Evening star., 1914-10-25

wherever he went his crime still followed him. persist
ent and unreenting?
His mind hung vaclating despairful, as he climbed
blind baggage platform that night and hudded in
the storm of cnders to his gettng-off place He
scarcely knew where he going he scarcely cared.
He longer had the spirit to snar back at the fireman
who amused himself by occasionally throwing chunks
of coal at him; but shrunk and shvered like whipped
puppy to avoid the blows Durnby he wondered if
there was God and if whether he would give
him another chance Might it be easiest to let him
self slip down to the steel where the trimmed wheels
changed and rolled like revolving knives?
He in this desperate mood when the train stopped
at small station and brakeman, swearing, for
ward when signaled by the grnning fireman. Detected
and sullen, Jack dropped off on the opposite sde and
colded with man in haste to board the train. The
latter angrily threw out foot to save himself Jack
trpped, fell headlong and lay unconscious, his head
the rail.
lord Almighty.' exclaimed the traveller his i'm
petuous anger turned to pity. Il didn't to kill
the poor cuss!' He straghtway and hastily dragged
the limp form out of danger and looked up at the brake
man, who had crossed the platform and now held his
lantern down the upurned face, from temple
of which the blood running in a tiny red stream.
"Good!' declared the brakeman. "Nothin' but
bum."
The man who had tripped the boy looked up, showed
his miners hat back little, then Strengthened his
body and scowled. @Nothin' but bum, eh? And
you're glad! l suppose you'd leave the poor devil here
with split head, wouldn't you? Well, for cent I'd
break yours! angrly roared the big miner and then,
coming swift conclusion, ordered, @Here! Help me
lug him into the smoker. did it, and I'll look after
him too. Don't you forget that, Pardner!'
IN the smoker Big Frank Ford paid through fare to
Mrogden City, the terminal station whittier he him
self bound and with dirty handkerchief and water
from the ice cooler ceansed the face of Jack Steele and
brought him back to consciousness.
at amt buns face, that it's washed, said
ord TO
those rough men, ready with guns sympathy
Jack, bewdered, shaking, dazed by much kind
ness, burst into tears.
@There! There, SOM" said Ford awkwardy. you're
all right now. They amt goin to chuck you off either
you can bet on that Just lean back in the there
and try calm down. Well talk about it by and by
Got plenty of tme-hve six hours. You'll feel all
right pretty soon.'
So, in the hours of dawn, there in the dim smoking
car surrounded by shadowy uncouth recumbent FORMS
Big Ford listened gravely and sorrowfuy and pondered
long before giving advice.
"Of course he said at last @you plain cussed
fool go crooked the first place. but there have been
others. Next you want nothin but boy, after all
They ought have thought of that before chasn you
like coyote from clump of sagebrush to another
Takes thinkin over, your case does. When we
get to Mirogden maybe we'll have made up minds
what you ought to do. Now let's try to get wink
two of sleep, and don't worry any more about it.
AT Mirogden lived a true relic of the frontiers, ia
\ cetiously known apache Tom Wharton, having
among his other distinctions that of being hideously
scared top of his head where when left for dead in
Arizona, an Apache brave had scalped him. He was
of the striking and well known characters of
the Far West, and like many fighting adventures,
had been gunman, packer, and prospector. Aroused
Tom Wharton deadly as dynamite In friendship
he answering, in enmity unreenting. Age and
wealth had mellowed him, for he had prospered not
only from mines but from cattle raising WE'LL but the
acquisition of millions of dollars had not out