Show t TITT CUTRATES t H L I L J J j t I The SurprIsing Story of a Man Who Bought a Cut Rate Ticket to Pw York and Who I When He Was Put Off the Train Found Himself Looking J Intftlhe Mout1ij of a Revolver and What Became of the Adventure j BY MADGE SUThERLAND CLARKE I Copyright 1899 by Madge SutherIani Clarke Jack Carl ears turned slowly away from the dl10r of the cutrate ticket office in Savannah He had staked all he had on a venture and lost and now he wanted 10 get back to New York There atlcast was life and if he Vas io starve lie preferred to do it where he might gain some amusement during the process Besides in New York the ul1expect was always likely to happen hap-pen and chance and change were the onl gods on his altar Corlcars hid never et in his checkered career been on speaking terms with despair but he felt that to stay in Savannah would be to court its acquaintance The day before be-fore he had pawned his watch his leather valise and his superfluous cloth lag This morning after paying his hotel bill he had just S8 left in his pocltEt The regular fare to New York by boat was 20 by rail 32 The scalI1 I Well we think the dates been alt al-t red The nine has been changed to a one making the date January instead of September Corlears scrutinized the ticket I see no evldenceof it he said coldly t However its no affair of mine I I bought the ticket and paid for it the road is ponsible H turned to hia paper The conductor con-ductor shifted uneasily and finally turned away The plot thickens Corlears said to himself Anyhow I am two hours nearer New York than I was in Sa annall He went to sleep At 10 oclock the train ran in to Columbia where anew conductor came on In about an hour Corlears saw him approach ap-proach though he pretended to be still asleep The new man was very direct in his methods I Look here he said shaking Cor leUs by the arm This ticket wont goI guess it will go as far as New York he returned easily and then Ill see Mr Howson il nd tell him hes I I Im not ahighwayman but I took you for something worse Do you know the country Corlears shook his head I About midway between Columbia andl Chester I should say The man scanned him mirrowly Vlhat Ware you going to do he saId I I Corlears set his teeth Walk to the next station if I dont freeze on the way and aftez that1et to New York some way You say that you have no money Ive Just 216 There was a pa seTh l se-Th man appeared to be considering I At last lie spoke If youd like to earn 500 I can put I you in the way Of it I I should be delighted Corlears I drawled ironically I might earn it shoeling snow Theres a gooa deal of it abQut Im perfecti serious the man rejoined re-joined Listen You want to go to New York I want to keep away from it I bought ticket to New York but I left the train when it slowed up to put you off Iveerchanged my I mind L b I 2 I A I I I t t 1 U I r I 4 lY > U rlONB A PRETTY CLEVER TBING E SAID DRAWING A PISTOL FROM HIS POCKET ers oflice culd do lltii better for him He stared forrn moment at the big blue letters on the window of the office then turnedon his heel As he did so a thickset man with a red face and alight a-light overcoat came out of the ticket office He tapped Corlears familiarly I on the back See here he said I heard you asking ask-ing about cut rates to New York If youve got nerve enough to take the chances on this Ill sell it for 3 and what cigars youve got about you He held up a long somewhat soiled raIlway raIl-way ticket much stamped and counter stamped in blue and red ink 1 bought it of a fellow in New York last week fOr i 80 He said it was a sQuare return i ticket from Savannah that he hadnt used because he went to Texas first L Ive struck an easy thing here so Im going to stay and dont want it I Corlears looked attentiye1 r at the ticket It wa a rather dubious looking I look-ing affair but the lowest slip was marked Savannah and the uppermost one New York It was a chance and he seized it All right he said If youve got gall enough youll work it I guess youi1 have to bluff some but youre a swelllooking chap and th3t11 help Corlears gave him 3 and drew three cigars from his pocket Theyre all I have about me but theyre good ones Ill leave you one for luck said the redfaced man So long Corlears stood for an instant making his plans Then he walked to the pawnshop pawn-shop and redeemed his valise By i means of some newspapers and a few stones he added the necessary weIght then he lunched bought himself a clean collar and strolled to the station When Corlears stepped on the northbound train that evening two porters vied for the honor 01 carrying his valise Pullman dis way 8ah Smoker said Corlears sententiouslY sententious-lY lyWhen When the conductor made his first round Corlears handed him his ticket I without looking up from his paper The man glanced casually at It then ex mihed it carefully After that he took a long look at Corlears who observed him in the mirror opposite Where dd ou buy this ticket he I asked In Savannah of course said Cor hears Vhen carelessly i This afternoon I He tool the ticket away with him Through the glass door Corears could see him in earnest colloquy with a brakeman At last he returned There is something rooked about this ticket sir Ccrlears looked incredulous What do you mean by that le asked sharply I Well the road hasnt issued that kind or excursion ticket since the first of November It was good for sixty dayi you