Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1882-09-16
The SMALL BOYS STORY.

1t all came Of my having a 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 as he never saw train except
when he went home for the holidays
but he was always talking of the con-
venience of having such thing when
you were travelling, and limiting at the
mysterious penalties the Company
might infiict if they caught you using
/ it.
He gave it me in exchange for bit
of Letty's hair (she's my sister, and
Thompson was dyeadfully in love with
herr and scrap of the bonnet him-
ming she wore in church. | stole that
but had to ask her for the hair, and she
brought out whole bundle and said l
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 fancy to me-bother him ;
and actually pers uaded my father and
mother to let me come over to Luck
boro' every market-day, with my father,
/ for a 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 holidays,
s too D-and the lessons generally ended
by Finke getting to the piano himself,
and warbllng 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 a Mosslands station on the
line between Luckboro' and London.
but my father never went by it if be
could help it. When he did, though !
had the key with me never dare use il,
and began to think | had made a bad
bargain with Thompson.
One Tuesday, however, last winter,
Finke gor 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 remorseful that
thought he was going to cry; or per-
haps want to keep me all night.
"Look here" l said, "lt doesn't
matter. There's a train that gets in as
soon as the bus. | can catch it if l
run-Good-b by /" And off l scudded,
one I'm in and one cut of my top coat,
for [ was sure he'd object, or want to
see me off. l had money, and there was
& train, which came mp long before /
had seen all / wanted about the station.
l made q dash at carriage. II WASH t
locked, as l half hoped it might be, and
iii l scrambled, but was nearly blown
out again by volley Of the strongest
language | ever did hear. The train
started and isrked me down into seat
before I'd iImc TO get my breath. was
not used to bad expressions, and my
fellow-travele-'s remarks made my
blood 1un cold.
There were ladies in the carriage, but
he didn't seem TO mird that. He had a
red, scowliEg face, with heavy red eve
brows and blcodshot eyes. Ali the rest
of him was a mass of railway rugs and
wraps. | had tumbled over his toes in
to 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 face A tight.
cruel mouth, with all sorts of coil lines
about il, end wicked sharp gray eyes
that screwed into one like gimlets. |
didn't care much for Redface by this
time. | didn't believe he would "twist
my neck and chuck me out of the win
dow, as he suggested but I hated her
I a NJ fra,,a h..,.
grizzly gray, two on each side-to her
hooked clawsof fingers that we're twitch-
ing away at her knitting needles, in and
out Of a big gray stocking.
Hush, sammy" she said quite
sweetly; " the poor child means no
harm, and he can easily get ont at the
next station-Where are you going TO,
love ?"
] could only cape i'll reply and she
she twisted my ticket clean ont of ny
hand before ] knew what she was after.
Mosslards. Very good. That's 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 rs The other two, covered with a
big plaid rug, aud a blue wooden veil
tied over her head. | could make moth
ing out except that she seemed asleep in
a very uncomfortable attitude.
sat in the middle opposite the old
woman. 1t was so dlsagreeable, finding
her sharp eyes on me while her needles
clicked on just the same, that ] thought
might as we'll pretend to go to sleep,
too. So curled myself up, and gave one
or two mods, and then dropped my face
on my arm so that she couldn't see it.
Presently ! heard the needles going
slower and slower. | peeped, and saw
the big bonnet and seussge- curls giving
a lurcb forward and then backward,
once, twice; then big snore; and then
she was off, too.
didn't stir for a minute. for | saw
that Sammy" was mp to something
He leant forward, and peered at her as
il to make sure she was quite asleep