Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1878-10-07
The Missing Pages.

read in the cars, ma am? Hmper's! At
lantic! Scribner /! All the magazines !"
But the people hurried past Johns
little stand into the station, as they had
done all the morning. Only Post and
Journal sold, and here it was noon
Profit three cents On sunny days his
sales were pretty brisk, but it was driz-
zling. The thick Pittsburgh air was
full of falling SCOT, and nobody cared to
stop to buy.
"No wonder they want to hurry out
of this horrible place |" muttered John,
looking about at the wet, dingy houses,
the pools of black mud through which
the horses tramped, and the clouds of
smoke rolling through the streets. He
thought of the sunny Ohio farm on which
he was born, and felt that he never could
grow used to this place. Three cents
profit! Not enough to buy loaf of
bread.
John thought of his mother, and of
the scanty breakfast which they had
eaten together in their bare garret, with
its windows opening on the sooty roofs.
If he could but have had good trade he
might have carried nice little treat
home to her. But the crowd hurried
past, and nobody stopped.
Magazine, ma'am? Something to
read on"
The lady stopped, "GOdey? All, your
books are dirty!' dropping the sooty
magazine with shrug.
| AS if he could help that But he be-
gan blowing away the SCOT for the twen-
tieth time that day. 1t was four years
since his father died, and he and his
mother had come down to town, and in
that time he had done nothing but fight
weekly against SCOT and starvation.
| He opened one of the story papers
for boys. There was sea story in it !;
boy goes off in the first chapter as a
stowaway; in the third, "the gallant
lad leaped upon the deck, and the COM
modore clasped him in his arms !''
On the next page was an account of a
boy going home from work, who arrived
just in time to scale the walls of burn.
ing house, and rescue child, for which
daring act he was the next day, taken
into partnership by the child's father, a
millionaire.
"Some fellows have such splendid
chances !" said John, laying down the
book with sigh. "Now I've been here
for years, and nothing grand or noble
ever turns up for me to do. Buy ten
Posts, fifteen Journals, daily; sell them
if can. On Saturdays, buy the week.
lies. Once a month, the magazines
That's the heft of it, year in and year
out. How's fellow to make a ten.
strike at that sort of work ?"
An old gentleman who had missed the
train sauntered up, and began idly look
ing over the boys stock.
John watched him anxiously. If h,
should buy one of the six bound books
| Profit on each was twenty-five cents. l
he should buy one of those, -he coulc
: take home little treat to his mothe
{ after all.
The boys eyes fairly glistened, for
0 besides being fond of his mother, h
: was hungry and the smell of fried oys
g ters and coffee from the restaurant nea
a was almost more than he could bear.
s The old gentleman took up one of tn
: books. John thought he was certainl
e going to buy one. What should th
: treat be A bit of fresh meat 4? A mince
!. pie? He decided that steak would
the best.
"Ah here is book which I hay
;, wanted for long time" said the gel
! tleman. whats the price of this, M
. boy?"
= "Those are one dollar each, sill"
"l'll read it on the cars"
He laid down bright trade dollar.
. John could almost smell the deliciol
steak, and he thought of his mother
thin, starved face. They had not taste
se meat for days. But glance at tt
y book, as the gentlemen dropped it in
~ his satchel caused him to say, family
ne "Stop. sir ! I did not see which Of
you had taken. That is an imperfe
~ copy. There are four leaves missing
u the middle"
Ok "Too bad ?"-throwing it down. at
an dollar. please"
q "Will none of the others suit ?" sa
ne John.
II "No. l have wanted this book 1
some time.
m' "You can have it for seventy-f
cents" said John, eagerly.
ng 81 don't want mutilated copy
St ALL"
lid John handed him back the doll
at and closing his satchel, the man walk
ith on few steps, and sat down in an OF
ch- doorway to wait for his train. He '
lde a ruddy, fat old gentleman. with xii
for ly. shrewd blue eye. Having moth
nt- to do. he thought the occurrence o
it leisurely.