The Argosy, Vol. XI, No. 22 — page 11: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE ARGOSY TRAIN AND STATION ; OR, THE RAMBLES OF A YOUNG RAILROADER* BY EDGAR R. HOADLEY, JR. CHAPTER AIY. TWO FORTUNATE MEETINGS. af E murtherin' spalpeen,” cried a harsh voice, with an unmistakable brogue, ‘‘I was a watchin’ of yez, an’ I see yez take the goold chain from the felly there. Ye'll hang for this job, or me name ain’t Dinny Googan.” ‘“What do you mean?” gasped Dash in amazement, and con- siderably shaken up. ‘I found this fellow here dead drunk, and moved him further from the track out of danger.” “Thin yez a maner baste then I tot ye wuz—to rob a felly when he can't help hisself at all,” inter- rupted the man, as he gave Dash's collar an extra twist. ‘*T never robbed him—the chain is mine,” protested Dash, with same agitation, ‘“That is aisy for yez to soy, but yez’ll prove it befoore th’ joodge afore yez git away from Dinny Googan.” ‘IT can prove it to you, if you will listen tome a moment,” said Dash earnestly, for he had no desire to be carried off to a county jail somewhere. ‘Go ahead wid yez palaver,” returned his captor, who seemed impressed by his tones, but keep- ing a firm hold of his collar. Dash briefly narrated all the incidents of the night, and by the gradual relaxing of the grasp that held him, he knew he was making a favorable impression upon his captor. ‘““Yez has had a tough toime of it sure,” was the latter's comment, as Dash finished, ‘‘an’ now let's have a squint at the rascal there. Dash now noticed for the first time that the man had a lantern, alongside of which was a long iron wrench, which indicated he was a track walker. Googan, as he had called himself, flashed the rays of his lamp on the recumbent tramp, and then knelt at his side. ‘This is a bad fix fer yez, young felly.” he remarked, looking up; ‘‘ the poor divil is dead !" ‘‘Dead !”’ repeated Dash, as he thought of the suspicious circumstances under which he had been discovered, and he feared he was in a disagreeable, if not a serious predicament. ‘*You don’t think I had anything todo with this man’s death, do you?” hecontinued, turning to the track walker, \ { i *Kegun in No. 434 of THE ARGOsy, 349 after ithad been established beyond the shadow of a doubt that the tramp was beyond all help. ‘*No, my boy; I belaye what yuz towld me, but yuz'll have to tell what yuz knows about the felly befoore the coort.” ‘* Well, I’m willing to do that,” declared Dash, now that he saw his detention was inevitable, though at the same time the prospect of being held in a country village a day, and possibly longer, for a coroner's jury to sit upon the body, was not pleasant ; and the fact that the very fellow who had assisted in robbing him, was the cause of it, only made the duty still more disagreeable. ‘ But how are you going to move him?” he continued, de- termined to see the matter through. ea g NN | i) Winn | J ] DASH'S DEVICE TQ FORCE A CONFESSION FROM THE TRAMP, ‘We'll flag the nixt train, which should be cooming along now, sure,” replied Googan. as he drew a red flag from his pocket and wrapped it about his lamp. ‘‘T have a red lamp here,” suggested Dash, forgetting for a moment that the globe had been broken. ‘“Whisht ! an’ I have wan, too,” Jaughed Googan, as he fastened the red bunting about the Jantern. ‘It's an owld trick wid me, and is better’n carrying two lamps or globes wid me. Yuz see, it’s made sooner’n yuz cud light yer glim.” CORnNICLOOlKS (CO)