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Show Tho Drummer's Victory. I DT MUTTON OOLDSMITII (Coprrlahled. no. t)llr Btory Tub Co) I The telegram, which, though Inno-, Inno-, cent In Itself, waa the cause ot It oil, read as follows- I "Clo at on to Ilurkesvllle and sell IFeitherly & Co., new concern. Get ahead of Dlnkel's man "Lyman U Jones " This brief message from my Arm was pregnant with significance for me, tbclr traveling eaieeman, and much as I disliked disarranging my plans nnd doubling on my tracks, I decided to leave for Ilurkesvllle at once I knew that Keatuerly L Co, Ihe new concern, con-cern, were rated high nnd would buy liberally, and m nnxlety to get ahead of my competitor, Orlgga who travel! for Dlnkcl & Ilroa was due to the knowledge that whoever secured the patronage of the new bouse waa reasonably rea-sonably aure to hold It I Ortggs nnd I wore stopping at the 1 same hotel In Hannibal, where, for the I last two days, we hid been leading a merry war over ono of the raanufac-I raanufac-I turlng concerns there, each trying to "I rushed Into the waiting room for my companion de voyage." forestall the other In Biting out the plant Placing my telegram Into the innermost inner-most depths of my pocket so aa to more effectually conceal Its contents from the grasping and unscrupulous Urlggs. I sauntered to the desk and paid my hotel bill. "When doca the next train go to Ilurkesvllle?" 1 naked. "In ten minutes," replied the clerk. "You'll Just have time to make It If you rush." I grasped my satchel and prepared to nuh. "By the way," I said hurriedly, hurried-ly, "don't let Orlggs know ct my departure." de-parture." , ' "Mr; Orlggs left half an hour ago to catch tho same train," replied the sunvo clerk. My heart fell! Then Orlgga must havo had similar Information nnd was after the same game. It waa annoying! annoy-ing! All the more reason, however, why I should hurry. I Jumped Into a cnb and reached tho station, nervous and excited. "A ticket for Durkesvlllo!" I cried. "The train has Juit It'll There won't be another till three fifteen In the morning," For a moment tho ticket olDce, with Ita red-headed vendor, swam before my o)es, and I gaipid for breath. Then I awore a atrange, horrible oath, euch as traveling men only use under great provocation. Urlggs, the unscrupulous, bargain-driving bargain-driving Orlggs, bad half a day's start of me, and would certainly capture, tho prlte I had set my heart on. "Ohe me a special train," I cried, "anything to git to Ilurkesvllle ahead of the local." The ticket agent smiled sweetly. Ho ivldently thought I waa daft Ilut I was In earnest. "Well." laid the agent, "If you want a apeclal, go and aee the superintendent superintend-ent Perhaps he can accommodate you. It la only a matter of price." At that moment a young girl, a vis-Ion vis-Ion of loveliness came to the window. "Please, sir," she said, "when can I get a train to UurkeavllleT" "Not till throe fifteen In the morning!" morn-ing!" wai the curt reply, "Why, I thought there was one around nine o'clock," said the girl, tremulously, "Bo there Is, but It left flvo minutes ago." The girl turned her eyes to wars me. They wero wet with tears. Bui? eyesl They shono llko stars through pearls of diw. My heart wnt out In lynipnthy towards her, her dliappolnt-ment dliappolnt-ment seemed to deep. "I suppose I'll havo t,o wait," she aid simply, but her mouth twitched sadly, "Are you anxious to reach Durkca-vllle Durkca-vllle quickly?" I naked. "Yea, ilr. I've Juit had a telegram 2iat my father met with an accident and be Is all alone. I don't know what I shall do." Here aho broUe Into obs and I led her to a seat "Don't cry, miss," I said reassuringly. reassuring-ly. "I, too, am In a hurry to get to that town. Perhaps I can get some tlnd of a car to take us." I left the young woman to her tears ind sought the superintendent Ho listened to my story patiently, and fin-illy fin-illy replied "I can't give you a spoils! spo-ils! train, but If you don't mind rid-tog rid-tog on a locomotive, I may bo able to iccommodate you. An engine has Just leen ordered at Bablna to replaco one vh!ch has broken down. We could Hop at irkeavllle to let you ofT" I staii.red my thanks. The relief an so unexpected as to stagger me. "You will havo to nurry," said the raporlntondent "The engine leaves in twa minutes. That's her coming up Bjf the track now." HI I rushed Into tho watting room tor Ifl1! my "compagnon da voyage," seised her B1 unceremoniously by the arm and hur- HJ ried her Into the train shed, explaining as I went H In a minute we were on the loco- jH; motive and In another the throttle was open And we sped along the line. H The girl, who Incidentally told me I that her name was Jano I-oaly. H thanked me profusely for my kindness K Bhe becsmo cheerful again at the pros- H pect of reaching tier father without delay and v.e loon became quite conn- dentlal. Our other fellow travelers W were the engineer, n young fellow of w thirty and a gray-haired fireman. Thoy r wero too engrossed In their duties to B pny much nttentlon to us, and wo wore f left to our own dealers. I Trn cling on n locomotive Is not ai t luxurious as In n Pullman car. It Is , not the kind of traveling ono would select for n plraauro Jaunt Tho soot, dust cinders, odor, heat are all ohjec ( ttonoble nnd uncomfortable, but I ' must confers that with all these illi t abilities It was a most enjoyable trip; I for me. Firstly, I knew that I would clr- ' cumvent Orlggs nnd reach town ahead ,, of him. I scented victory nnd was elated accordlcrly. Secondly I was , Iravtllng with n most charming girl whose bright eyes and fascinating con- r vcrsatlon made me forget tho annoy ancea of the trip and com cried tb cab ot that grimy engine Into a cr-Itable cr-Itable paradise. Wo sat on a bench, ' where there waa Just room for two , In fact we had to sit rather close In order not to Incommode the engineer, ' and so we were toon In sympathy with ono another. Miss Losly soon told me all about herself, her family, ber pursuits. He? mother aa dead, her fntli-r a prosperous pros-perous merchant In Ilurkcsllle. She had been visiting rrlathei In Hannibal Hanni-bal when the received news of her father's sccldcnt, a fall from his wheel. Whether It was serious or not ho could not tell. I cheered her and led her to hopo for the best On ws flew) Over bridges and culverts, cul-verts, around curves, through high ailed cuts, over steep embankments, past straggling houses, through verdant ver-dant farms, along glistening rivers, up strep Inclines rocking, swaying like an Infant's cradle from side to sldo ai wo rushed along on our mad course. Tho stoker jilted on tho sooty fuel. UV.ry time he opened the furnaci door a hent as of hades burst out Id our direction and tho air becnmi lurid. Great streams of smoko wen belched out by tho chimney nnd blew Into our fnccs. Showers of cinders fell nbout us nnd filled our eyes, oirs, nosi ' nnd mouth, lly the tlmo wo had traveled trav-eled an hour, we wero scarcely recog- yi nlzabte, so covered with soot were wa MSMsBk Dut wo smiled nnd wero glad In each tbMR? other's o-lety. ' H?r Still onward in our exciting chase! VY Tloro nue no stop until wo reached llurncttc, and thcru wo wired for a clear track. At tho next station, Co-darton, Co-darton, we pissed the local train, which had stopped tbcro for water. I got n gllmpso of Orlggs sitting nt 1 window, llo was smiling, no duubt with eleo at tho lssh with whirl, h wun gice nt 1110 tase witu wniclt hi had outwitted me. When next wi . I met tho emtio had vnnlthcd. Uy the 9 tlruu wu reached Owiu.a Jano nnd I I were tho best of frlonds. Wo might M have known each other 11 llfetlmo. Her 1 favorite authors wcru mine. She H played tha piano nnd knew all the pieces I most admired. Sho could II speak wttli mo In my favorito Ian- H guagc, French. Bho lia.I nil tho trails II virtue, accomplishments I longed for H In a girl. Sho was beautiful nnd ami- B able besides. Nothing wan wanting M sho was perfect. And I was In Hden. H 1 blesi-cd the loss of my train end the H gain of a locomotive. H At last, after three hours' ride, we H pulled In nt Durkesvlllo. Jane, after giving mo her address H and asking mo to call, got Into n cab H nnd droo home to her father. I went ffl to the hotel, scrubbed tho dirt and Selling tho biggest bill ot my life, jfl cinders from my faro nnd mndo a bee- H lino for Fcatbcrly Co. Hj When Orlggs, tha smooth-tongued. H Insinuating Orlggs, arrived half an hour later ho found mo busily engaged I telling tin biggest bill ot my lite, nnd ho was completely left To this day ho cannot explain how I got to I Uurkrsvlllo ahead ot him, nor have I 9 ouclisnfed an explanation. That oven- I Ing I called on Mlea Ixisly. To my Joy, I found that her father's hurls were , not serious A detention In bed for a day or two w -M set him right Tho old gentleman 1 waived me lery cordially, cordi-ally, thanked me for my klndnon to hla daughter, and expressed n hope i I that wo might becomo better acquaint- ' ed. That hopo has since been reallxed. Last Wednesday. Jane, my darling beautiful Jane, became my wife. |