Delaware gazette and state journal., 1896-03-26
TWO-EOR-A-NlCKEL.


In every village there arc one or more
characters that impress you at once
with their utter worthlessness. Two
tor-a- Nickel was one of these. He
was boy of perhaps 16 loose jointed
and thin, with tallow face, washed
out blue eyes. and an air Of hstlessneas
and inertia, all of which made him an
object of contempt and derision among
tho boys, who probably christened him
Two-for r-a-Nickel as being more ex-
pressive Of minimum value than any
thing that suggested itself on the spur
OF the moment.
This name they gradually shortened
into Two a Nick and Two-for, and
finally into the monosylable Two,
until in the course Of time his real
name was wholly forgotten by the citi-
zens, young and old, possibly even by
Two himself. Two's parents lived in
little shanty in the extreme edge Of
the village, and were, IL possible,
more worthless than their offspring.
l do not think the boys ever really
maltreated Two. OF course we made
game of him numerically, but he bore
it all patiently. Perhaps it was
generally believed that his feelings
were not easily touched, Just as we
believe that tho hook does not hurt the
| fish. As the fieh cannot enlighten us
and Two-for a-Nickel never did, we
must forever remain in ignorance upon
the points.
In our village the railroad ran di-
rectly through the centre of the town,
a business street facing 1t on both
sides The arrival Of the express trains
twice day were tho most interesting
of all ordinary events. have known
the boys to leave a dog fight to so to
| tho train.
Unto Two-for- a. Nickel the steaming,
putting, painting monster was source
of everlasting delight. Now and then
some Of the other boys wore absent
Two never was. He would get up by
the engine and watch the kissing
valves, the great, red furnace as the
fireman shoveled in coal, tho ponderous
wheels and the powerful piston rod
with an interest that never tagged,
and which he accorded TO no other OBJ
ject living or inanimate. There was a
strange fascination in it all for Two. |
have wondered whether there was not
somewhere back in that unfathomed
brain, n silent chamber of genius,
where hidden treasures of mechanism
luN All uHhnOMn 10 US OF 10 nlUls
One summer morning the platform Of
the station was crowded. A good many
people were going away, and number
Of others were there to SEQ them off.
The boys were on hand in full force.
! did not see Two in the crowd. but
/ knew he would be there il he were
alive.
Among those who were going away
was young woman and two children
--one baby in her arms and the Other
a little girl of perhaps 3 years. She
was rather nervous woman, and was
somewhat worried about the checking
of her baggage, which the easy going
agent attended to very leisurely, hand.
ing her the checks just as the trair
rounded the curve a few hundred yardl
distant. Then suddenly she discovered
that the little girl was gone. She
called sharply and rushed about hastily
among the crowd. The child was no
where to be found. Every one had seer
ii u moment before, but no one hat
noticed it leaving. The train wal
within 80 yards of the platform. A
that moment there crept out from be
hind some empty barrels at the farther
end the little girl-out into the centr,
of the track, not 30 yards in front o
the laundering train. We heard tn,
quick reversing of the engine, but W,
knew it was too late. Some turnet
their heads. The mother tainted
Then all at once tall, thin figurt
tlarted across the end Of the platform
straight toward the unconscious child
tossing it with quick motion far int,
the weeds and nettles beyond the track
1t was saved, but under the might.
wheels-utterly worthless, indeed, nov
there lay all that was mortal of hin
: whom the boys had scorned and il
their mockery had ahristened Two-for
Nickel.