The Van Buren press., 1895-02-16
CHivALRY UNREWARDED.
The scaly Trick of Conscienceless Ceun.
try Huckster.

The Scaly Trick OF u COnscienceloss CeuA.
try Huckster.
1t was o'clock one Thursday night.
The shades of uight had settled over
Third street. A few hours before
brokers, intent upon turning a hand
some deal in stocks or bonds, were
rushing madly along the street, and
delivery carts and big transfer wagons
were rumbling over the stony pave.
ments. All was life and hustle and &C.
tivity.
But now the street was silent and
deserted Not even the musical cry OF
a newsboy was heard in the vicinity Of
the Merchants exchange. The only
sound that shattered the stiffness was
the numbering Of solitary huckster's
wagon that was humping its way
south over the pavement across Oliver
street
1t was country huckster's two.
horse wagon, arched with hickory
bows and covered with muslin, and
loaded to the guards with choice as
sortment Of potatoes, eggs, butter, cab
bsge heads, pecans, chickens, ducks
and geese. A brown, curly-haired dog,
which was tied to the rear of the wag.
ON with a small chain, trotted along
under the hind axle, apparently
as contented with the panicky world
as the honest, weather-beaten old far
mer who held the reins over the horses
and urged them on with a friendly
"git-ep!"
The silence of the night was dis
turbed by sudden crash of broken
timbers and butter crooks accompanied
by the cacl1ling of chickens and geese,
and the loud quacking of ducks. The
right hind wheel of the country huck-
ster's wagon had broken down, and the
rear end of the wagon bed had fallen
with mighty crash on the stony
pavement. The curly-haired dog, with
that peculiar quickness of instict given
him by nature, knew there was danger
above when the crashing first begun,
and he jumped backward to the full
length of his chain just in time to save
his life.
But above the cackling of the geese
and chickens and the quacking of the
ducks there was heard pitiful cry
like that of woman. Three or four
brave firemen came running over from
Engine-house No. 20. near by, and a
half dozen belated pedestrians ap-
peared on the scene. The pitiful cry
of the woman came from beneath the
debris of the broken-down wagon and
its load of truck
"Is that a woman under there?''
asked one Of the fremen.
"Yes," replied the old huckster, who
was highly excited and entirely beside
himself.
The brave firemen ran hurriedly to
the engine-house and brought over the
jack-screws to hoist the wagon and re-
lease the poor woman, who was i'm.
prisoned beneath the debris of broken
wheels and crooks and chicken coops.
All this while the pitiful cry could be
heard, and the firemen worked with
great haste in hoisting the wagon in
order to save human life.
In jiffy the wagon was raised and
the debris cleared away, when out hob
bled an old gray goose, still squaking
and giving that pitiful cry.
"Where's the woman?" asked one ot
the firemen.
The old huckster, who had now re.
gained his senses and knew what he
was saying, replied: "Why, mister,
thur amt no woman under there!'
Then everybody laughed, and the
curly-haired dog looked up and
wagged its tail.
The firemen carried their jackscrews
and fit of disgust back to the engine
house. Each one is still wondering il
that old huckster is ''nobody's geese. y
st. Louis Republic.