St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1896-12-18
NUMBER lO7'S CHRISTMAS.

Boy plunged his cold little fingers into his
pockets and sat swaying and jolting,
too, and making up his story OF the
others. There! the Crusty Man had
gone to sleep and his gold.bowed glasses
were slipping down his nose.
Lucky he's got hip-roofed nose, the
Lonesome Boy thought.
"Tbatll stop em--no,-yep, they're
stuck"
Across the aisle diaponally the Family
children were getting drowsy, too-all
but WiPgles,
Amt he daisy, though" ran on the
Lonesome Boys thoughts. "He'sshifted
seats with the Ready One more'n dozen
times since last time We stopped. |
counted EN- off on my hands spell, till
| used all my fingers and thumbs up.
There he goes again Amt she daisy
Wonder how fellow feels havln Ready
One for a sister, like that?'
The Boy drew up his stunted figure
straighter and made distinct effort to
keep his fine assumption of Importance
and dignity unimpaired. Anyhow, he
was travlin' alone like the grown-up-
pest of 'em-like the Crusty Man himself.
Nobody took care OF him! And uncon-
sciously his fingers crept from his pocket
up to the little blue ticket in his hat
band. Finding it there all right, they
crept back again,
"Wiggles couldn't do it-huh | should
smile! Nor she couldn't neither, the
Ready One couldn't They have to be
mothered an molly-codded. The Fam
ily's mother was "moly-coddling" the
baby, in trying endeavor to get him to
sleep. She held him on her knees and
kept fitting up on her toes and coming
down heavily on her heels. Evidently
the baby preferred harder jolting than
even No. lO7 could furnish. His tired
wall sounded shrily above the hum and
din of the train and woke up the Crusty
Man, who looked over his shoulder, an
noyed.
Hes mad again-crcky Don't he
scowl Last time twas the Old Maid
ruffled him up with her everastin' knit.
tin'-work an countin' up real loud
Thread over twice, knit three, purl-
thread over twice, knit three, purl.
Amt he got good ears? guess he buys
his stockin's ready-made; guess nobody
ever used knittin' needles to his housed
The Old Maid sat right behind the
Crusty Man and right in front OF The
Boy. She had tucked her knitting away
in her bag and was rolling her shawl into
a pillow 1t bothered her good deal anC
was no sooner adjusted under her heaC
than it slipped out and down over the
seats back. The Lonesome Boy picked
it up promptly and the Old Maid Leaned
over to receive it. Their heads came to
gether with crash and the Boy saw
stars. Whatever the Old Maid saw, shC
laughed little laugh with a pleasant
sound and said something that the Boy
could not of course, on account of his dig
nifty and the blue ticket in his hat, re
peat If he treasured it up in his heart
he Au,,, b,,C;pacc
All the time No. 107 plowed on. Tn
snow blew against the windows witt
gusty, wild monotony The Lonesom
Boy, by peering between his hands, coul'
family discern flying ghosty trees ant
telegraph poles and snow-snow-snow
He shivered and pulled down his blind
The brakeman was balancing himself o
the seat-arms, Lighting the lamps an
whistling gayly. The conductor iollowe
and they exchanged jokes occasionally
At the front of the car they sat down t.
gether and the Lonesome Boy put thel
into his story.
"The conductors got wrinkles roun
the corners of his eyes-look at EN- whe
he laughs guess he's got some CHI
dren at home, an he's gon' to see e
soon-that's why he don't mind Il
snowin' and BLOWN. | guess there
about six Of EN- and one of ems bal
that he filings up into the air an sets
shoutin'. An mebbe the biggest ones
boy-mebbe he's some like me. Wond
how that would feel! The brakem;
amt married. guess he lives with l
mother somewheres, in a littlesh viii
house with green blinds, an ! guess S
knits his stockin's for him. He wouldt
mind the Old Maids Thread over twi
knit three, purl-poh, no! | guess h,
goin' home to spend Christmas; tina
what he's cheerful over"
The Family baby had gone to sic,
and the patient little mother was &C
ding the Twins. She had them both
her lap and rested her chin lightly f,
on one little rumped head and then
the other. Back and forth, back a
forth, she kept swaying, grooming to tn
drowsily. The Lonesome Boy slipped
the end of his seat to listen.
"Crcky! that would feel queer, y
bet" he murmured His own tired lit
face quivered, and he was obliged to
tify his dignity by another touch of
blue ticket.
The Ready One had all she could do
see to Wiggles. She put her arm rot