San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1889-08-01
WILLIE LEE.

| LIS ualuc was Willlo Lee DuC no one
thought of calling him Willie except his
sister. Willie was poor and homely,
His hair was what might DO called d
blue white, his eyes were pale and with
out expression, and he was altogether Q
very plain person. He and his sister
Mary had q little house in the outskirts
OF the city near the car barns. His close
proximity to the barns doubtless was
what led him to think he would become
car conductor. At any rate, he did
become one, and Mary, as she used ia
be wedding in her little garden beside
the street, would look up and see him
pass and say to herself:
"Now, don't he just look fine with
those blue clothes and brass buttons2'
His sisters eyes could not see that the
navy blue of the clothes painfully
brought out the sickly pallor of his face
and made his sleepy eyes DINNER. To
her he was handsome and the uniform
made him handsomer. Mary was partial
to uniforms. There was policeman in
OlltU olplll ~ lOl WllOlu Blu lllc Rl
est regard, and in the evening when she
would go out to watch for Willie's car
going by on its last trip the policeman
used to come and hang over the gate and
she would tell him what good boy Will
lie was.
The men at the barns did not know
much about Willie. He never met at
their gatherings in the Office and stables
and sung and danced and joked as the
others did. Half of them did not know
his name. but the time keeper said his
car was always on time and the nickels
he turned over were always right in
number.
Willie's passengers did not like him
either. They said be opened and left
open the door in winter and shut it in
the heat of summer. He made them sit
close on the seats, and gravest offensc Of
all he would make the men so inside the
car when there was room instead of
standing on the rear platform in a crowd.
All this served to make him unpopular,
still he mover violated rule of the COM
pany, and the keenest "spotter" could
never have reported him for single mis-
demeanor.
Willie did not like girls. He used to
say to Mary, "Girls are a nuisance.
wouldn't let one of them get on my car
if l could help it." There was no use
trying to get up Irritation with Willie,
he was adamant. A neighbor, rosy
checked Rachel Moore. had loved Willie
ever since they were children and played
in the dust of the road before the city
had moved down to them. Willie liked
Rachel, too, after a fashion, very much
as he loved Mary, but he never thought
Of marrying her or any one else. Mary
used to say to him, "Willie, suppose
should die, what would you do for :.
Mary didn't think OF
lying, she was thinking of the police
nan, and Willie would answer, "Don't
ak about such absurd things, Mary"
That was all the satisfaction she ever re-
,eived.
Yet it was through girl that Willie's
ife was changed. How these women do
,hange our lives, some in one way and
iome in anotherI Willie was supersti-
ious. He said he was unlucky every
ime he ran ON car No. 113 A man
lad shot himself in it once. and another
lad fallen off the front platform and bro
ten his leg, and Willie was always hav-
ng trouble when lac was on IL.
One February dag car ll3 started frOir
he barn at its usual hour with Willie
.ee as conductor. Everything went on
7en all day and Willie was hattering
imself that he was going to escape i'll
lck for once, but she turks around us
-hen we arc least conscious Of her pres
nee. 1t was nearly night and a rain set
!, a rain that froze TO everything and
lade the track very slippery. A young
ldy who often went down on Willie's
lr asked to be left OF at the avenue and
Willie rang the bell
She stepped Of, but rs fate would (,
ave it another car was coming from ,
&c opposite direction, the track was
ippery, a new driver was managing
ie brake, and instead of Stopping. as is /,
&c usual etiquette IN such a case, the +,
II came On. Willie standing On the 1,
ep took in the situation a. a glance. ,
d though be was aiuavs slow be made +,
Is the exception. lie jumped from the /,
r and almost threw tie girl from the /.
ack just in time b save her. but he
.pTed and fell and vss ground under :
e horsas- fesf and the cruel ubesls
IN TIE czr soPTe5 ard TIE p1ssen /,
- cr0sded out arsi zroand him J,
bs dad. o. il be dezis- criei the :
r uhon he had ssred. and she lrcli !