The Advocate and news., 1898-05-18
Written for the Advocate and News.
TO1, A KANSAS BOY.
BY LENORE DOsTER.
Continued from last week)

Once the boy knocked Tom over and
started to run, but Tom jumped up and
caught him on the corner by the grocery
store and hammered him good till he
yelled. They fell down and rolled over
in the gutter among the street sweep
ings and banana peelings and here they
fought and punched each other viciOusly,
while crowd of street boys gathered to
see the fun" as they called it, The
butchers boy stopped with his basket
of steaks and a little newsbOy in the
crowd yelled up the street, Hi, dere,
Billy! Come see tn Hey Rube lick tn
city feller!"
"That's right, Tom! Hit i'm again!
Punch his facet" yelled Fred.
"'Taint no use; de hayseed's lOsn' his
wind" said the butchers boy.
"Oh, git out, Dutchey! De city kid
haint got no show. See how de hay
seeds punchin' i'm"
Just then Tom gave the city chap a
knock that sent him sprawlng along the
gutter and the crowd set up yell and
agreed that the kid" was done up"
His clothes were torn, his race scratched
and bleeding and his eyes full of dirt.
He got on his feet slowly and in his
anger at defeat hurled stone at Tom,
but it didn't hit.
ooh, that's your little game, Is it?''
said Tom, and he too picked up stone
and threw it, but the boy lodged and the
stone plOwed its way straight through
the grocer's window and glass flew in all
directions. Just then someone yelled,
Cheese it! Th' COp TIL cops commit"
and all the boys began to scatter in every
direction. The grocery man rushed out
angrily and before Tom could collect his
wits and start to run, too, he felt strong
grip on his collar, and a few moments
later Aunt Sarah, who was returning
from the meat market, turned the corner
just in time to see Tom, dirt, torn and
fearful, marching off down the street
in the grip Of policeman.
Late that night, after Toms aunt and
uncle had both gone to the station house,
many arguments and explanations had
been made and the broken window paid
for, very bruised and fearful boy lay in
his own bed at Aunt Sarah's. New York
was not the delightful city Tom had sup
posed, and moreover it seemed q most
fearful place in his estimation just then.
To get the Sheriff after him had been in
his mind too great and terrible misfOr-
tune to ever befall him, but it had really
happened, and now to have to live in a
town where gigantic policemen stood
around on all the corners and took boys
off to Jail for such little things as throw
ing stones and fighting was dreadful!
He was glad he had clicked" the boy,
but when he thought Of that policeman
and that Jail, all the glory of it vanished
and he sObbed quietly to himself under
the covers and wished he had never come
to such mean old place as New York.
Out on the farm the kids" could fight
and throw stones all they pleased with
out policemen meddling. How he did
wish himself at home in his own bed lis
tening to the chirp of the crickets in the
grass outside the window and the distant
bark of dogs across the prairie and could
feel the cool night breeze laden with the
sweet smell of the alfalfa fields! The
memory of the cool air, sweet odOrs ana
restful sounds was so soothing that the
recollection of the big red-faced "cop"