The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1884-01-11
DICKS CHRISTMAS.
I.--FLIGHT.

- goa
III be hanged If l touch the cards asain.n
sad the Enslishman. Aud he flung half the
pack into ths open fire.
s"lhekentuckian laughed. 81 am as honest
as know how.' said he: "but / cave known
'he knavcof spades by his back. and the ace of
clubs, too, for the last three deals.''
Bring some clean cards, you little piratc!,"
cried bast'de to the pale little boy who was
waiting, "and be quick about it. Here's a
quarter of a dollar to grease the elcyator.p
The boy laughed and fledb He did not trust
the elevator, but almost flew down tho stairs
70 the Office of the manager. To his disgust,
although tho ofioo was open, no one was there.
DICK ran right and left; he found two or three
walters, but no one could tell him where Mick
ilss, tho head clerk, had gone, or Steedman, his
second. Dick hated to lose his quarter dollar
and his reputation for plomptness. He had
100 often been sent on such errands to be
Ignorant where the cards were kept. He
opened the cupboard aud took out four packs.
On the slate which hung on tho door Of the
cupboard, lie wrote in Ills best writing, "Dlok,
Tor "A, fore pax" Hs3scpdded back to. the
stairway, fortunately found the elevator as
cendinE, entered II, and returned to A.
sSOln,y pa have been5 down Town for them,
L1N0' yOUs@ sbhlQSH6H
He tore of tie cover, and they began their
game again.
They had played. perhaps, half an hour,
almost in silence, and little Dick was really
asleep i'll the cmbrasuse of the window, when
the door flew open, and Mi, kl!ss, the head
rage.
He caught paor Dick by the collar and cuffed
aim on both ears, shook Inn right and left,
aud flung him upon the floor. He was about
TO kick hlmsas he lay, when Bas'ide laid his
strong baud on his arm and said: eff Won have
any accounts to settle, settle them with me. 1
babe tue boy bring tho cards, aud bring them
at once. If any one stole them, l stole them"
Mick iss was far too drunk to care who or
what was the man who checked him, and a
storm of quarrel began, with which there is no
need to suily these pages. Long before 1t was
over little Dick, whose woes were the origin OF
the Had of tnose battles, had risen from the
floor, aud had fed from the room, Cnnoticed
by all the combatants.
H-SAFETy,
Dick wasted no time in descending the stairs
or in leaving tho building. He caught his cap
from it. peg in the Office an he passed out,
lodged into tho first cross street he came to,
and fed UP town. Once ill the street, he knew
very well that his escape was nigh certain.
But lie did not loit.r on the enow-lroddcn
sidewalk I'LL he had put a couple of miles be-
tween him and his oppressor. Then in the
darkness. and silence he began to plan for his
nights quarters. And he was only too we'll
yersea in tho opportunities open III New York
to young centlomen OF his freedom of life
when y lights lodging WAS necessary. A high
picket fence bouudei one side OF tho lonely
stree. whore he was. Dick went oven il like a
cat, and found himself in Il large, long ward,
where stood maay Pullman cars. empty. He
climbed high enough on the outside OF ono to
try Its windows. All were fast I'LL he came 10
the end, where q careless porter had left a
wash room window a little open. Dick rushed
it up far enough to enter, closed it again, felt
his way back into the car, opened IL seat in the
dark, and in five minutes had forgotten the
gambling saloon, and Mickliss, and Steedman,
and vas not eyeu dreaming Of Christmas Joys.
Better t.ah drea ming, he was epjpylng3t The
blessed Observation-Disclosures of a tired child'.
sleep ~ \, ~ ~
Il was well nigh s O'Clock before hs waked.
The motion. of the car aroused him. Dick had
no Notwithstanding another tlirastiing. He
watched llis opportunity To drop himself I'M
noticed from the window upon the station plat
form, and found himself in the great Nauder-
bit stationb. OIL Forty-second street--a place
where il is quito as difficult 10 go out as 1T is to
go in.
But Dick did not distress himself. And here
he was right. Before long the platform was
alive with travellers eager to secure good eea's,
and glad il the promise of their Christmas
Journey homa. One Immense party OF old and
young--men. women. .children, pet dogs,
luhluo nll lSk y u bAAh -oh kuCll
way to tho parlur cars After they had swept
by, the boy saw that a little girl III the com
pany had dropped her enormous doll. Dick
seized the dill and followed. .
The crowd was go great, however, that before
no tai found the right child in the-parlnr car,
aud had exclaimed about the recovery of the
doll, he fel-, by the throb under his feet, that
the Train was in motion. For the first time in
the whole adventure Dick was Disconnected.
lie had meant to leave the saloon, and Nick ISIS,
=. t--. !. w., Al L. 40 Jr. -
But had he meant to leave New York; Not he!
Now York WAS tho best home he had had, after
aI, since Gue came there as "a little bov.
Little Z Alice g cav his .dismay. and 50
did her aurse. both CRATE ful because he
had recovered BIYnhilde, the IDOL. The nurse
said, kindly, that perhaps he could leave the
train At 4arietn. , ,t3i
Perhaps he could. =" '%'7,.i
Giektricd TO-, sI."t
He stooodiofn tic platform, to jump oil, il there
wero' apy CHARGE. The train Slowed upu a
lijtlo as they passed Harlem. All me! The
most attractive spectacle was going forward!
WINCH b.. boy Like Dick could contemplate.
Actually lie could 400 the steam fire engine
going togthe fire. of which lie could sec'the
smoke, bhpd he, free from Mickliss. aud trout
Steedman, still could ,ot asaist at tho fire
Was ever anv fate 70 cruel9s Every stroke of
the aharm hell. rs they whizzalSby, babe him
stop. But The train was relentless and bore
him on.
II is q strange thing To say, but ihe little
fellows heart rose IN his mouth, and he chokGd
VITA as much emotion as if he had left some
thing moye tangible and more aIectiouato be-
hind. Sonsbti the dan thougEfhof Iii n,othcr
came Ed to hin, though his mother had never
lived IN NV York. Shc was dead before his
hard lot tolk him there. But sine babe him 90
thero; shc knew he was there. IL, now, he
went rambling over the world, would she
know where to find Inn and h1w tVftnke care
of him. If Dick conld lave analyzsd his
vague sentiment, it would have come out in
that question. But he was not the boy TO stand
b,uhboring, with a black porter looking on and
wondering, ana, finding that the train would
not stop. he went back and made that ropor,
to Miss Alice sed the friendly nurse. Then
these .fwosEhiNren, and n German boy there
was named Rudolph, fell playing together,
Dick, perkans, Vie leader OF The revcls. There
WAS an aifcctionatc gentleness III the boy,
mixed with Il certain in dependence, bred in ms
Ishmaclita life, which easily made hum a teacher
in such III tie sports as were possible with then
spece and material. He showed wonderful
ability With a cup and ball, which Alice was
taking to her grapdfather's as one of the pres
ont. she was to give. And 80 steady are the
Rms on some of the levels of that roal" thai
tbey even succeeded in making card houses
stand for thirty seconds, and when they fell
the icy Of the fall was equal TO the JOY of the
construction.
Nor was Dick elected at the first watering
station. as he expectel, and ~ the intell,g IL,
reader wi ! hope if tie be u s'ockho!der MGR.
astea in railways. No; the trai WAS full OF
Ch,isrmas palseneers. Tho parties both oil
tiice', fa her aud of Rndolph's father wora
large. aud The conductor, as he hurried
through. count ng ono sut and couptilg au.
other. allow ng for babies and iinlf tlckets and
the rest, never made out that he had one extra