ONE TRAMP.

Otago Witness, Issue 2302, 14 April 1898, Page 42

ONE TRAMP.

In the year 188—, in one of tbe lesser English families, there occurred a domestic disturbance which resulted in sending the youuger son forth into the Ntw World. Tbe heat of those who remained soon Bubsided, and their love, greater than their anger, sought repentantly and unremittingly for the wanderer. But America is a wide continent, and for ten years the search had been in vain. For Fred, ever generous and kind, was erratic, impulsive, and proud s and ill- fitted to make his _way alone in the great world, or to face the struggle of life in all its seriousnesp. And so, despite his best efforts, little, J>y little he lost ground, lower and lower he sank, until, at the date of oar story, be fornaea= one of a gang, half tramps, bal£ thieves, which infested the northern part of Pennsylvania

.Gathered in sn empty box-car these outcasss of society broached their scheme. It lacks but a day of Christmas, and on tomorrow's eve a fast special wilt pass over the D. L. and W. railroad from Buffalo to New Yyrls. It is known that this special is to carry several money packages of great value ; k& baggsge »!>d express cars will be packed wilh sn.ch valuable merchandise and with saany a costiy preheat ; acd its coaches will be filled with the wealthy and wc-11-to-do hurrying homewards for the festal day. With dynamite placed upon the track so as to explode when alrnck by tbe engine, ths gang plot-to wreck ihh train ?»d then take their chanceß fcr rich plunder. . The spot selected is at a lonely s-iding ranniag into an immense gravel pit; tbi.«, they thick, will furnish a convenient stage upon which to carry forward their inhuman tragedy.

Fred hears this diabolical plot unfolded with horror and dismay, for, low as he lias sar-k, dov» Ei-trodden tramp as he is, bis heart is yet, too true to its fellows ; bis lova for humanity, which has shown but little love to him, is yet too strong to permit him to enter willingly into that which involves the sacrifice of human life and the desolation of innocent hearts. He raises his Toice in protest :

41 But, Jinks " (Jinks ia their recognised loader), " this thing ifi»'fc right ; it is.n'b fair or squsre. These foiled haven't do»e bs sny barra ; mebbe fomib of them have givea us a meal now and again. Anyhow, we. haven'i any call fer to take life just because we're out of a job ; it's going too far." . ■

41 Shut up, you fool ! " growled Jinks ; 14 much they . nobs , oare whether wa live or oie, an' why shpulel we care about 'em, I'd J iike.ter know. They'd hapg us all 5f they could, an' a bite o' cold wittl«s now an' again ain't all the dooty o' man to man, I reckon. Let em' give" us fair play, I say, or take their chances." . . . The night and the day which followed was a time of torture to poor Fred, . . . No ! he will be true to himself, his mother, and his Grod — the brand of Cain he will not wear. But it is not easy to elude his comrades. Through the day tko band have scattered far and wide in groups of twos and threes, and soma have procured the deadly dynamite. . . . Born of desperation, a plan flashes into Fren's misd, and with it the determination I s.td f-tr^ngth to execute it. In the darknes, tsparating himself f>om the pxcited members of tkie gang, he slips quickly down tbe gravel pit, and with feverish noiselesscess and caution makes his way along its sides until he reaches the switch. Then the thunder cf the on-coming special soundiDg in his ears gives him the strength of two meu, and with frantic effort he wrenches the switch lamp from its fastenings and dashes madly down the track in the face of the flying thunderbolt, waving his signal wildly ts and fro above his head and raising shout after shout in the futility of desperation.. Is it too late ? Will they never heed bis signal 1 Must this slaughter be, and bloodguiltiness be on his head ? The blaze of the headlight is full on him now. He gathers bis strsngth together for a final PiTfort, when crack ! crack ! crack ' a volley of pistol shots comes flying tbrougb the air from tha ambuscade of the enraged desperadoes, at first stunned, but now chagrined, at this sudden imperilling of their design. Fred falls on the rails, hit in the leg. But the engineer has seen the waving light. " Down brakes ! " has screeched through the nigbb. Levers are reversed, and ' the mighty wJnged mass of irna and steel, ! straming &ud splattering in its Lances?,

cotn^a to a c-.vrnpi6fe *iVip wJifaia 10/t of the bedv of a tramp.

Fred has nob losS consciousness, and a word tells his story. The train crew remove^ the fatal explosive, but they scour the. bushes in vain for those who placed it^svitb deadly intent, and are obliged to content themse.ves with repotting the attempt at the c?xb station. They lift the tramp carefully into the baggsge car, and while a surgeon from amongst the passengers examines the wounded limb the mighty engine plunges forward once more. Tbe tale runs rapidly from ' end to end of the long train, and varied and complex are tbe emotions which it stirs in the breasts of the hundreds of happy holiday travellers, as they picture, and scarcely dare to picture, the terrible possibilities which have been averted. . . . The passengers settle down for the remainder of the journey, some to " meditate, otbers to pray, some to tremble in terror to their journey's end, others to Ijtlk tbe exciting occurrence over in all its bearings, and tell ofsimilar experiences. JBufc one of tbeic numtfer'bas a heart which abounds more in -love, for others than do the hearts of bis fellow travellers. ... In the baggage car poor "Chirpy" is resting uneasily on a rough. coueb, fozroed among ..the baggage. He is conscious but Wbak, almost to the point of wandering- in his- speech. The- stranger strives to enter into conversation' with him, and -inquires if his wounded lioib" is vesy painful. "'" No, not very," Fred says ; he ; is tired though, so tired, but be is glad he sav^d the train. His comrades? No, he will say nothing about them. His name? What; does that matter ? They cali him " Chirpy.' 1 It is not his real name 1 No, of course not ; he will not tell his real name. * Home 1 He lias none, he is a tramp. It is many a year since he had a home. Mother? Ab, yes! he has a mother, and' might be speed bufc an hour with her he would gladly die. He can see ber now; she is pray lag for hex hoj.; she was prayiDg for him - lasfc night ; when is she not praying for him 7 And to-morrow will be Christmas Day. Does the stranger know how they keep Christmas in England? The kind-bear! ed man smiles, and replies that h9 knows 'England well, and has tpest many Christmases there. He had hoped to gpscd this obo there too, but has been de» taiised at tb.6 British Columbian goldfields^ in the interest of English capital, and it will be the New Tear before he can reach his home now. Will "Chirpy" not tell him what part of: eld England' is his native place 1 Fred is weak and lonely-hearte'l ; the stranger is Irincfly, and has won his confidence. Perhaps he knows the old familiar scene?, and can teJl him of the changes tbe years have made. Perhaps he has seen his mother, and can tell him of her. He will tell the stranger. ■ Wbat is the use of for ever trying to hido himself ? His, native place' is B ,in shire. Does the stranger Toiow it?

The tsaveHtr ?t'*rts sharply, b'ni; controls himself, and scanning tbe ■ features of the tramp with iatcare eagerness, says quietly : " Then you are Frad M. 1 " And Fred, too weak and too indifferent tn deny, closes his eyes and simply answer.-? " Yes." Then the baggage man and hia inafre marvel to see the elegant traveller bend over the uneven couch of this torn end tattered tramp, as, shifting tbe baggage, he gently raises Fred's tired and unkempt bead and pillows it on his own well-clothed breast. In low tenfts," 'which are full of joy, he gives Fred to know that be is safe io the arms of bia eldei hrotber,— J. W. HABEOW,*in tbe Oa»aciis;r. ]VJr,gaz;«s (oo»Gff»Bsd).