St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1899-05-03
your fortune in a Virgil. ;


'"The drummers began swapping
yarns again. After awhile the smoke in
the car began to make me sick. l was
only kid then, you know, and wasn't
used to it. Well, l got up to go in one
of the forward cars. The smoking car
was the last on the train. 1t was snow
ing, raining and hailing by turns, and
the wind was blowing gale AS
crossed the platforms from one car to
another my foot slipped on the icy
boards, and great gust Of wind carried
away my hat and nearly made me lose
my balance threw up my arms to save
myself and the Virgil slipped from my
hand and disappeared beside the track.
l was afraid of what my uncle would
say when l told him of my carelessness.
So | went forward into the farthest car
from the smoker and sat down in cor
ner. "
The boy stopped as if that were the
end of his story and idly rolled the cigar
in his fingers
"Well, said /, Ego on. Was your
uncle SO angry that he disinherited
your
mo, replied the boy slowly. 81
hadn't been in the forward car 20 min
utes when there was terrific crash
that smashed the windows and threw
me against the seat in front.
"An express train had come up be-
hind us and smashed into us, telescop-
ing the two rear cars. Uncle Sandman
and the two drummers were among the
killed The brakeman who had signed
the will escaped with only slight in
juries. .
well" | said, "that is quite a
yarn.
1.-THE day after the funeral" the
trainboy went on, ~ went back to the
nearest town to the place where the
book had been lost and walked up and
down the track for miles looking for
it,"
"You never found it2" | asked.
mo, but three months later | was
there again, and cotld not help look
ing along the side of the track as
walked, although of course | didn't
really expect to find it. met a small
boy. who asked me what | was looking
for asked him if he had ever heard
of any one who had found book near
there He said Yes, he knew a hoy
who had found one there early in the
spring. gave him quarter and made
him take me at once to the boy house.
The boy was at school, but | saw his
mother She said yes, Tommy had
found book beside the track, queer
book that none of them could read.
asked her if she would let me see it.
She said she had sold it to peddler fol
paper rags day or two after it was
found. She had never seen the peddlel
since. and | was never able to trace
him. The book may have been used NJ
in some paper mill, or it may possibly
have found it's way to some secondhand
bookstore | never pass secondhand
bookstore without going in to ask il
they have an old copy Of Virgil
"Uncle Sandman had left no Other
will He had never legally adopted me-
so had no legal claim on his money
1t was divided up among some cousins
whom he had not seen for years.
1.-THE brakeman who had witnessed
the will got me the place to sell paper
on the cars.
Just then the train stopped at a sta
tion. and number Of passengers go
on.
81 must go through the cars again. ;
said the boy. He picked up his pile o
magazines and went off "New month
} ly magazinesl This weeks comic pa
persl"
looked at the commercial travele
across the aisle. ''Do you suppose it,
true2" asked.
"Give it up" he replied. "If it's fic
ton, that boy will be writing for tn
magazines some day instead Of sellin!
them. Then he opened his book ant
buried himself in its pages.-L Ken
niston in Owl