The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-09-02
CHECKERS.
He Says Life Saver Meets With No
Gratitude.

Checkers says I to myself, says 1
as 1 steps aside for a freight train tc
pass. over on that highway CROSSING
the tracks is an old woman driving an
old horse and buggy. She'll sure try
n cross ahead. and surely get bumped
No old woman will take bluff from
saw the train hit her and the
spiinters fly, and ran to the spot
Smashed buggy-dead horse-lively oiu
woman. She'd escaped with hardly
What did You try to do it for?"
asked.
Because they whistled for me not
TOT
IT'S a wonder you weren't ground
up."
But I'll bet you was hoping I was!
she snapped; and, picking up a splinter
she ran me down the road for 40 rods
When 1 first started in the profession
I used to be bit puffed up over max
ing a hero of myself, but the thlng
grew stale after a while AS a usuai
thing there are drawbacks to the heroic
business. You go up like rocket and
come down like a barrel of sand.
One day six or seven years ago, as
1 was taking in the scenery along an
indiana highway, 1 saw horse and
buggy approaching on the gallop- There
were a man and woman in the buggy
and the woman was screaming and the
man laying the whip on the horse. Ii
was Don Quixote to the rescue. L saw
that the female was being abducted
and when the outfit came along I
sprang for the horse, caught the Bride
and, after being dragged 20 rods /
brought him to a halt. The man at
once Ieaped out and disappeared in the
woods, and the woman tainted away.
Don Quixote brought water and re-
vived her and babe her look upon her
self as rescued, and then drove her to
her home, three miles away. She didn't
say much en- route. She didn't once
refer to my heroism or declare my
gallantry. On the contrary, she was NO
sooner home than she turned on me and
gave me fits and threatened me with
all manner of calamities. was driven
away in disgrace, and it was only when
1 reached the next farm house that
the mystery was solved. The female
was a widow-a romantic widow. She
had vowed that she wouldn't marry the
man with her unless abducted. He
came and abducted her. She wanted
him to. Her yelling was simply pre-
tense. In making q hero of myself
had interrupted a marriage, and she
was as mad as a wet hen about it
The man who had escaped from the
buggy sent constable after me, charg-
ing me with an attempted holdup. and
l was arrested and given three months
IN jail as a suspicious character.
Again in Connecticut, about o'clock
one afternoon, I came along to
farm tc hear a wOman's screams and
to see girl flying across a field, with
q Dull in chase. Over the highway
fence went Don Quixote with rock
in his hand. and as I cut it between
the girl and the bovine l threw the
rock and knocked a horn off and
checked the pursuit. Then several
things resulted. The bull turned out
to be an ambling OK. The girl
screamed for help. Her father and a
hire0 man came running, and I was
set upon and given an old fashioned
lambastfng. Just as it was finished
a young man came running up, and
then the girl fell upon his shoulder
with an "Oh, Dickr'
I figured it out that night as I lay
under the haystack three miles away
The girl put up job for the old OK
70 chase her. She wanted her lover
to rescue her. He was slow in catch
ing. on, and had clipped in ahead
of him and borne off all the honora.
not only spoiled her plot but
knocked a horn OFF the pursuer and
the father naturally looked upon me
as villain instead of hero. car
r1ed two black eyes for a month, bat
felt that I deserved them.
I got into a Maryland village one
day to find some people all agog over
young lady from her home. She had
gone out for a walk the day before, |
and had failed to return. 1 had no
sooner appeared than suspicion WAS
fastened upon me, as a matter of
course. Fortunately, I had been at
work for a farmer for the last three |
DAYS. and upon his being communi- !
Gated with by telephone he cleared me
of any charge. I was then ordered to !
move on, and I went. Two miles away |
I turned into the woods to take a nap |
but had not fallen asleep when a man
came along and dug grave not five
rods away He had a big bundle with ,
him. and buried it. It was the body /
of the missing girl, of course. '-- !
When the man had smoothed the /
grave over the departed made a bolt !
hack 70 the village and told the news. |
I could give a pretty good description
of him, and two hours later they had
him under arrest, and nothing was too
good for me in that village Tramp /
that 1 was, the sheriff invited me nome /
to supper with him, and fitted me out |
with a fairly good suit of clothes The
murderer was a farmer. At hrst ne
seemed stunned. Then he broke into
laughter The others said that he had |
gone insane, but had an uneasy 1eel-t
Ing that I was to come down with
dull thud.
After supper we took him to tne
woods, and I pointed out the grave OF
The missing girl. 1t was opened amid
solemn silence. We found a big bun
ale Of clothes, and held our noses veryI