The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1891-10-17

u sible years before him. Yet he never
/ put his yearning into words, even tc
his mother.
Crooked Joe's q rum'un," said ont
OF his rough acquaintance! HI
senses his trouble well enough, but hi
don't let on to nobody"
Mr.. Crump, the telegraph operator
was Joe's constant friend. Il was he
who, at odd moments had initiated
him into some of the mysteries OF the
clicking instrument, which to Joe's
imaginative mind seemed some
strange creature with hidden life Of
its own.
It was growing toward dark one
November afternoon. Joe-never an
unwelcome visitor-sat curled In a
corner OF Mr.. Crump's office. waiting
for his mother to finish her work. He
was laboriously spelling out, by the
fading light, the words upon the page
OF an illustrated newspaper, quite OBJ
livious OF the ticking, like that of a
very jerky and rheumatic clock, which
sounded in the room.
Mr.. Crump, too, had paper before
him. but his ears were alive. Sudden
ly he sprang to his feet, repeating
aloud the message which that moment
flashed along the wire.
Engine No. ITO running wild. Clear
track"
He rushed to the door, shouting the
news.
"Not q second to spare She'll be
down in seven minutes!"
The word passed like lightning. In
moment the yard was in wild COM
motion. Men flew hither and thither,
yard engines steamed wildly, away,
the switches closing behind them.
The main track was barely cleared
when ITO came in sight, swaying from
side to side, her wheels threatening to
leave the track at each revolution.
She passed the depot like meteor,
her bell changing With every leap ofthe
piston, the steam escaping from her
whistle with the continuous shrek OF
Q demon, and the occupants OF the cab
wrapped from veiw in cloud OF steam.
Some hundred yards beyond the de-
pot the track took a sharp upward
grade, from which it descended again
=. :!rika N,e nr,n:s cSs1ss, q narrow
but desp ahd rocky CO.. s.rs
Men looked after the flying locomo.
tive and then at each other with
blapched faces. -
They're g6he! A miracle can't save
EN-, said one, voicing the wordless
terror OF the rest. "If they don't fly
the track on the upgrade they'll 20
down as soon as they strike the
tresle."
The crowd began to run along the
track, some with vain instinct of
helplessness, others moved by that
morbid curiosity which seeks to be
Sin at the DEATH"
But look! Midway the long rise, the
speed of the runaway engine suddenly
slackens.
"What does it mean2 She never
could a. died out IN that time!"
shouted an old yardman.
Excitement winged their feet. When
the foremost runners reached the
place, the smoking engine stood still
in her track, quivering in every steel
clad nerve, her great wheels still whiz-
ring round amid q fight of red sparks
from beneath.
What did it2 What stopped herr"
The engineer, staggering from the
cab, with the pallid face of the fire.
man behind him, pointed without
speaking to where a little pale-faced,
crooked-backed boy had sunk down,
painting with exertion, beside the
track. At his feet a huge oil can lay
overturned and empty.
The crowd stared, one at another,
open-mouthed. Then the truth flashed
upon them.
"He oiled the track"
"Bully for crooked Joel"
"Three cheers! Hurra!hurra! hurra!"
They caught up he exhausted child,
flinging him from burly shoulder to
shoulder, striving with each other for
the honor OF bearing him, and SO, in
irregular, tumultuous, triumphal pro-
cession they brought him back to
the depot and set him down among
them.
pass the hat, pards" cried one.
1t had been pay day, and the saved
engineer and fireman dropped in their
months wages. Not hand in all the
throng that did not delve into a pock-
ct. There was the crisp rustic OF the
bills, the chink OF gold and silver coin.
"Out with your handkerchief, Joe!
Your hands won't hold it all! Why
young one-What?-what's the mat
teri"
For the boy with scarlet cheeks and
burning eyes, had clenched both small
hands behind his back-the poor,
twisted back laden with its burden OF
deformity and pain.
"Nol mol" he cried in q shrill high
voice. Don't pay mel Can't you see
what it's worth to me, once-just once
in all my life-to be OF little use-like
other folks9"
The superintendent had come from
his Office. He had his hand on the
boys head.
"Joe," he said, 1--WE couldn't pay
you If we wished. Money doesn't pay
Tor lives! But you have saved us q
great many dollars besides. Won't
you let us do something for your"
"You can't! You can't Nobody
can" The child's voice was a shrek.
It seemed to rend the air with the
pent-up agony OF years. There's only
one thing in the world / want, and no
body can give me that. Nobody can
ever make me anything but Crooked
Joel"