The Red Cloud chief., 1882-10-27
THE STRANGE STORY OF A SMALL
BOY.

IL all came OF my having n 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 il. or what good il was
to him. n lie never saw a tran except
when he went home for the holiday $;
but h. was always talking Of the conven-
fence of having such Il th nc when you
were travelling, nd hinte,l at the mys-
ferrous penalties the Company might
inilict it they caught YOU using il.
He gave II me in exchange cor n bit OF
Letiy's hair (she's my sister, AMI
Thompson was drcadfully in love with
herr and a scrap of the bonnet trim
ming She wore in chur, h. l stole that
but had TO ask her for the hair. and she
brought out a whole bundle and said L
IN CHIT trade away the lot IL | chose.
"Iiair wasn't worn much now"
Music was another thing altogether.
Herr otto Finkc was an old fir end o my
fathers. and lived al Luckboro', orir
market-town.
lie took 4 fancy TO me-bother him;
and actually persuaded my father and
mother To let me come over 10 Luck
boro' every market-day, with my father.
for a lesson in German and music.
didn't mind dining wi h him first (un-
commonly queer messcs we hal. and
lots of Jam with theml-but the music
was simply disgusting-Cn the holi-
DAYS. tooo-and the lessons generally
ended BY F;nke getting to TIE piano
himself. and warbling songs of his
Vat .rland hy the hour. He did so nee
too often though-and noU | have got
60 my story.
We used to come and 60 between
Mosslands and Luckboro' by omnibus.
There WAS a Mosslands station on the
line between Luckboro' and London.
hut my father never e by il if he
could help il. When he did. though j
hal the KEY with me l never dare Use
il, and began 10 think had made a bad
bargain with Thompson.
One Tuesday, however. last winter
FInkc got so carried away by his OWL
sweet singing that he kept on long aftel
i ought to have started 10 meet IN,
father. and then got 20 remorse.ul tina
thought he was going To cry; or per
hal $ want 10 keep me all night.
Look here" l said. at doesn't
matter. There's a train that gets in a
soon rs the bus. l can catch il if | rur
food bye" And OF | scuddcd. on,
arm in and n out of my top coat. fol
WAS sure he'd object. or want TO Sc,
ME OH. | had money. and there wds /,
train. which came up long before l has
seen all | wanted about the station.
| made a dash at n carriage. Il
wasn't locked. rs half hoped it might
be. and in l scrambled. but was nearly
blown out again by n volley Of tn,
strongest language l ever did hear
The train started and jerked me dowr
into a seat before I'd time to get m,
breath. was not used to bad expires
sions. and nv fellow travellers remark.
made my blood u cold.
There were ladies in the carriage
but he didn't seem to mind that Ii
had a red, scowling face. with heavy n,
eyebrows and bloodshot eyes. All the
rest of him was a mass of railway rug.
AM wraps. l had tumbled ver hi
toes into the middle seat opposite
where l sat scared and speeches.. till
caught the eyes of the lady next TO lin
fixed on me.
Ughi such a bad old face! A tight
cruel mouth. with all sorts OF coil-line:
about il. and wicked. sharp gray eye.
Il at screwed into one like gimlets.
didn't care much for Redface by thi.
time. l didn't believe he Wouid ''twis
nv neck and chuck me out OF the win
COW" as he suggested; but 1 hated ne
all over at once, from her sausagc-curls
grizzly gray, two on each side-t'
her hooked claws Of fingers that wer'
twitching away at her knitting needles
in and out of q big. gray stocking.
Hush, Sammy" she said. quite
sweetly: 1.-The poor child means M
harm, and he car easily get out At thu
next station. Where are you going to
love?r
1 could only cape in reply. and sh,
must have thought / was . softy. fol
she twisted my ticket clean ont Of my
hand before l knew what she was after
..Mosslands. Very good. That
the next station. I'll . him safe out
Sammy dear"
Sammy growled an inarticulate 10
slonse from under his rugs.
The third passenger had neithe
s,oken nor stirred. She sat on tn
same side as the other two, coveret
with . big plaid rug. and a blue woolel
veil tied over her head. could max
nothing out except that she scenes
ssleep in a very uncomfortable attitude
sat in the middle opposite the old
woman. Il was 50 disagreeable. find
ing her sharp eyes on me while he
needles clicked on just the same. that
thought l might - well pretend TO 3