There wuz one bunk left when I boarded the sleepin'-car, and I hed
presence uv mind 'nuff to ketch on to it. It wuz then just about dusk,
an' the nigger that sort uv run things in the car sez to me: "Boss,"
sez he, "I 'll have to get you to please not to snore to-night, but to
be uncommon quiet."

"What for?" sez I. "Hain't I paid my two dollars, an' hain't I
entitled to all the luxuries uv the outfit?"

Then the nigger leant over an' told me that Colonel Elijah Gates, one
uv the directors uv the road, an' the richest man in Marion County, wuz
aboard, an' it wuz one uv the rules uv the company not to do anythink
to bother him or get him to sell his stock.

The nigger pointed out Colonel Gates, 'nd I took a look at him as he
sot readin' the "Palmyry Spectator." He wuz one of our kind uv
people--long, raw-boned, 'nd husky. He looked to be about sixty--may
be not quite on to sixty. He wuz n't bothered with much hair onto his
head, 'nd his beard was shaved, all except two rims or fringes uv it
that ran down the sides uv his face 'nd met underneath his chin. This
fringe filled up his neck so thet he did n't hev to wear no collar, 'nd
he had n't no jewelry about him excep' a big carnelian bosom pin that
hed the picture uv a woman's head on it in white. His specs sot well
down on his nose, 'nd I could see his blue eyes over 'em--small eyes,
but kind ur good-natured. Between his readin' uv his paper 'nd his
eatin' plug terbacker he kep' toler'ble busy till come bedtime. The
rest on us kep' as quiet as we could, for we knew it wuz an honor to
ride in the same sleepin'-car with the richest man in Marion County 'nd
a director uv the Han'bul 'nd St. Jo to boot.

Along 'bout eight o'clock the colonel reckoned he 'd tumble into bed.
When he 'd drawed his boots 'nd hung up his coat 'nd laid in a fresh
hunk uv nat'ral leaf, he crawled into the best bunk, 'nd presently we
heerd him sleepin'. There wuz nuthin' else for the rest uv us to do
but to foller suit, 'nd we did.

It must have been about an hour later--say along about Prairer
City--that a woman come aboard with a baby. There war n't no bunk for
her, but the nigger allowed that she might set back near the stove, for
the baby 'peared to be kind ov sick-like, 'nd the woman looked like she
had been cryin'. Whether it wuz the jouncin' uv the car, or whether
the young one wuz hungry or hed a colic into it, I did n't know, but
anyhow the train had n't pulled out uv