Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1898-11-11
CROOKED JOE.

Il - poor little Joe Bryan had scarce
ly known any other. He could not re-
member when the long waiting rooms
with their tiled floors and dIeary rows |
of stationary settees, and crowds OF
hurrying people. We're not quite as fa-
miliar to him and more homelike than
his mothers small, bare house. which
he knew as little more than a place for
eating and sleeping.
He had been only six months old
when dreadful accident happened
which, at one fell stroke, made him
fatherless and transformed him from
strong, well-developed infaat TO piti-
full creature, which even death refused
to take.
What pity that 1t was not killed
! outright" said everybody but the
mother. She herself always insisted
| that only her constant watching over
the little pickering life kept her from
going mad in the first dreadful months
of her bereavement.
The officers of the railway company
were kind to poor Mary Bryan. They
paid the expenses of the burial. aud.
after little Joe had slowly mended, en,-
ployed her about the depot to scrub
floors and keep the glass and woodwork
bright and neat
When Joe was seven years old his
mother sent him to school. He went
patiently day after day. making no
plant but she awoke suddenly one
, night to find him sobbing on the pillow
beside her. Only by aint of long coax
, ing was she able to find out the cause
of his grief. Some of the rougher boys
more thoughtless than cruel, let us
hope-had called him "humpy.' and
= asked If he carried bag of meal Oh
:. his back.
;. Mary famed with the fierce anger OF
:. motherhood. You shan't go another
=, day." she declared. The rutfians.
won't have my darling put upon by tn,
a likes of them"
- So Joes schooling had come to M
untimely end. Yet, meager as was hi
stock of book learning. the develop
ment Of his mind far outstripped tn
growth of his stunted and deforme'
body. Everybody liked the patient III
tie fellow. Juggling manfully at hi
mothers heavy water buckets and rur
ming willingly at every call of the sta
ton men. At twelve years old he ha
picked up no small amount OF informs
!. ton. especially on railroad topics. III
knew every locomotive on the roat
understood the intricacies of sidetrac6
and switches, and could tell the precis
:, might be expected, with the accurac
-, OF a time table.
Nv Yet the very quickness and ardor {
his nature deepened his sense of his Il
trinity. How wistfully his eyes Il
lowed boys of his own age-straigl
handsome. happy-who sprang light
al M and down the steps of the coach
: or threaded their way along the crow
OF I'd platforms. For one day of such l't
pit feet untrammeled life he would ha
eV- bartered all the possible years befo
wo him. Yet he never put his yearni
into words-even TO his mother.
Mr.. Crump. the telegraph operate
was Joe's constant friend. 1t was
who. at odd moments. had taught t
boy TO read. and had initiated him II
some of the mysteries OF the click
instrument, which to Joe's imaginau
mind seemed some strange creatt
with a hidden life OF its own.
It was growing towards dark on
November afternoon. Joe-neyer
unwelcome yisitoi-sat curled NJ II
corner of Mr.. Crump's office. watt
for his mother 10 finish her work.
was spelling out. by the fading liz
the words upon page OF an illuStra
newspaper. quite oblivious of the ii
ing. like that OF very jerky and rh
- matte clock, which sounded in
loas room.
80 Mr., Crumr. too. had paper bef
him. but his ears were alive. Sudde
he sprang TO his feet, repeating all
the message which at that mon
flashed across the wire.
7 Of Engine No. 10 running wild. u
sits, the track,
,hle, He rushed to the door shouting
five news.
the Not a second to spare. She'll
oft. down in seven minutes.
thod The words passed like lightning.
INN. a moment the yard was In wild
motion. Men few hither and thit