Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-02-27
CLARENCE SHANK'S ADVENTURE.
By 8. 2. PRICHARD.

Sct Euc d tiLue LaDle OF Inc Erie Railroad, !"
said Mrs. Abram Shank to her son Clar.
ence, on the fifth day of January, 1872
"pve my old clothes on, mother" said
Clarence, who had been working In coal
that morning.
Never mind, CIarie !; put your over
coat on, and run along"
Clarence obeyed, and went out from
his fathers house, on his way to the rail
road station, in the city of Binghamton.
Dlnner-time came, but Clarence had not
returned.
II don't see where the boy can be"
said his father, as he arose from the din
ner table.
go, he'll be here before I get the table
cleared off, )" said his mother, anxious to
shield her boy. 81 dare say the ticket
master was busy, Or something has kept
hin"
Mr.. Shank went away to his work.
Mrs. Shank left Clarences dinner upon
the table, but it had grown cold, and he
was not come. Two O'Clock, and still
the loving face Of Clarence was not seen
in his home AS the mother worked and
waited, the fear that some accident had
come to her son, grew until it become
horror. He might have been Injured by
a passing train.
A messenger was hastily sent to the
railroad station. He soon returned, saw
ing that no accident had happened there,
and that Clarence had not asked the
ticket master for time table. He could
find no person who had seen the lad about
the place.
''What can it mean? Clarence would
not 60 away anywhere, for he had old
clothes on, said his mother, land he had
no dinner either. I'm sure he would not
run off"
Then the father and the older brothers
were sent for, and family council was
held. One said ''he might have been car
rled Oft on some train This suggestion
seemed very plausible.
Then we must send the telegraph after
him, said Mr.. Shank; and he went up to
the office, and messages were sent east,
west, north, and south over the railroads
that center at BinghamtOn. The answers
came speeding back over the lonely miles
OF wire, and each one said, "No boy car
rled Oft on my train"
When every conductor had been heard
from, the father went home. Friends
were at his house trying to suggest some
new possibility. The coalpits were
searched. Cellars were examined. All
II IS LII AiCli NCA1 up duu uOWu q HlI1l-TdcS.
They carried lights and thrust their long
poles into the dark water, but no one of
them stirred the body of Clarence Shank.
Saturday morning came, but not ray
Of hope came with it, to tell where the
lost one might be.
No child in all the beautiful city of
Binghamton was loved so much that day
as was the lost Clarence Shank. Of all
the mothers boys in all the world, there
neg8T was one like her lost darling, thought
the tear-laden heart of Clarence's mother;
but neither searching, nor lamentation
nor tears availed to bring the faintest
thread Of news.
Saturday night came. Then it was
that sonle5ody said, Don't you remem-
Der, the Gypsies passed through Bing-
hamton on Friday? Can it be that they
carried Clarence off with them ?"
The very romance Of the thought lent
its charm to the new direction of
search, and men eagerly offered to start
with the dawn of Sunday. The Gypsy
band was encamped twenty miles away
They might offer stout resistance there
fore, as Saturday night was intensely
cold, all the plans were made with refer
ence to daylight.
CLARENCEs STORY.
Clarence was hungry when he started
for the railroad station Friday noon, but
that was Of little moment He would
come back he thought in few minutes,
and dinner was all ready, waiting for his
father and brothers to return from their
labor. AS he looked into the passenger
room, the tiCketaCent was busy selling
tickets for an outgoing train, so CLAIR
ence went upon the platform to wait I'M
til he could get chance to ask for atime-
table. A number of grain cars were
standing upon track near by. One Of
them had been used to carry corn, and it's
floor was strewn with the long, thin kerr
neis that had grown in the far fertile
West.
"What a waste that isl' thought Clar-
ence, having in mind the horses at home,
and remembering how much they would
like to taste the corn. ut won't take me
but a minste to fill my pockets" he said
to HIMSELF and, with deXterOus leap he
was inside the freight car In farther
corner Of it he stopped down to draw the
corn into little pile, and was filling his
pockets, when he suddenly found himself
IN total darkness. The car was shut, and
the fastening-pin was in, and, in spite of
cries and knpcks that no one heard, Clar-
grain-car that was bound for the Great
West
In vain he shouted, in vain he thrust
his stout boots against the doors. The
old locomotive engine, putting away in
front, may have felt the thrill in its steam
chest, but no ones heart was touched to
open the doors and let Clarence out So
the wheels began to roll, and they rolled
faster and faster, and the Journey began
The boy did not know whether he was
going east or west. All that he could tell
was, that the road was rough and the car
jolted terribly. He stood up and chung
fast to its sides to keep from being thrown
about.
'What will mother think at home?"
gasped Clarence, trying in vain to find
crevice out of which he could peep at
the surrounding country. lis country
was blackness and darkness just then.
The time seemed days, the way endless,
and then the thudding rumble grew less
and less. The car was standing
STILL He renewed his knocks
and shouts and kicks, but no
one came, and after few moments the
old motion begun again. He held fast,
until his hands were sore from the fric-
ton. The tears came and rolled down
his cheeks, for he could not let go to wipe
them from his eyes. After another hour
the train stopped again, and he felt the
motion of backing; then all was still in
the car, while the great locomotive throb
bed itself into the distance
eff [ could only see where I ami"