know The conductors tone was almost apologetic Look at the date I should say that would settle it Corlears looked bored I got some fool conductors on this end of the line Tiers no use in bluffing the man growled Either youve been taken in yourself or youre trying to fool us Somebodys trying to beat the road mt of a fare and I tell you it wont go with me Corlears looked the man up and down What do yQuproposeto do about it he asked contemptuously Either collect the fare or put you I offCorlears Corlears looked him squarelY in the hesaid As I eyes Youll do neither he It Is you will lose your place When I lose my place it wont be for giving beats free rides to New York If you was the presidents son inlaw and had nothin better to show for it than this here goodfornot ticket youd have to pay or get off I Corlears nonchalantly drew a bill from his pocket it was his last one and held it up to the conductor Here keep this for yourself and for the I Lords sake let me alone The mans surly face lowered angrily I aint that kind he growled doggedly dog-gedly and motioned to a brakeman Then he raised his hand to the cord I above his head Ill give you two minutes to decide he said A brakeman and a trainman joined the group Corlears set his face firmly firm-ly I guess Ive had more than 3 worth out of that ticket he thought to himself The conductor looked at him sullenly watch in hand Well he growled Then he pulled the cord the train sloed up and Cor lears found himself standing beside the snowy track watching a receding point in the distance As the traIn moved past him Corlcars was conscious of a man standing motionless on the other side of the track It wqs a desolate scene that lay about them The pale light of a waning winter moon fell upon long wastes of snowcovered fields broken here and there by lines of black poplars and defined at the eastern edge by long stretch of woods I massed darkly between the white fields I and the pale sky Behind the railroad tracks stretched between the rows of I telegraph poles like a long line of music written across the snow Just I ahead the road entered a mountain gorge through which a river flowd obscurely The two men became conscious of each otherapP31ently at the same mornent The man across the track wore a silk hat and looked like a clergyman Youve done a prelty clever thing he said drawing a pistol from his pocket and taking deliberate aim at Corlears but you dont find me whollY unprepared Corlears lau1hed grimly Corlers Thats where you have the advantage of me I admit that I am altogetherunpreparod I throw up my hazds Youl hardly find i worth while robbing me however how-ever as Ive just ben put Mf the train for lack of car fare The man put up his revolver Excuse Ex-cuse my mistake he said politely I jumped off the train on the other side orlears nodded I see he said Very good You are about my height I and build Change clothes with me take my ticket walk on to the next station and board the first train for New York I I you meet any anxious friends and they offer you pressing attentions I dont decline them on the score of being be-Ing fomeone else And then I The man smiled You will be taken excellent care of and you will be met at the Grand Central station with a I carriage Then they will discover their mistake and they will apologize In the meantime you will have gotten to New I York and you will be 500 richer Ha counted out five crisp new 100 bills Corlears saw them distinctly in I the moonlight Is it a bargain Corears trudged on in silence for a moment Let me see your ticket please The man handed it to him Its good for stopovers I see so I can use it all right The mans yes glittered Do you agree he said eagerly Ill take the ticket Corlears said slowly and In exchange for it Ill swap clothes with you and keep my mouth shut until we get to New York but you can keep the 500 Dont be a fool said the man it will be worth more than that to me if it works Corlears shook his head I tried to beat the railroad company out of a fare I must admit he replied but I usually play fair I havent made muchof a success of my life but Ive lived it squarely so far Its habit I suppose The man gave a kind of groan God knows I wish I could say as much The exchange of clothing was qUickly made Im in a Dunlap hat Corlears said with a laugh though Its rather cold comfort in this snow heap Goodby said the man and he ran qUicklY off in the opposite direction his long black shadow trailing grotesquely after him Th next morning when Corlears footsore and hungry walked into the little station at Blankvie he found two men there lounging by the stove They stood beside him at the lunch counter and when he finally boarded the northbound train they entered with him and took the seat behind him Corler smiled to himself When the train reached Charlotte a boy came on with the morning papers Corlears bought one Vliam Brand the defaulting cashier cash-ier of the Vinderton hank has been traced to Savannah I is supposed that he has with him some 50000 irlis and gold A large force of detectives is working On his case and his speedy I capture is looked for He was burned in effigy last night by the people of Yinderton many of whom are reduced to penury through his Peculations Im glad I kept clear of that 500 Corlears said to himself Then he f l asleep for he was utterly worn out Takes it cool dont he said one of the men behind Corlears Wonder if he knows the game is up |