The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1889-02-23
THE MISSING PAGES.

THE MISSING PAGES.
Have you a paper, sirl Something
to read in the train, ma'am? Times
Herald, Sun. All the magazinesl"
But the people hurried past Johns
little stand into the station, as they
had done all the morning. Only two
papers sold, and here was noon
Profit two cents. On sunny days, his
sales were pretty brisk; but it was
drizzling. The thick air was fill Of
falling SCOT, and nobody cared to
stop to buy.
"No wonder they want to hurry
out of this horrible place." muttered
John, looking about at wet, dingy
houses, the pools of black mud
through which the horses tramped
and clouds of smoke rolling through
the streets. He thought of the sun
ny farm on which he was born, and
felt that he never could grow used to
this place. Two cents profit. Not
enough to buy a loaf of bread.
John thought of his mother, and
of the scanty breakfast which they
had eaten together in their bare gar
get, with it's windows opening on
sooty roofs. If he could but have
had a good trade, he might have car
ried nice little treat home to her.
But the crowd hurried past, and no.
body stopped.
Magazine, ma'am? Something
to read
The lady stopped. "Ah, your
books are dirty!" she said, dropping
the sooty magazine with shug.
As if he could help that! But he
began blowing away the SCOT for the
twentieth time that day. 1t was four
years since his father died, and he
and his mother had come down to
town; and in that time he had done
nothing but fight weekly against SCOT
and starvation.
He opened one of the story papers
for boys. There was sea story in
it; a boy goes off in the first chapter
as stowaway; in the third, ''the
gallant lad leaped upon the deck, and
the commodore clasped him in his
arms!" On the next page was an ac-
count of boy going home from
work, who arrived just in time to
scale the walls OF a burning house,
and rescue q child, for which daring
act he was the next day taken into
partnership by the child's father, a
millionaire.
"Soms fellows have such splendid
chancesl" said John, laying down
the book with a sigh. "Now I've
been here for years, nothing grand
or noble ever turns up for me to do.
Buy twenty-five papers daily; sell
them if lean. On Saturdays, buy the
weeklies; once o month the maya
zines. That's the heft of it, year in,
year out. How's a fellow to make a
living at that sort of work."
An old gentleman who had missed
the train sauntered up, and began
looking idly over the boys stock.
John watched him anxiously. II
he should buy one of the six bound
booksl Profit on each was a quarter
of a dollarl If he should buy one of
those, he could take home a littl e
treat to mother after all.
The boys eyes fairly glistened.
For, besides being fond ofhis mother,
he was hungry; and the smell offrfed
oysters and coffee from the stall near
was almost more than hecould bear.
The old gentleman took up one OF
the books, John thought he was GER
tainly going to buy one. What
should the treat be? A bit of fresh
meat? A mince pie? He decided
that steak would be- the best.
"Ahl here is a book which have
wanted for a long time" said the
gentleman. whats the price of
this, my boy?"
'Those are 81 each, sir"
"I'll take this. No, you needn, t
wrap it up. I'll read it in the train. T"
He laid down bright new dollar.
John could almost smell the deli
cious steak, and he thought of his
mothers starved face. They had
not tasted meat for days. But a
glance at the book, as the gentleman
dropped it into his satchel, caused
him to say family:
"Stop, sirl | did not see which one
you had taken. There are four leaves
missing in the middle"
"Too bad!"-throwing it down.
"The money please"
"Will none of the others suit?"
said John.
"No. / have wanted this book
for some time"
"You can have it for halt-price,
said John, eagerly.
81 don't want mutilated copy at
all"
John handed him back the money;
and, closing his satchel, the man
walked on a few steps, and sat down
in an open doorway to wait for his
train. He was a ruddy, fat old
gentleman, with a kindly, shrewd
Blue eye. Having nothing to do, he
thought the occurrence over leisure
ly.
"That's an honest lad" he said to
the proprietor of the store in which
he stood. "He might have cheated
me just now, but he did not"
"Who? John McTayish? AS hon
est as steel. He's been under my
eye now for four years, and know
him to be as truthful o lad as ever
born of Scotch blood"
Sum, uni" said the oldgenthman.
But he put On his spectacles, and
eyed John from head to foot.
The next day he stOpned at the