The Portland daily press., 1880-12-25
A Little Express-man.

cemDer, year ago. tommy was nVe years
old; the express wagon was made out of a
raisin box, painted red, and Wilson's Ex-
press on the sides in yellow and black let
tiers. Tommy's uncle Jeremiah made the
express-wagon. Wilson's Express company
was prosperous concern. 1t was the only
concern of the kind in Millersfield and had
plenty of business. Tommy's mother had
all her groceries brought up from Deacon
Horner's store in the express wagon, and the
expressman charged, one, two or three
Jumps of sugar, according to the weight of
the load. Sometimes the deacon wanted
Tommy to leave a package at some other
house in the village, and paid a stick of red
and white candy to the express company.
Tommy sometimes said s'mother likes me to
be 'bliging, and you needn't give me any
candy;" but the deacon preferred to pay the
expressman, and Tommy was glad to have
the candy. Sometimes other people asked
Tommy to do errands for them, and gave
him cent or two; but usually, in country
fashion, Tommy took his pay in goods, it
might be cookies or apples or ears of pop
ping corn or nuts. Then again, Tommy had
no horse to keep; he was his own horse, so
the express company had no expenses to
lessen its profits. Tommywa sure to divide
his candy and nuts with the little boys and
girls of the neighborhood, but every pay
ment made to him was written down in the
back of an old account-book of Uncle Jerry's,
and the cents were all put into tin savings
bank that stood next to the clock on the par
lor mantelpiece. VT9T Biz s33iTg 1855
Now that you know all about Wilson's
Express Company and its, business. you
shall hear what Tommy found to do next.
He was waiting for job, just inside the
gate of his mothers house. He was
wonder ing what his father would bring him
home from sea in his red wooden chest.
But Tommy wasn't the boy to build castles
in the air and shut his eyes and ears to BUSH
ness, so when he saw Mrs. Cummings, who
lived across the street, making signs for him
TO come over, he ran as fast as his feet could
90, and the express wagon could follow. lO
Tommy" said Mrs. Cummings, my
hands are in the dough, and I find haven't
spoonful of saleratus, and I wish you
would 60 down to Deacon Horner's for me
and get a quarter of apound of it, and a
quart of kerosene, and two pounds of sugar.
and ball of lamp-wicking, there's good
boy"
Tommy wished she wouldn't call him a
good boy; he liked to have people say "Hullo
Wilson, how's business to-day? Can you
manage to haul some freight for me?"
That was the way Deacon Horner spoke to
him. But he started off at rafting gait,
did all Mrs. Cummings errands, and came
back at the sober pace that is safe and prop
er when there is a can of kerosene to be
taken home.
Sand it's too bad my turnovers are not
baked yet" said Mrs. Cummings, .'but I've
got something for you that Iexpect you'll
like" = ga - Ssgeee q aT4g.
So Tommy followed her into the kitchen,
and there in basket on the hearth, covered
with a piece of carpet, were four little kit
tens. One was tortoise-shelI. two were
gray, just alike except that one had white
spot on its nose, and four white paws, while
the other had two white paws and two gray
ones and gray nose. The fourth kitten
was black as he could be.
"You can have the one you like, Tom
N.Y." said Mrs. Cummings.
Tommy chose the gray kitten with the
white spot on its nose. So Mrs. Cummings
put some hay into basket, then Tommy
laid the kitty on the hay, the basket-cover
was tied down, and the express wagon car
ried the kitty home.
1t was not many days before Tommy and
his puss were great friends. The kitten was
named Trip, partly because she tripped
about so fast herself, and partly because
Tommy tripped over her one day and fell
down the front door steps. And wherever
Tommy went TRIO was close on his heels
When the express wagon went of errands
Trip rode in it, and Tommy played she vas
the driver and he was the horse; or if Trip
chose to stay by the fire, Tommy was both
driver and horse, and Trip was supposed to
be the board of directors of the express
company. At night Trip slept on the foot
of Tommy's bed and purred till they both
went off to Noodles Island, where good
children and kittens see all sorts of wonder
full things. bq.'u.f. sa eCf .1rs
One night, it was the twenty-third of De-
cember, Tommy couldn't find Trip when he
went to bed. So he had to go to sleep with
out the kitten, and was quite forlorn little
boy. He had been asleep some time, he
could not tell how long, when the door
opened softly; and as the little creaking it
made woke Tommy, he saw Trip jump up
on the foot of the bed, curl up in soft gray
ring and 60 to sleep. But Tommy was wide
awake, and he could hear his mother and
Uncle Jerry talking earnestly in the parlor.
"If ouly knew" said his mother, "where
John put the grant of those western lands,
for Squire Cummings wants to buy them,
and then could pay Sam Barnes the rest OF
the mortgage on this house." .. sag--..
81 thought the papers were all in that lit
tie hair trunk" said Uncle Jerry
$50 did /, and looked them all over. |
spread them out on the garnet floor and I
couldn't have missed it if it was there. It
was the day Tommy fell down the steps, !
remember it by that, for he cried and l ran
as fast as could, for fear he was hurt bad
ly, and when 1 found there was not much
the matter with Tommy, l went upstairs and
finished looking over the papers," -
"Well, sister Lucy, wouldn't worry
about it," said uncle Jerry, "things are APT
to turn up when you're not looking fol
them" ~
"But, oh dear, to have John come home
and find us turned out of house and home
and you know Sam Barnes is hard man
and would as soon do so as not, and to see
all their things moved in here"
"And 'spise Sam Barnes, and my 'spress
cart never shall carry his old things, SC
therer'
This was Tommy, who couldn't bear t.
~ bis mother troubled, and saw his va!
dear 20 hinder any triumphal entry Of Sam
.Hre5lss