The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1899-04-07
VOL. XLIV---NO IL
PA And FREDDIE ABROAD.

PA And FREDDIE ABROAD.
As q passenger train on the Hauni-
bal was pulling out a tall couutryman,
! incumbered with four bundles. a
scythe snath, an ak handle, a bag of
bananas and small boy, came out
of the depot and began to take his
bearings. Up and down the tracks
his gaze wandered, up and down the
long lines of coaches drawn up under
the sheds, and at last, as the rear
coach was passing him, he caughtsight
of the moving train.
Come on Freddie! Thar she goes!''
he yelled and began to transfer some
of his belongings from his right hand
| to his left as he ran. Freddie made
an amazing record for one whose legs
was SO short, and they were soon be-
side the steps on the rear end of the
last coach. There was man stand
Tg on the platform.
Hay, stop 'er,stop 'err' cried Fred
| dies pa. Put on that ar wind brake,
mister! Pull that ar rope up over
| your head and make 'er stopr'
But the man only reached down and
! swinging and dragging by turns in his
i stretch far enough to get his feet on
the lower step. Pa held on to him
with one hand and the man on the
platform finally succeeded in drawing
him up. Pa slung the banana bag af-
ter him. 1t slid on across the platform
and went overheard ON the other side.
Pa made leap for the steps, dropped
q bundle and stopped to pick it up.
The recovery of the bundle took but
second, but the train was getting
we'll under way and was tails length
ahead when he began the chase again.
One wild squirt, with his coattails
standing out behind him, reckless
] leap, and pa, too, was aboard, but a
| bundle containing an undershirt had
been lost in the tussle.
An employee of the depot picked the
| bundle up, and section man who
happened by appropriated the ban
anas to his own refreshment. The
crowd that had breathlessly awaited
the result of the race melted away and
the depot attendants, who had been
preparing to pick pa up with shoy-
els, went about their duties.
Half hour later very angry man
came prancing down the depot plat
form. He was holding small boy
by one hand, and the ends of an ak
handle and scythe snath protruded
from under his arm.
It was pa. He approached a depot
official and said:
why didn't you tell me that wasn't
the Wabash? l wanted the Wabash;
that's what wanted"
The official tenderly handed pa his
new undershirt and replied in the soft
tones that soothed the ruffled soul:
Il believe you forgot to ask me-"
HE RISKED IT.
He walked into the drug store with
hesitating step, and glanced ner-
vously at the rows of bottles with a
scared look in his pale blue eyes. After
! fidgeting about uncertainty for some
time, he at last caught the eye of the
clerk, and reckoning mysteriously,
led the way to a secluded corner by
| the cigar-case. where the clerk was
surprised by finding trembling fore
| finger hooked tenaciously into one of
| his button-holes and an eager face
| thrr.L suddenly almost against his.
What's the matter" asked the
clerk
81 s'pose you can lay your hand
right on the morphine bottle, can't
your said the stranger, in an anx-
ious whisper.
Yes, sir, certainly" replied the
astonished salesman.
"And | reckon if you was pushed
you could find the strychnine in a
minute or two?"
of course,
'Mebbe the arsenic hasn't got lost
or mislaid clear beyond findin', if you
| just he'd to, has it?'
"Assuredly not
| "An'the sugar of lead bottle couldn't
get away from you if it tried2"
mo. indeed"
"An' chasin' up the vitriol to its
lair would be just play for your
"Mv dear sir, of course l ain famil-
lar with all the drugs here"
"But s'posin' some of the other fell
lers had been changin' them around,
| just for a joke, you known"
| "What do you meanr
Suppose the bottles had got mix
ed?"
Impossible. Besides, everything
is plaily labelled"
| Am there amt no chance of your
palmin' off prussic acid for pepper
mint2n
Not the slightest"
| "Well, -half-a-notion-t
risk-it. Yes, you may give me five
cents worth of peppermint, young
man."