The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1889-09-18
THE YELLOW WHEELS.
BY MARIANNE DE WOLF PERRY.

Joe Jeffus drove a coal team, a great
numbering two-horse coal team, and every
day of his life, "Sundays excepted, y
perched 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 coal, and Joe
had found out that the easiest haul there
and back was along the fine broad avenue
where those who owned trotters speeded
them, and those who did not sat upon the
fences and made disparaging remarks.
But of all those who flew past Joe as he
labored along the road, not one excited
his ire half so much as a man with "yel-
low wheels"
Sometimes it was a horse of one color
and sometimes of another, Sut always
''yellow wheels" Joe Just hated the
very sight of him. He was so well
dressed, he was so 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 epithets
that he had learned in the army.
Joe Jeffus had driven team of some
kind ever since he could remember, and it
was therefore most natural that he and
the war maturing about the same time, he
should enlist as wagner and become a
driver of mule team.
He saved his bounties and his pav and
at the close of the unpleasantness con-
cluded to settle down and 90 to work.
But he missed being under orders, and
looking about him, wooed and won his
next-door neighbor, fragile little
hght-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 a head of youthful, manly
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 a time as he climbed
up the dingy stairs to his attic home.
The 'little woman, tho, had proved on
the whole, a good investment Every
month little 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
green?"
Aud then Joe would light his pipeand
go down and sit upon the doorstep, and
think, always think about the ''yellow
wheels
Now this feeling was not so very
strange after ALL for into everybody's life
at some time or other, in some way or
another, there enters something very,
very nearly akin TO the man with "yel-
low wheels.n Aud so it came to pass
that one day succeeding the time-worn
wish from his tired wife, that, thunder
ing along the avenue, he canght 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 teams; he had taken in
the situation at a glance. The yellow
wheels could be rasped and cut into by
the end of his clanking whiffle-tree, if
the man didn't pull out literally upon the
sidewalk. Now Joe could clear him Just
as well as 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 and
on came Joe, his face blacker than usual,
threatenings and slaughter in his heart
and evil in his eye. In less time than it
takes to tell it the heavy whitile- tree was
playing hide-and-seek among the yellow
spokes; 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, un-
concernedly, face to the front, was clank-
ing along the road. Very soon Joe
knew the man was coming for him; he
heard the horses hoofs nearer and near
er, and now the ''yellow wheels" were
ahead of his team.
81 say" said the man, "what did YOU
do that for2"
$50 long, answered Joe, apparently
to his horses, really to the man.
81 say, repeated the man, ''what did
you do that fort"
And then Joe, using the most forcible
expression he had learned in his army
days, asked him if he thought that he
and his --- yellow wheels owned the
whole street
The man with the "yellow wheels"
Kept his place alongside, but seemed bur
led in thought.