doesn't
seem to have done more than that.
reckon that was the very best punch l
ever got, or am ever likely to get. Well
where did you leave off checking; let's get
to work
"That was all just then, but half an
hour later, when we had the whole car
shipshape, and he was finishing up with
the broom, he came across the fragments
of the flask.
whats this?' he said quickly.
Il laughed. Just little love token
you sent my way l replied.
"Once more there was a long pause be-
fore he spoke. Before he did so, he
crossed to where l stood at the desk
copying the numbers from the baggage
book on to a report form, and put his
hand on my shoulder.
Son. he said, I've good wife at
home"
al know it, BROKEN. She spoke to
me only few minutes ago. And then
told him about the whispered instruction
to get him some water.
"Iie didn't appear to be particularly
surprised, but went on almost as though
l hadn't spoken. Often she's begged me
to quit whiskey altogether, and as often
I've told her I'd do my best. I've never