Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1882-09-15
THE STRANGE STORY OF 4 SMALL
BOY.


1t all came of my having q railway
key and being made to take music les
sons.
Thompson gave me the key when he
was leaving last term. | don't know
how he came by it, or what good it was
to him, rs he never saw train except
when he went home for the holidays;
but he was always talking of the conven-
icnce of having such n thing when you
were travelling, and hinted at the mys-
terious penalties the Company might
inIlict if they caught you using it.
He gave 1t me in exchange for bit of
Letty's hair (she's my sister, and
Thompson was dreadfully in love with
herr and a scrap of the bonnet trim
ming she wore in church ! stole that
but had to ask her for the hair, and she
brought out whole bundle and said |
might trade away the lot if | chose.
"Hair wasn't worn much now"
Music was another thing altogether.
Herr Otto Finke was an old friend of my
fathers, and lived at Luckboro', our
market-town.
He took n fancy to me-bother him;
and actually persuaded my father and
mother to let me come over to Luck
boro' every market-day, with my father,
for lesson in German and music. !
didn't mind dining with him first (un-
commonly queer messes we had, and
lots of jam with them)-but the music
was simply disgusting-Gn the holi-
days, tooD-and the lessons generally
ended by Finke getting to the piano
himself, and warbling songs OF his
Vaterland by the hour. He did so once
too often though-and now l have got
to my story.
We used to come and go between
Mosslands and Luckboro' by omnibus.
There was n Mosslands station ON the
line between Luckboro' and London,
but my father never went by it if he
could help it. When he did, though |
had the key with me ! never dare use
it, and began to think had made bad
bargain with Thompson.
One Tuesday, however, last winter,
Finke got so carried away by his own
sweet singing that he kept on long after
/ ought to have started TO meet my
father, and then got SO remorseiul that
thought he was going to cry; or per-
haps want to keep me all night.
"Look here" | said, "it doesn't
matter. There's train that gets in as
soon as the bus. can catch it if run
-Good-bye!" And of / scudded, one
arm in and one out of my top coat, fol
was sure he'd object. or want to see
me off. l had money, and there mas q
train, which came up long before had
seen all | wanted about the station.
l made a dash at carriage. II
wasn't locked, as half hoped it might
hn n.,I I 1aI Il
blown out again by volley of the
strongest language / ever did hear.
The train started and jerked me down
into seat before I'd time to get my
breath. was not used to bad express
sions, and my fellow travellers remarks
made my blood run cold.
There were ladies in the carriage,
but he didn't seem to mind that. He
had red, scowling face, with heavy red
eyebrows and bloodshot eyes. All the
rest of him was mass of railway rugs
and wraps. / had tumbled over his
toes into the middle seat opposite,
where / sat scared and speechless, till
caught the eyes of the lady next to him
fixed on me.
Ugh! such bad old facet A tight,
cruel mouth with all sorts of coil-lines
about it, and wicked, sharp gray eyes
that screwed into one like gimlets.
didn't care much for Redface by this
time. j didn't believe he Wouid "twist
my neck and chuck me out of the win.
dow as he suggested; but hated he,
all over at once, from hcr sausage -curls
grizzly gray, two on each side-t6
her hooked claws of fingers that were
twitching away at her knitting-needles,
in and out of big, gray stocking
Hush, Sammy" she said, quite
sweetly; " the poor child means nc
harm, and he can easily get out at the
next station. Where are you going to,
lovepn
could only cape in reply, and she
must have thought / was softy, foI
she twisted my ticket clean out of my
hand before 1 knew what she was after.
"Mosslands. Very good. That
the next station. I'll see him safe out
Sammy dear"
Sammy growled an inarticulate re-
sponse from under his rugs.
The third passenger had neither
spoken nor stirred. She sat on the
same side as The other two, covered
with big plaid rug, and blue wooler
veil tied over her head. could max,
nothing out except that she seemed
asleep in very uncomfortable attitude
sat in the middle opposite the OLD
woman. 1t was SO disagreeable, find
ing her sharp eyes ON me while he
needles clicked on just the same, that
thought might as well pretend to e
TO sleep, too. So / curled myself up
and gave one Or two mods and thel