Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1884-01-04
.
DICKS CHRISTMAS.
I,-FIIGHT.

AAA0o llauHOA IL i tOuCA VIZ S1kOS oEsc'id
said the Euglishman. And be flung half the
pack into the open fire.
The Kentuckiau laughed. II am as honest
as Iknowr how" said he: Shut nave known
The knave of spades by his back. and the age Of
Clubs, too, for the last three deals-n
Bring some clean cards, you little pirate:''
cried Bastide to the pale little boy who was
waiting. "and be quick about it. Here's a
quarter Of dollar to grease the elevator"
The boy laughed and fled. He did not trust
the elevator, but almost few down tho STAIRS
to the office Of the manager. To his disgust,
although tie Office WAS open, no one was there.
Dick ran right sud left; he found two or three
walters, but one could tell him where Nick
lisa, the head clerk, had gone,or Steednaan, his
second. DICK hated to lose his quarter dollar
and his reputation for promptness. He had
TOO often beeu seut On such errands to be
ignorant where the cards were kept lie
opened the cupboard aol took ont four packs
On the slate winch hung on the door Of the
cupboard, he "ro'e III his best writing, 'Dlcks
for II, fore pux" He scudded back to the
stairway, fortuna'ely found the elevator as
cending, eutercd 1t, and returned to ~.
''Oh, you have been down oWh FOR ttem,
have YOU" SAID the guod- naturees Kentuckian.
He tore off the cover, and they began their
game again.
They had played. perhaps. half an hour,
almost ia sllence and little Dick was really
asleep in tn. cmbratuse Of the window, when
the door flew open, and Mi klss, the head
clerk named above, sOrmed LII ia q passion Of
rage.
He caught paor Dick by the collar anu cufsnd
..im OH both oars, shook HIM right and .cft,
and fang hlm upou the floor lie was about
TO kick INN as he lay, when Bas'ide laid bis
strong baud on bis arm, and SAID: eff Won have
tn wit
babe the boy BRING the cards, and bring them
at once. 1t any one stole them, stole them"
Mick iss was far 100 drunk to care who or
what was the man who chocked him, aud a
storm OF quarrel began, with which there is no
need to gu v these pages. Long before it was
over little Dick, whose woes were the origin of
the Had Of tnose battles, had risen from the
door, and had tlo1 irvm the room, Innoticed
by all the combatants
u--sArETy 90
Dick wasted no time iu descending the stairs
or in leaving the building. Lie caught mis- Ca y
from It's peg in the office as he passed ont
lodged into tho first cross street h. came to,
and fled up town. Once in the street. he knew
very well that his escape was nigh certain
But he did not 10 t-r on the SHOVE trodden
sidewalk fiIl he bad put a courle of miles be-
tween him and his oppressor. Thsn in the
darkness and silence he began to plan for, his
nights quarters. Aud he vas only too WILL
versed in tho opportunities open ms New York
to young gentlemen of his freedom Of life
when nights LODGING was necessary. A high
picket fence bounaei one sid,aof the lonely
treet where he was. Dick went over It ike
land found himself IN a large, long yard
here stood macy Pullman cars. Amp!y. He
climbed high enough on the outside of$one to
try it's windows All were fast TILL he came to
the end, where careless porter had left q
wash room windowa little open. Dick rushed
it up fur enough to enter, closed it again, felt
his way back into the CIR, opened seat in the
dark, and ia five minutes had forS3tten the
gambling saloon, and Mickliss, and Steelman,
and was not eyeu dreaming of Christmas jors
Better than dreaming, hs WAS erjoying the
blessed Inconsistencies Of tired child 4
steep. n III 80 ~ / 2
1t was we'll nigh O'Clock before be walked
The motion Of tire car aroused him. Dick Lad
no thought Of receiving another thrashing. He
watched his opportunity to drop himself In-
noticed from the window upontthe statiogaplat-
bilt station on Forty second streetAa place
where it is quito difficult go out as 1t is to
so in. n.a. :, ss .;.e -.
But Dick did not distress birnself And here
he was right Before long the platform was
alive with travellers eager 10 secure good Eeats,
and glad i'll the promise of their Christmas
Journey home. One immense party Of old and
ynung-men, women. children, pet dogs,
maids and men servsnts--passed Dick on their
way to the parlor cars. After they had swept
Dy THO IUV saw tlldt dilhtl5 FL lQS &hA0f CONS
pany had dropped her, enormous doll Dick
seized the dnlr and followed
The crowd was SO great, however, that before
he bad found tine right child in, the parlor car.
and had explained about the recovery of the
doll, he felt, by the throb under HIS feet, that
the train, was ia motion For the frs: time il
She whole adventure Dick was discnncerted
he Ind meant to leave the saloon. and Mckiss,
and Steedman? Yes. And he had left them.
But had no meant to leave New York; Not he s!
New York was tho best home lie had had, after
all, since he came there as little boy.
did her nurse, both grateful BECAUSE lie
had recovered Brynhilde the doll. The nurse
said, kindly, that perhaps he could leave tile
train at Harlem. ;.>,.As -, .n.,..s. =
Perhaps hs could. 't$ o"
Dick tried to.
were any chance. Tie train Slowed up, o
little az they passed Harlem. All HE! aThe,
most attractive spectacle was going forward
which boy like Dick could contemplate
Actually he could ace the steam fire engine
going to the IRE. of which he could see, the
Steedman, still could not assist at the FIRE |!
Was ever any fate 30 cruel? Every stroke Of
the alarm bell, as they whizzed by, babe him
stop. But the train YVES relentless and bore
him on. .*~ g. -.s..%
1t is strange thing to eav, abut the little
with as much emotion "a if he had left some
thing more tangible ana more affecsionate be-
hind. Somehow the m thought of His mother
came Up to him, though his mother had never
lived in New York, She was dead before his
hard lot took him there. But she babe him go
there; she knew he was there. If, now, he
went rambling over the world would she
know where TO find him and how to takee cara
OF him? Il Dick. could have analvzed his
vague sentiment, ii would have come ont. in
I that question but he was not the boy to stand
blubbering, with black porter lookin gSon and
wondering. and, finding THAT the train would
mot stop, he went back and made that report
to Miss Alice and the friendly nurse Then
these two children, and German Boy there
was named Rudolph, fell playing together.
Dick, perhaps, the leader Of the reysls, There
was an aaffectionate geutleness in the boy.
mixed withsa certain in .e ;,endenee, bred iu HIS
Ishmaeite life, which easily made him a tea cher
in such little spor q as were! possible with their
space aud material. He showed wonderful
ability with . cap and ball, which Alice was
taking to her grand father's as one of thesprsar
4 ents she was to gre. And so steady are The
4 they even succeeded in making card houses
& stand for thirty seconds, and whe1 theyt fell
the joy Of the fallaWas equal to the joy Of tho
u construction. .s IzssssGs s 1T gse y 5 5<SSa 81
8$4 Nor was Dick ejeoted at the FIRST Watering
station, sshe expecsel, and as the intel liz mt
reader viii hope it he be q stakeholder inter
ested in railways. II No; he trail j, was fl1Ilsof
h Christmas passen GERS The parties both sof
Atce's fa her and of Rndolph's father Hers
large. and The cand ultor, as B be furriei
through, cotint.ng one sset aud counting an
other wing for ab;es aud iialk tieR cts and
the resi-, never made out that he had ono extra
: