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JOE THE POOR BRAKEMAN.
A brakeman stuck his head in the end window of the box car and shouted at me: "Where're you going ?" "Birmingham," I answered.
"What have you got to go on ?" I had some money in my belt, but I would need that for the boarding-house keeper in the Alabama iron town.

So I drew something from my vest pocket and said: "This is all I've got left." The trainman examined it by the dim light at the window.

His eye told him that it was a fine gold watch.

"All right," he said as he pocketed it and went away.