Show IIKiUKi ThAN OUUEKS CONDUCTOR TEliS WHY 1IKHA3 IS HIS IIEABT A SOT SPOT FOR TRAMPS No wo dont bounce Uio tramps who ride on Urn bumpers of our btl ilmlrfhCC I il freight train said a irulRul con duclor who has a ruu to the west uI presume Hint we carry annvenurj of a dozen each trip but if they remain re-main between the cars we pretend not to tee them But it la against orders was urged urgedOh yes but there is a higher tower than general orders even for railroad men Five or fclx yearn ago I used to be hard on the railroad tramp Id have the train looked over at every stop and if we caught a chap he got handled pretty lively Nowadays I throw out a hint to the brakeman to shut both eyes and If the tramp dont presume too much on my good nature no one will Ills > turb him What happened to change your mlndT Oh a little luclllent or no interest inter-est to the public but a great deal tome to-me I was married In December three years ago On the third night I gut an order to run out with an extra There was a cold rain which froze as it fell and one of my crew got hurt at our very first itop This J b lll t S left us short handed and ai wu could not p tfohe place A had to act for him I We were back in the mountains running strong to make time when ties engineer whittled Iraki for a grade I climbed out of the caboose with the brakemen and had set two brakes and was after the third when a lurch or the cars threw ruu down and I fell between two of then I had Ju t one glimpse of the redcheeked bride at home just one swift thought of her In widows weeds and her heart breaking when n hand grabbed me I was going down head Urstbuttliestrongclutcli turned mo over and my feet struck the bumpers Id have gone then only some one put my hands on the lilil ladder Hung his arms around ine from behind to hold me there and saidYou You are all right old man Your nerve will come back pretty soon And itwas a tramp eLI It was and he held me thereun til the train reached its slop and then helped mo down for the sudden ur i ta toet l lk den fright had taken all my strength and ntfrvo away But for him I should have been ground up under the wheels This is the reason I keep a soft gpot in my heart for thu genus tramp and why when I sometimes walk the length of every train and Hud every bumper ovcu 1ut nlb > ied I look skyward and pretend not to seo as much as an old fur cap Aeie Yorl Sun |