Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-11-30
IT'S THE WAY OF A BOY |

10 tnE WAT Of n 0OI
When this small boy on the 9th street
car went into his clothing after his car fare
the other passengers betrayed little or no
interest In him. He was an ordinary, snub
nosed. freckied-faced boy OF nine or ten.
and It seemed pretty safe to assume that
he had the nickel necessary for ride or
he wouldn't have swung aboard, and so
the passengers paid little or no attention
to him. The men. as usual. occupied them
selves In pretending that they weren't look
ing at all at the good-looking women In the
opposite seats. and the women, also al
usual, endeavored to convey the impression
that they didn't know there was such q
creature as a man within hundred miles
Of them.
But when this small boy began to have
his troubles all hands got to looking him
over. Everybody, 1t would appear likes to
see small boy In trouble anyhow
The boy plowed around In the lining OF
the rfght-hand pocket Of his shabby little
overcoat, screwing himself into many Inn
possible attitudes as he stood and wriggled
In the aisle, and. finally, after terrific ex-
ertion. he brought forth a penny, half
buried In lot of woolly stuff from the
coat Then he turned his attention to the
lining OF the left-hand pocket Of his over
coat. After almost superhuman difficulties
In the process Of which 1t looked as II
the boy might get himself wrapped around
an invisible axis several times in such q
manner that he could never get right again.
he produced another penny, also plentifully
wadded In WOODEN lint belonging to the
overcoat.
A couple of elderly men who were read
ing papers side by side at the end of the
car began to get nervous. They pushed
back their spectacles and studied the bows
movements anxfously.
Fare, there, son! said the conductor
RaZed of he
ductor, stuck the two found pennies in
his mouth and continued his weird exer-
lions to assemble his fare.
He unbuttoned his overcoat by the sim
pie process of giving 1t yank from bot
tom to top, and then he dug into the right
hand pocket of his jacket. That pocket,
too, seemed to be liningless, and the boy
had to grope through it like cat claw
Ing for the exit OF bag At length he
got to the end of 1t, and an expression of
acute relief crossed his freckled features.
The hand was wedged In so tightly that he
had about as much trouble in getting 1t
clutched another cent when It finally made
its appearance. This went into his mouth
to Join the other two. At this point the
two elderly men coughed violently and
scowled at the boy. as II to say that they
wished the Internal business were done
with, but the others who were watching
the boys moves looked sympathetic.
The boy next began laboriOus explora-
CloH Oh MS rlSnt-ndnQ kulckeTDOckoF
pocket, from which he produced and re-
slowed in his overcoat pocket many arti-
cles peculiar to boys-marbles, a piece Of
wax, a rusty-looking knife, two or three
printed celluloid buttons, and so on-and at
the very bottom Of this salvage was yet
another penny. All the other passengers
except the two elderly men breathed signs
OF relief, but they wanted to read their
papers, and yet they couldn't while this
boy was engaged In his eventful search,
with the chances about even whether he'd
win out or not.
Fare, now, there kidr' said the con-
ductor. once more tackling the boy The
boy handed him the four pennies from his
mouth. after very politely rubbing them
off on his overcoat sleeve, and he said with
a very boyish grin:
II got the other one somewheres-wait
minute, mister.
Then the boy gazed up at the ceiling OF
the car and studied for moment, while
the other passengers-except the two elder
ly men, who looked ferocious-rooted for
him with all their might.
The boy felt tentatively of his left-hand
knickerbockers pocket, but it was plain to
see that he knew that was no go. For
about half a minute he looked worried, and
the sympathetic passengers worried along
with him, as could be seen by the tense ex
preston on their faces as they regarded
every movement of the boy with strained,
almost feverish, attention. Then the boy
reached into a back pocket of his knicker-
bockers, brought forth one Of those cellu-
loid travelling soap boxes, somewhat bat
tered, took off the lid, and there, buried
in a lot of junk, was the other cent.
The sigh of relief that ran around that
car was distinctly audible. The sympathet-
ic passengers, men and women, settled
themselves back in their seats and smiled
at the boy, and two or three Of them looked
as if they wanted to Jump up and suggest
cheers. The two elderly men coughed vfo-
lently again, readjusted their spectacles,
and began again on their newspapers.
Then the small boy sat down, took a neat
looking change purse from the inside pock-
ct of his overcoat, dumped the contents
about 81 in quarters, nickels and dimes-in-
to his hands and began counting 1t, where
upon the passengers who had been roofing
for him but a moment before instantly
froze and looked at him as II they consid-
cred him a bad lot and a boy bound
straight for states prison or worse.