Wichita eagle., 1889-07-16
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WILLIE LEE.

sister. Willie was poor and hon2ely.
His hair was what might be called a
blue white, his eyes were pale and with.
out expression, and he was altogether q
very plain person. He and his sister
Mary had 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
a car conductor. At any rate, he did
become one, and Mary, as she used to
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 buttons?'
His sisters eyes could not see that the
navy blue of the clothes painfully
brought out the sicllIy 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 a policeman in
that suburb for whom she had the great
est regard, and ia the evening when she
would go out to watch for Willie's car
going by on its last trip the policeman
used to come ard hang over the gate and
she would tell him what good boy WI
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. Holt 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 ike 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 gravese offense of
all he would make the men go 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 be never violated rule OF the COM
paaly, and the keenest 'tspotter' could
never have reported him for a single mis-
deIneanor.
Willie did not like girls. He used to
say to Mary, "Girls are q nuisance.
wouldn't let one of them get on my car
If l could help It," There was no use
trying to get up a filtration with Willie,
he was adainant. 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 be never thought
of marrying her or any one else. Mary
used to say to him, ''Wilie, suppose |
should die, what would you do for
housekeeper?" Mary didn't think OF
dying, she was thinking Of the police
man, and Willie would answer, s'Donat
talk about such absurd things, Mary"
That was all the satisfaction she ever re-
ceived
Yet it was through girl that Willie's
life was changed. How these women do
change our lives, some in one way and
some In another Willie was supersti-
tiouS. He said he was unlucky every
time he ran on car No. 113. A man
had shot himself IN it once, and another
had fallen off the front platform and bro
ken his leg. and Willie was always hav-
ing trouble when he was on it.
One February day car 113 started from
the barn at its usual hour with Willie
Lee as conductor. Everything went on
well sll day and Willie was fiattering
himself that he was going to escape Ill
luck for once, but she turks around us
when we are least conscious of her pres
ence. 1t was nearly night and a rain set
in, rain that froze 10 everything and
made the track very slippery. A young
lady who often went down on Willie's
car asked to be left of at the avenue and
Willie rang the bell.
She stepped of, but as fate would
the opposite direction, the track was
slippery, a new driver was managing
the brake, and instead of stopping. as is
the usual etiquette in such case, the
car came on. Willie standing on the
step took in the situation at a glance, |
and though he was always slow he made |
this the exception. He jumped from the
car and almost threw the girl from the |
track Just in time 10 save her, but he |
slipped and fell and was ground under |
the horses feet and the cruel wheels !
Then the car stopped and the passen
gers crowded out and around him.
els he dead, o! is he dead?" cried the |
girl whom he had saved, and she knelt
down beside him. took off his cap and
brushed the damp hair back from his
forehead.
''No, he is not dead" said q policeman,
Mary's policeman, who happened for
once TO be where he was needed. He
lives just below here. We will carry
him TO the house." They picked him UP
and carried him gently into the little
Mary was overcome with
fright and would have tainted had not
'Teddie' been there to assure her that
Willie was all right, "only hurt a bit"
The next day the young lady whom
Willie had saved came down in her car
iage to see how he was. She swept in
through Mary's little kitchen like a
lueen. and Rachel. who was sitting on
he step of the back door, hooked at her
n anazement; at the long sealskin cloak
md the diamonds in her ears. My,
init she grandy' she said TO herself. Il
Wonder if Willie knew her before? ]
wonder if he would have jumped right
u front Of two great big horses and
ar if had been in her place." Jealous