Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1891-10-17

cause Of his grief Some OF the -oughet
boys-moTe thoughtle,s than cruel, lei
Us hope-hal called him ,Hunpy, ana
asked if be carried bag of meal oa bis
back
Mary f4mz with the fierce anger oi
| motherhood.
"Ycu shan O. another day" She de
clagel. Fine rnilisn,, | Won't have
my darlin' pat opo4 BY tae like, Of
| them
| So Joe's schooling hal come to an IN,
timely end. Yet, mea-re as WAS bis stock
Of book learning, the development 0!
his mind fag ogt-rppel tie growth or
his s.nntel aud defornel BODY Every.
body liked tie patient little fe.low, tu5
ging manfully at his mothers hcays
water buckets and running Willingly
every call Of the station 'ne.,. \. t.v>.s
year. old be hai gic>ed -. ~
amount Of information, csqeeialy Oh
tailroad topics. II" Enew every loeono-
tive GA the road, understood t,le u.fi
racios ot siirtfaass aasl switches,
lnd could tell The precise mo
ment whcn any particular train might he
expected with the accuracy Of il time
table.
Yet the very quickness AMI arlor d
his nature deepeuei his sense of his IN
trinity. The glances cast upoa him By
stranger eyes, some pltiful some curious,
others, alas. expressive Only oi anno ~
ances or disgust, ranAled like 50 many
arrows IN his heart; not one missed its
marx. lIow wistfully lis eyes followed
boys Of his own age straight, hand.
some happy sprang lightly Up and
down the steps Of the coaches, or
threaded their way along the crowded.
platforms. For one day Of such perfect,
untrammelleI life lie would have bar
tered all the possible years before him
Yet he never put his ycarning into
words, even TO his mother
"Croohed Joc's rum 'un,' said one
OF his rough acqualntanccs. 'iIe senses
his trouble we'll enough bat he don't let
on to nobody
Nj. Crump, the telegraph. operator,
was Joo's constant friend. 1t was he
who, at odd moments had taught the
boy to read, and bad Initiated him into
some Of the mysteries of the clicking IN
strument which to Joc'S imaginativ We
mind seemed some strange creature with
q hidden life Of zits own
II WAS growii:, toward dark one No
vember afternoon. Joe-nevcr IN un.
welcome visitor-sat curel III a corner
Of Mr. Crump's Office, waiting for his
mother to finish her work lie was Ia
boriously spelling out, by the fading
light, the words upon page OF an illus
t,atcl newspaper, quite oblivous Of the
ticking, like that Of very jer'ly and
rheumatic clock, which sounded in the
, room.
5 Mr. Crump, too, had paper before
t him, but his ears were alive. Suldenly
he spra9g to his feet, repeating aloud the
/. message which that moment t1ashcu
along the Wire.
Y Engine Ne. 10 raunin5 wild
Clear track. "
lie rushed u the door,, shouting til.
> news.
y Not !. second to spare. shcn b
! down ia seven miautesI'
, The words passed lslc lightning i
/. moment l;jle yarl was in will coin
! motion. Men tiew hlther aua tnltu.r
e yard engines steamed wildly away, III
. svitchc, closiu5 behind them,
# The main tTacz was barely cieares
n when 110 came in sight, s"ayin5 from
;, side to side, her wh@els threatening I
J leave tic track at each revoution. SA-
y passed the depot hk" meteor, her b :!
i Changing with every leap OF the N,pn
! the steam escaping from he. w:.i-,lc viz
the cont:nuoa, Shrek 81 ]. demon, an
) the occupants Of the cab wrapped fro.
view in cloud Of smoke.
:, Some hundred rods beyond the depo
the track to5h Il share upward trrtde