The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1889-08-29
SELECTED.
1HE MAN WITH THE YELLOW
WHEELS.
BY MARIANNE DE WOLFE PERRY

B> MARIANNE DE WOLFE PERRY.
Joe Jetius drove coal team, great
| numbering two-horse coal-team, and every
day of his life, Sundays excepted.
perchod high above his business, he thun.
dered with his dusky load through the
streets of the busy town. One large con.
Germ used quantities of soft black coal
and Joe had found out that the easiest
haul there and back was along the fine
broad avenue where those who owned
tfotters speeded them, and those who did
not sat upon the fences and made dispar.
aging remarks.
But of all these who flew past Joe as he
numbered along the road, not one excited
his ire half so much as a man with vel
low wheels"
Sometimes it was horse of one color
and sometimes another but always ''yel-
low wheels" Joe just hated the very
sight of him. He was so well dressed, he
was so self contained, his team was SO
spick aud span, and he drove so well, that
to himself Joe had wasted upon him al
the choice epthets that he had learned In
| the army
Joe J, iius had driven team of some
kind ever since he could remember and il
was therefore most natural that, he anC
the war maturing about the same time, he
should enlist as a WAGNER and become
the driver of u mule team,
He saved his bounties and his pay, and
at the close of the unpleasantness con
e!e7le! 70 s4tna Aewn- AMI ga To work
1 But he missed being under orders, and
looking about him, woocd and won his
ncXt-door neighbor, u fragile little light
haired factory girl, and swore allegiance
to her for life.
His hands and face were not black and
grimy then, and his dark curly hair
crowned head of youthful. manly
beauty.
Youth had long since gone from Joe
the little light haired girl had become q
delicate. ailng woman, and his hear
sank many and many time a. he climbe,
up the dingy stairs to his attic home
rhe "litte woman" though, had provet
on the whole a good Investment. Every
month title from his pay went into TIL,
great stone savings bank in the centre oil
the town.
Wouldn't the time ever come the lit
tie woman kept asking, "when they coult
buy the little corner lot they could Sc,
from their windows, and over which the
soft summer breeZes coming up from tht
river kept the grass and trees so greenf
And then Joe would light his pipe anC
20 down and sit upon the doorstep, anc
think, always think about the yellow
wheels"
Now this feeling was not so strange af
ter all, for into everybody's life at som,
time or other in some way or another
there enters something very, very nearly
akin to the man with yellow wheels
And so it came to pass that one day sue
ceediug the time worn wish from his tirec
wife, that, laundering along the avenue
he caught sight of his enemy.
He had pulled up toward the Sidewalk
to see man. A line of heavy wagons
was coming in the opposite direction
Joe kept bearing closer and closer down
upon the yellow wheels, away from the
approaching team; he had taken in thu
situation ut u glance. The yellow wheels
could be rasped and cut into by the enc
of his clauking whlpple-trce, If the mat
didn't pull out literally upon the sidewalk
Now Joe could clear him just rs well IL
not if he wanted to; but he didn't.
Unconscious of all this, the owner OF
the "yellow wheels" laughed and talked
with his friend on the sidewalk. On anC
on came Joe, his face blacker than usual
thr atcnings and slaughter in his hear
and evil in his eve In less time than il
takes to tell it the heavy whipplc-trcc wa
PLAYING hide-and-seek among the heavy
spokes; the horse had jumped ant
backed. almost thrown out the man
knocked his hat on in the mud and III
one foot squarely upon it, while Joe, un
concernedly. face to the front, was clank
ing along the road. Very soon Joe knew
I,l f1r m h,a "a T. 4
the horses hoofs nearer and nearer, ant
now the yellow wheels" were ahead OF
his team.
81 say said the man, what did you dc
that folY"
go long" answered Joe, apparently
to his horses, really to the man.
al say" repeated the man, what did yol
do that for?
And then Joe, using the most forcibl'
expression he had learned in his army
DAYS, asked him If he thought that he an(
his yellow wheels owned the whole
street. The man with the yellow
wheels" kept his place alongside. bu
seemed buried in thought.
, Two things were open to him; he coult
demand that Joe come down from his
perch and settle it then and there IN thu
old fashioned way, or he could get thu
number of his cart and make it disagree
able for Joe later on.
Looking at his damaged hat, which wa'
not cheering sight to see, and at hi'
lovely, disilgured wheels he gathered VI
his reins and flew down the road.
And Joe; 1t was the happiest momen
of his life just then. The consciousness
of having hurt his enemy crowded out al
other thoughts for the time; but the hau
was still long one, the sun very warm
the horses tired and listess, and Joe be
pan to wonder If after all, he hadn't made
a fool of himself to say the least9 VIVA
would the tired little woman say who new
er had heard of those yellow wheels" II
he should tell her what he had done? Ant
then he wished his favorite wish, that h,
had never been born.
"You must get her out of this said The
doctor to joe "She tells me she has {
few hundred dollars saved up in the bank
and she longs for little home Of hel
own. Stairs are killing things fol
women. Can't you buy lot and build I
little house for her? see that there ar,
some lots for sale over there" and The
doctor pointed to the corner lot that the
little woman had looked upon so wistfulll
where, from her dingy attic windows. she
could see few stunted willow trees wav,
In the summer breeze.
ut would cheer her up" continued thu
doctor, " through the coming winter tt
think about it, and you could have her Ii
1t by next fall"
ii will try" said Joe. give got lit
tie left from my bounty and my pay tina
never touched, and she don't know
about. We might" he said, "do 1t to
gether;" and he climbed up to his higl
seat and started off with his load of coal
What had become of the "yellov
wheels?" Since that day he had neve
laid eyes on the man, or on the wheels
1t had worried Joe, 1t seemed to gnaw q
his hard, unfeeling heart, and his min
had been very soon made up to tell hir
how sorry he was, and pay him for tn
damage.
what are you doing, joel" said tn
little woman, ~ Joe the next morning
"fxed himself up" and put on his Sunda
clothes.
II ain't going to work to-day" said Jo'
"l've got business down town." An