The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1875-07-01
The Boy With White Hair.

The Boy With White Hair.
| HIS HAIR wasn't white-not exactly the
color of pastry flour, but cursory glance
would have marked it down in a stran-
| gers mental memorandum book as white.
He had hatchet-like face. 1t was not a
face exactly like a hatchet, but it was a
long face and thin one, and was wider
at the eyes than at the chin. There were
| freckles on his nose, a few distributed over
| his cheeks, and there was an honest,
truthful look in his large blue eyes. A
mental inventory of the boy would have
read:
-" Some wandering, homeless lad, de
| termined that the world owes him a liv-
ing; not a bad boy, as boys run, but yet
prepared to make the most of favorable
| circumstances.
He boarded the boat just as she was
| swinging clear, and he nodded familiarly
to the Captain, smiled tenderly at the
| clerk, and carried the air of one who had
paid his fare and had plenty of money
left though, truthfully speaking, he hadn't
| seen a shinplaster in his own fingers for
days and days. .s
Sauntering into the cabin he selected a
| victim. 1t is not necessary that white
haired boys should have victims, but this
| one walked across the cabin and seated
himself beside an aged female. She was
| female with two sachels and parcel
She had spectacles on her hair was bor
derng on the gray she had just regaled
her nose with liberal pinch of black
snuf:-soft, balmy snuff, scented with
cinnamon oil to enhance its natural flavor.
"Ncver on boat before, | see?' he re-
marked, as he gave her searching yet in
nocent look.
Lots o. times" she replied returning
his look without tlinching, as if she be-
! licved him a sharper and meant to bluff
him at the very start.
Il thought not; else you wouldn't be
seated here right over the bilers, and them
| tiremcn chucking in lard and taller and
kerosene oil to get steam enough to catch
the other boat ~ he replied.
She gave little start, looked hurriedly
around, and there was little smile in the
corner of his left eye as he noticed how
the arrow had struck the target
Then it amt safe here?'' she asked.
"It may be, but-but-"
His hesitation decided her. Rising up
| and seizing her sachels and parcel she
vacated the cabin for the promenade deck,
| where she secured scat on a hard stool
and raised her blue parasol to keep off the
sun. She was thankful for the boys
warning, and she blamed herself for not
opening the parcel and offering him a
doughnut, a boiled egg and taste from
the tumblcr of Jelly.
A quarter of an hour had passed and
| she was feeling very comfortable when the
boy with white hair put in an appearance.
His face did not look solemn; it did not
betray mirth; but there was deep concern
in his tones as he halted and exclaimed:
"What you here?"
"Isn't this a safe place." she anxiously
asked.
"Why, madam, you are in the center
| of the boat almost, and in case of a bust
the boat always breaks in two near the
center |" .--
He passed on, and she lifted up two
sachels and the parcel and walked aft, get
| ting as near the stern of the boat as she
could. Her heart swclled a little as she
| thought of the boys disinterested kind
ness toward strangcr-a lone woman,
who might never have returned from her
trip but for the unexpected interest of a
forlorn orphan boy. She was wondering
if the boy wouldn't like to be adopted
when he reappeared, drew up a stool, and
calmly said:
Il have been through three or four ex-
plosions, and tell you they are awful!
Last boat was on exploded both boilers
at once, and yet only one old man was
killed. He was sitting at the stern of the
boat, just about where you are nown'
"Good stars! but thought / was safe
here!" she exclaimed, reaching down for
the sachels.
'If the end of one of the bilers should
blow out it would strike you exactly on
the chestr' he coolly continued land
there wouldn't be piece of your body
that | couldn't put into this tin tobacco
boxr
He suddenly became interested in a
passing steamer, slipped away, and she
lifted her bundles and walked to the other
end of the boat. She had come aboard
with the full confidence that the trip
would be pleasantly made, and she Won
dered how the public-the free American
people could calmly permit boat to
leave port laden with human beings who
might be torn to fragments any moment
by an explosion. She was wishing that
she had taken the cars, when the boy with
white hair sat down beside her and softly
began: Eaa
"You know that every biler has two
ends. If you were aft and that end blew
out you would be torn to strips. If you
are here and this end blows out, no one
will ever be able to recover relic of you,
not even your spectacles!'
"Then amt safe yet?" she gasped.
In the midst of life we are in deathp
he solemnly replied. "You may be safe,
but will not assume the fearful response
bility of saying sou
She gathered up the sachels and the
parcels, entered the cabin, looked all
around and finally sat down in a chair be-
hind the door, The boy with white hair
found her again after awhile. She had
almost fallen asleep, but his exclamation
speedily aroused her: -.z T-.zs
"What! Behind the door-right over
the larboard steam-chest!'
"Ain't this safe, either?' she gasped.
"Madam, ten steam chests explode to
every one sbiler, and statistics prove it
The pieces tear, and grind, and splinter
and kill in an awful manner You can
sit there if you wish, but--but-- +
And he went downstairs, and l saw her
come out on the promenade-deck and look
up at the smoke stacks to see if there
wasn't safe spot up there somewhere
" 0,Iod an HaaYfh n,od Hnynp d H5ss