Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1912-07-18
At A. C. HeCiurR & Co. lslO.)


coupled to the rear. A squad of
heavily armed infantry rode along. as
protection against possible Indian
raiders, but there was no crowd
ABOARD on this special trip, as all
construction work had been suspended
on the line indefinitely, and most OF
the travel, therefore, had changed to
the eastward. The coach used had
partition run through It. and. as
soon as the busy trainmen discovered
ladies' on board, they unceremoniously
uro7e the more bibulous passengers.
protesting, into the forward compart-
ment This left Hope in comparative
peace, her remaining neighbors quiet,
taciturn men. whom she looked at
through the folds of her veil during
the long, slow, exasperating journey.
mentally guessing at their various oc-
equations. 1t was an exceedingly tedi-
Gus, monotonous trip, the train slack
ening up, and jerking forward, appar-
entity without slightest reason; then
occasionally achieving a full stop.
while men, always under guard. went
ahead to fix up some bit OF damaged
track, across which the engineer
dared not advance. At each bridge
spanning the numerous small streams.
trainmen examined the structure be-
fore venturing forward, and at each
stop the wearied passengers grew
more impatient and sarcastic. a per
feet stream of fluent profanity being
waited back whenever the door be.
tween the two sections CHANGED to be
left ajar
Hope was not the only woman on
board, yet glance at the others was
sufficient to decide their status. even
had their freedom of manner and loud
talking not made 1t equally obvious.
Fearful lest she might be mistaken
for one of the same class, she re-
NAMED in silence, her veil merely
lifted enough to enable her to peer
out through the grimy window at the
barren view slipping slowly past. This
consisted Of the bare prairie, brown
and desolate, occasionally intersected
by some small watercourse. the low
hills rising and falling like waves to
the far horizon. Few incidents broke
the dead monotony; occasionally a
herd of antelope appeared in the dis
lance, silhouetted against the sky
line, and once they fairly crept for an
hour through a mass of buffalo, graz
Ing so close that a fusillade OF guns
sounded from the front end of the
train. A little farther along she caught
a glimpse of troop Of wild horses
dashing recklessly down into a shell
tering ravine. Yet principally all
that met her stralning eyes was ster-
lie desolauon. Here and there a great
ugly water tank reared its hideous
shape beside the track, the engine al
ways pausing for a fresh supply. Be-
side 1t was Invariably pile of coal,
a few construction cars, a hut half
buried under earth, loop-holed and
barricaded, with several rough men
loating about. heavily armed and in
quisitive. A few of these points had
once been terminal, ethe surrounding
scenery evidencing past glories by
piles of tin cans. and all manner of
debris, with occasionally a vacant
shack, left deserted and forlorn.
Wearied and heartsick, Hope turned
away from this outside dreariness to
contemplate more closely her neigh
bors on board, but found them scarce
ly more interesting. Several were
playing cards, others modify staring
out of the windows, while a few were
laughing and talking with the girls,
their conversations inane and punctu-
ated with profanity. One man was
figuring on a scratch pad, and Hope
decided he must be an engineer en-
ployed on the line others she classed
as small merchants, saloon-keepers,
and frontier riff-raff. They would
glance curiously at her as they
aisle, but her veil, and averted face,
prevented ever the boldest from
! speaking. Once she addressed the
conductor, and the man who was fig
uring turned and looked back at her
evidently attracted by the soft note
of her voice. But he made no effort
at advances, returning Immediately To
his pad, oblivious to all else.
1t was growing dark, the outside
world. now consisting of level plains
fading into darkness, with few great
stars burning overhead. Trainmen lit
the few smoking oil lamps screwed
against the sides of the car, and its
occupants became little more than
dim shadows. All by this time were
fatigued into silence and several were
asleep, finding such small comfort as
was possible on the cramped seats
Hope glanced toward the heretofore
noisy group at the rear-the girl near.
est her rested with unconscious head
| pillowsd upon the shoulder of heI
man friend, ana both were sleeping
How haggard and CHASTITY the WON
ans powdered face looked, with the
/ light just above it, and all semblance
! Of joy gone. 1t was as though a mask
had been taken of. Out in the dark
ness the engine whistled sharply and
then came to humping stop at some
desert station. Through the black
window a few lanterns could be seer
! pickering about, and there arose the
sound OF gruff voices speaking. The
sleepers inside, aroused by the sharI
stop, rolled over and swore, seeking
Z eesfer rost.yrps Then tho frcnf doo,