The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1885-09-03
PATsy.s RED STOCKINGS.

passenger Tralns
Eight-year- old Patsy was tending
station" The consequence was that
eight-year-old Patsy felt exceedingly
grown-up.
Not that there was anything under
the light of the sun for him to do in
the little out-of-the-way railway sta
ton. If there had been, Patsy would
not have been left there to do it.
The way of it was: Years ago, be-
fore there ever was such boy as Patsy
Green. MIR. Thomas Green had been
appointed station agent at Green's
Corner; post which he had filled for
years. But when Patsy was five years
old, God had higher station for his
papa to fill, and so he took him home
| to Heaven.
Now, Mrs. Green had always helped
her husband in the duties belonging to
the little station, and had even learned
to telegraph; so when she was left a
poor widow with her fatherless boy to
care for, and clothe. and bring up, and
educate and make man of, the rail-
road company had asked her to fill her
| husband post at the station. And she
had been glad to take the place, which
she had filed ever since.
All that was the very beginning of it.
But the way Patsy came to be tend
| ing station all alone this afternoon was
| this: Mrs. Green had received word
| that her mother was very sick at the
other end of the village, and as she
could get no one to take her place
while she ran over there, she had vent
| ured to leave her boy alone for little
| while. Besides there was nothing
whatever to do. and wouldn't be until
the six o'clock train was due. So
| Patsy-whose name wasn't Patsy at
all, but Alexander-was duly installed
and felt extremely important. So
much so in fact that he felt at once
that going barefooted was not consist
ent with his new position in life.
| Therefore he hurried upstairs, for
they lived over theidepot, and donned
his best shoes and his one darling pair
of red stockings. Then he walked
maiestically down stairs and about the
platform for several minutes; for he
now felt that he filed altogether too
important place among men to run
and play like boy.
For some time Patsy squeaked slow
ly about in his new shoes, trying to be
dignified And although it was hard
work he was determined not to give ur
and play. So he finally went into the
waiting room and seated himself on
one of the long settees that ran around
the room.
"'Taint no matter if lie down a min
ute," he finally said to himself. They
do sometimes and he stretched hi!
heavy shoes and red stockings out or
: the seat, and tried to look as long a
possible.
, The afternoon was very warm, and :
} drowsy feeling was in the air. A biz
bottle-fiy came buzzing monotonousll
: around the window nearest Patsy. TIL,
sound of the mowers scythes in tn
neighboring fields came floating in upol
a the stiffness. The crickets, too, chirpet
their sleepy song.
d | think it must have been the blende,
e hum of all these sounds, mingled wit
r the excess of dignity that Patsy wa
trying to bear up under, that did ii
Q Anyway, in about two minutes from tn
= time Patsy lay down he was SCUM.
+ asleep.
A long time after, he was awakene
by gruff voices and steps on the plat
b form. The first words he heard caugh
v his attention. ssFhat'n be the end c
r that bridge! An as for the train
s whe-e-wpf
'.Are We sure the Grand Mogul II b
o on the train? 1t nd be a pity to smas
!, up the train for nothin'. =
], 'Sure, is itp An didn't I hear hiI
q say for sure he'd be on that trainP L
pay him for turnin' off his honest hell
r When they strike them rails where ther
II isn't any"
i Come, come" replied the othe
n nervously, .We'd better be gettin' OF
: O. this. We don't want to be caugl
within five miles o. that Perry Bridge.
Is "'Sh! don't talk so loud. You don
n s'pose the kid in there can hear, &
n you?n
I, Sound asleepr' was the answe
II Besides he's too little to know VIII
J. it means. Come, come, hurry Ar
g then Patsy heard the footsteps as thu
o crunched on the grayelly railroad trac
n For few minutes Patsy lay still. T
n had heard the talk only as one hea
in a dream, but soon the words can
n back to him with a terrible meanin
lie "It 'ud be q pity to smash up Il
a train" when they strike them RAJ
in where there isn't anyr'
ie Patsy, young as he was, had hea
he all manner of stories about accident
N how wicked people win sometim
D. wreck whole train. killing scores
Of people, to crafty a spite against o.
ID man. Might this not be what W
ar meant by these rough mems talk?
le Perry Bridge? It was mile below t
q, station in an unfrequented, swampy ]
at gion. o dear! what could such lit
a fellow do? All his pomposity had va
"a ished. He now felt himself to be a We
t. small boy indeed. If his mother wou
Of only come. Patsy was one of the
Il boys who believe in their mother, b
he felt sure she would know jllst WI
to do. But she didn't appear. Pat
in got up and stepped carefully to I
" door. Looking up the track he cot
see the forms Of 1--WE tramps disappe'