Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1889-10-02
" YELLOW WHEELS"
Joe Jeffus' Hatred for Them and
Their Owner.

Joe Jeffus drove coal team, great
numbering two-horse coal team, and
every day of his life, Sundays ex-
cepted," perched high above his bust
ness, he Numbered with his dusky load
through the streets OF the busy town.
One large concern used quantities OF
soft coal, and Joe had found out that
the easiest haul there and back was
along the fine broad avenue whore
those who owned trotters speeded
them, and those who did not sat upon
the fences and made disparaging re-
marks
But OF all those who few past Joe as
he labored along the road, not one ex-
cited his ire half SO much as a man
with yellow wheels"
Sometimes it was horse OF one color
and sometimes OF another but always
yellow wheels" Joe just hated the
very sight of him. He was so we'll
dressed, he was 80 self contained, his
team" was so spick and span, and he
drove so well, that to himself Joe had
wasted upon him all the choice cpl
thets that he had learned in the army.
Joe Jeffus had driven team OF
some kind ever since he could remem-
Der. and it was therefore most natural
that he and the war maturing about
the same time, he should enlist as a
WAGNER and become the driver of a
mule team.
He saved his bounties and his pay,
and at the close OF the unpleasantness.
concluded to settle down and go to
work. But he missed being under or
ders, and looking about him, wooed
and won his next-door neighbor, a
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, man.
ly beauty.
Youth had long since gone from Joe,
the little light-haired girl had become
delicate, ailing woman, and his
heart sank many and many time as
he climbed up the dingy stairs to his
attic home. The ''little woman"
though, had proved on the whole. a
good investment. Every month lit
tie from his pay went into the great
stone savings bank in the center Of the
town.
Wouldn't the time ever come" the
little woman kept asking, "when they
could buy the little corner lot they
could see from their windows, and over
which the soft summer breezes coming
up from the river kept the grass and
trees so greenp"
And then Joe would light his pipe
and 60 down and sit upon the door step,
and think. always think about the
yellow wheels"
Now this feeling was not so very
strange after all, for into every body's
life at some time or another, in soma
way or another. there enters something
very, very nearly akin to the man with
''yellow wheels" And 80 1t came to-
pass that one day succeeding the time,
worn wish from his tired wife. that,
laundering along the avenue, he
caught sight OF his enemy.
He had pulled up toward the side.
walk to see a 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
teams; he had taken in tho situation
at glance. The yellow wheels could
be rasped and cut into by the end Of
his clanking whifletree, il the man
didn't pull opt literally upon the side
walk. Now Joe could clear him just
as well as not II 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 side.
walk. On and on came Joe, his face
blscker than usual, threatenings and
slaughter in his heart and evil in his
eye. In less time than that il takes to
tell 1t the heavy whiffle-tree was play
ing hide-and-seek among the yellow
'pokes: the horse had jumped and
backed. almost thrown out the man,
knocked his hat off in the mud and
put one foot squarely upon it, while
Joe. unconcernedly. face to the front,
was clanking along the road. Very
soon Joe knew the man was coming
Tor him; he heard the horses hoofs
nearer and nearer, and now the "yel-
low wheels" we're ahead of his team.
II say" said tho man, what did
you do that forp"
Go long" answered Joe, appar-
emily to his horses, really to the man.
IL say" repeated the man, ~what
did you do that forp"
And then Joe, using the most fbrci-
BILE expression he had learned In his
army days, asked him IL he thought
that he and his yellow wheels owned
the whole street.
The man with the 'yellow wheels"
kept his place alongside, but seemed
buried in thought
Two things were open to him: he
could demand that Joe come down
from his perch and settle Il then and
there In the old-fashioned way, or he
could get the number OF his cart and
make IL disagreeable for Joe later on.
Looking at his damaged hat which
INA mt a ahoorf<e. .t~lt A.. -. 81 "A