Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1907-12-12
PET IS
BAD HOUR.
By FRANK II. SWEET.
Copyrighted, 1891, by p. c. EASEMENT.

cars on all fours. Then, ascending 10
the top of the box car with the agility
of a cat, he lay painting beside tiie
footboard.
The city rose from the yards as from
m amphitheater. They were bathed
IN dust. though red cash still showed
In the west where the hostile sun wltn-
drew after q day that had filed the
hospitals. The heat was intensihed Dy
reflection from the labyrinth of rails
and the metal of the rolling stock.
A switch engine coughed unseen tar
down the yards, where harsh, JarrlnS
sounds accompanied the shunting and
| coupling of cars. Lanterns danced ana
dickered in jerky fluctuations.
Pete was saturated with perspiration
He pressed his chest against the slope
of the ear roof, where it fell away from
the footboard. to still the pounding OF
his heart His temples throbbed, his
mouth was dry as ashes, and ne
breathed with wheezy sobs. Yet in
| the midst of his torture, he listened
with a sense so sharpened by preda-
tory habit and present danger that the
physical consciousness of it added to
| his pain.
! As yet he dared not move. Voices
foated to him, mufiled and indistinct.
/ and he strained his ears to catch what
was being said, or, failing that, to
gather from their tones some clew to
the identity of the speakers. A burst
of laughter relieved him. The police
would not laugh.
| The revolver, thrust into the tight
hipped trousers that he wore in COM
mon with his type, pressed against his
ribs as he lay on 1t. He drew it out
and placed it under the footboard with
In easy reach There We're still three
cartridges in It. The other two had
done their work-done it well, he hoped.
with grim tightening of his thin lips.
Mulligan had been looking for l.
since the section mems down the river
picnic, when Pete proved himself the
better man. as everybody had de-
clared Mulligan. deserved it too
| Couldn't he have taken a beating
| WIlUOul ouNh a iuihpuS obNhN
it and then spinning Old Man Leary
whole string of lies? And Leary
was Just on the point of adding his
consent to Norahs and letting them hit
it off together on the next picnic down
| the river. Even the priest had been
spoken to with Leary's knowledge.
/ Oh. well. there was no use whining
about 1t now Mulligan was soft on
Norah, too, as everybody knew, and
| that was the real bone Of contention.
and Mulligan was brother-in-law to
the section boss, who was supposed to
have pull with the division superin-
| tendent himself. The end was as
plain now as If pronounced in the
| crisp tones of judges sentence.
Mulligan was in the doctors hands
and good fer at least a month in the
hospital. When he came out he would
marry Norah, who would be mad
through the lies, told her, and-and-
well. he, Pete, would either have to
skulk around in hiding or give himself
up and take his medicine. And, of
course, he had forever lost all chance
Of a job on the road with Mulligan.
Pete dug his nails into his palms and
writhed. Remorse he had none. He
would have done it all over again
What had happened was, from his
viewpoint. inevitable, the one honor
able thing. He would resist to the
last, of course. Now that Norah was
lost TO him. what was the use of llv-
ing?
They would search the freight yards.
though they seemed to have lost the
scent The growing darkness favored
him. Perhaps he might venture now
on change of position.
He raised his head. The switch en-
CINE still puffed. and the uneasy re-
fiection Of lanterns glimmered In spots,
their bearers hidden by intervening
cars. The tracks shook with the vi
bration of trains passing on the main
line To the north massive bridge
overhung the yard where it narrowed
fiickered above 1t two policemen We're
posted. their faces blue black under
the shadow OF their summer helmets.
He was about to descend between
the cars when the sound of approach
ing feet arrested Linn even as his hant
closed upon the top rung OF the iror
ladder to swing off. He noiselessly
cooked the revolver.
The car door rolled open. There wa!
scramble and the crack of match
within. Pete lowered his weapon ant
peered downward just as a dark form
emerged from the interior. closely fol
lowed by a second. There was tina
In each stumbling figure which needed
no more than outline to declare the
tramp.
They stood leaning with their back!
against the sill.
"He's goin' to croak." asserted on,
Of them. me for Beertown."
you've lost your nerve. It's nothin
but the heat. seen kids like that be
fore"
81 tell We he's goin' to croak," reiter
ated the first voice. Listen to hin
breathe"
There was short silence.
you're a chump," the other strucl
in presently. Didn't we find him los
near the yards an lock him In the ca
tor safe keepin'? What have we done
Nothin'-only took care Of him. An
won't his folks make good when w
write 'em how we rescued little WIZ
from hoboes up the line? 1t ought t
/ q q