Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1890-02-07

| ne trlt uttle shy and queer about u. Inc
only people around the station We're a man
with a wooden leg ana Mr.. Eugglcs. who
had green flag in his hand aud Looked
very sleepy. Presently the train came
along and stopped; but nobody got oil.
The man with wooden leg got ON, and
then the train went putting away down the
| line
Better lack next time, Billy said Mr.
Ruggles. a. he rolled up his flag. yawued,
and went into the station. Billy felt very
| fiat, somehow. But the next train Wa;
not due until 7.20, and he was glad enough
to go home and get his breakfast
When lac drove down town. after break
fast, the streets we're quite full of people;
and they all stared when they saw the
little donkey-curt with w. jerks E1-
| press" on it, aud W jerks himself sitting
| IN front driving, and looking as sober as a
| little Judge. 1t struck Billy as very odd
that nearly everybody he met should he
| laughing, There must be a great many
| Jokes going about that morning, he thought.
The 20 was a through train from the
| west Only two people got ont of it, bnt
one Of these-as Billy observed with much
| satisiaction-was an old gentlemen who
was carrying what seemed to be a very
heavy bag. Somehow, he could not bring
| himself to 20 up To the old gentleman and
say, in busness-like way, Baggage
/ .arriaI .sry''-v-Ii.h ha tullt-
| had made up his mind to do-and all that
he did to show anybody that there was an
express around, was to cry Whoa very
loudly to Jenny. As Jenny was standing
stock-still, she was very much startled
when Billy said Whoa" to her in that
unprovoked sort of a way.
Luckily for Billy, Mr.. Ruggles was wide
awake now, and saw how things were go
ing; So up he stepped to the old gentleman
and asked him with "A grin il he wouldn't
like the bag to be sent by express. Con
| sidering what a small matter had To he de
cided, they seemed TO talk about it n long
while; and Billy was sure that he heard his
fathers name mentioned. And the end of
| the talk was that the bag was put i'll the
! donkey cart, and the old gentleman-aiter
giving Billy the number of his house and
agreeing to pay quarter for the express
age-went by the short cut;and Billy drove
away with his first load OF express matter
asTproud as little king
When he reached the house, there was
| the old gentleman waiting for him; and he
told Billy to hitch the donkey and bring
| the bag inside The bag was very heavy,
| just AS much as Billy could stagger under
and he suddenly thought, what in the
world he would do if somebody asked him
to carry trunk2 He had not thought
about trunks when he started his express,
and now that he did think of them they
made him fairly shivcr!
When he deposited the bag inside the
hall, the old gentleman asked how much
there was to pay-ior he seemed To
have forgotten that he had been very par
ticular to get all that settled at the station;
and when Billy said "A quarter" he look
ed thoughtful and said that a quarter was
too much. 1t made Billy very uncomiort
able to have to ask for money at all, and
when the old gentleman spoke in that way,
he grew quite red i'll the face aud felt
more uncomfortable still. Very well,
sir, he said, you can pay anything you
please. Or-you needn't pay anything at
all, and he began to move toward the
door
''Stop!" said the old gentleman. That
isn't business
''No, it isn't" said Billy; "and it isn't
business to make bargain and then not
stick to it, | told you, down at the sta
ton, what you would have to pay for hay
ing your bag brought up; and if you didn't
want to pay for it, you ought to have said
so then. Il beg your pardon, sir; don't
mean to be rude, for it suddenly struck
Billy that this was pretty p-and- down
sort OF II way for a little boy To talk to an
old gentleman, but, you see, I'm not
running this express for fun; and if every
body did as you're doing, it wouldn't pay
to run it at all.
You're not running it for fun, eh' Then
what are you running it forf' asked the
old gentleman, and there was II pleasant
tone in his voice that quite took Billy by
surprise In the same friendly way he
went on and asked more questions, and
the long and short of it was that Billy told
him the whole story: How his father was
in trouble, and he wanted to help him; and
how they were going to live in the little
house, and his father was going to start II
| little store over by the New Row, and his
mother was going to give lessons upon the
| piano-in fact, all about things generally.
| OF course Billy did not mean to tell every
thing, in this way; but it was not until he
| he had finished, that he had realized he had
been telling his fathers plans to an entire
stranger Then he felt quite ilustered, and
said that it was time for him to go. The
old gentleman had become very much cX-
cited while Billy was talking to him. He
seemed to have forgotten all about the
quarter. He walked up and down the hall
and swung his arms around at great
rate; SD that when Billy said Good morn
ing to him, and came away, he did not
even look up. But he came running down
the steps, just rs Billy was getting into the
donkey cart, and said: "Hcrc's your
quarter, Billy jerks. You are good hoy.
You're going to work just the way ! did.
And, what's more, your father must be a
good man Then he went ON, but appar
emily speaking to himself rather than to
Billy, "Why, he's starting again just as |
started in 81 That's the sort on man /
like. He's got honesty and pluck in him.
Suddenly he gave the hitching post kick
and burst out: "Ges, I'll do it! I'll do it,
as sure as my name is ---.'
But Billy did not hear what his name
was, for when the post was kicked Jenny
started off with jerk that made the cart
rattle over the stones at great rate, and
completely drowned the old gentleman'5
voice 1t struck him that this certainly
was the queerest old gentleman he had
ever come across. lie concluded that the
old fellow must he little bit wrong in his
head.
The next train was due at ll;iO, and
Billy was on hand at the station to meet
it. But only two or three people got off,
aud none Of these had any baggage to be
carried. There was a big Irshman with
big satchel to he surc; but he swung the