The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1917-12-13

under the trees.
When he awokc and continued hi,
hogiru II frosty sparkle in the air hat
succeeded the drowsy warmth of thu
day, and us this portcnt of Il chill,
night translated itself to the brain oi
Sir PeregrInc he heightened his stride
and h%cthought him of shelter.
A distant Clatter In the rear quickly
developed into the swift beat Of horses
honfs. Turning his head, he saw up.
preaching n fine team of stylish grays
drawing II double surrey. A stout
man with Il white muStache occupied
the front seat, giving all his attention
To the rigid lines In his hands. behind
him sat Il placid, m%iddlc-agcd lady ard
n brilli]ant-looking girl. hardly arrived
az young %ladyhood. The lap robe had
slipped partly from the knees Of the
gentleman driving, and WhiStling Dick
saw " stout canvas bags between his
~irot-hagS such us, while louting in
cities, he had seen wurily transferred
between express wagons and bank
doors. The remaining space in the
vehicle was filled with parcels Of vuri-
Gus sizes and shapes.
As the surrey swept even with the
side-tracked tramp, the bright.cycd
girl, seized by some merry. madcap i'm
pulse, leaned out toward him with II
sweet, dazzling smile and cried, "Mcr-
rs Christmas" In II shrill, plaintive
treble.
Such n thing had not often happened
to Whistling Dick, and he felt handi-
capped In deyising the correct re-
Spouse. But, lacking time for reflection,
he let his instinct decide, and snatch
Ing on his battered hat he rapidly ex-
tended IL ut arms length and drew It
back with n continuous motion and
shouted II loud, but ceremonious "Ah,
there. :"
The sudden movement of the girl
had caused one OF the parcels to be-
come unwrnppcd, and something limp
aud black fell from 1t into the road.
The trump picked it up and found It
to he n new black silk stocking, long
and fine and slender.
"Ther blOOmin' little skeezicks ?"
said Whistling Dick, with Il broad grin
bisecting his frccklcd face. "W'ot d
yer think of dat, now? Merry Christ
mus! Sounded like Il cuckoo clock,
OATS what she did. Dem guys IS swells,
too, bet yer life, an der oil un sticks
dem sacks Of dough down under his
trotters like dey was common us dried
apples. Been shoppln' fer Christmas,
and de kids lost one of her new socks
wot sac was goln' to hold up Sanity
wild"
WhIStllng Dick folded the stocking
carefully and stuffed it into his pocket.
It was nearly two hours later when
he came upon signs of hubltation. The
buildings of an extensive plantation
came into view.
The road was inclosed on zach side
by a fence, and presently rs Whlstllng
DICK drew nearer the houses he sud
denly stopped and shifted the mir.
IF dere amt Il hobo stew coOkin'
somewhere In dis immediate precinct"
he said to himself, me nose has quit
tellln' de trut."
Without hesitation he climbed the
fence TO windward. He found himself
in an apparently dlsused lot, where
piles OF old bricks were stacked and
rejected, decayIng lumber. In II corner
he saw the faint glow of n fire that
had become little more than II bed of
living Goals, and he thought he could
see some dim human forms sitting or
lying about il. He drew nearer, and
by the light Of n little blaze that sud
denly ilared up he saw plainly the fat
figure OF a ragged mar In IN old brown
sweater ana cap,
"Dat man. said Whlstllng Dick to
himself softly, "ls n dead ringer for
Boston Harry. III try him wit de
high sign"
He visited one OF two bars Of n rag-
time melody, ana the air was imme-
diotely taken up and then quickly end.
ed with II peculiar run. The first whls-
tier walked confidently up TO the fire.
The fat man looked up and spuke in Il
loud, asthmatic wheczc:
Gents, the unexpected but welcome
addition to our circle il Mr.. Whlstling
Dick, an old friend of mine for whom
l fully youches, The waiter will lay
another cover at once. Mr.. w. ID. will
join us at supper, during which func-
ton he will enllghten US In regard to
the circumstances that give us the
pleasure Of hts company"
For the next ten minutes the gang
Of roadsters, six In all, paid their undl.
vldcd attention to the supper. In an
old f~ve-gallon Kerosene can they had
cooked Il stew of potatoes, meat and
onions, which they partook Of from
smaller cans.
Whlsting Dick had known Boston
Harry Of old and knew him TO be one
OF the s~hrewdest and most successful
OF his brotherhood. He looked like a
prosperous stock drover or a solid mer-
chant from some country village. He
vas stout and hale. with a ruddy, al.
ways smoothly shaved face. The four
other men were fair specimens OF the