The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-12-08
THE BOYS WAY.
He Paid His Street-Car Fare in a Way
to Attract Attention.
Washington Star.

Washington Star.
When this small boy on the Ninth-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, freckled-faced boy Of nine or ten,
and 1t seemed pretty safe TO assume that
he had the nickel necessary for a 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
looking at all at the good-looking women
in the opposite seats, and the women, also
as usual, endeavored to convey the i'm
preston that they didn't know there was
such a creature as a man within a hun
dred 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 a small boy in trouble, anyhow.
The boy plowed around in the lining of
the right-hand pocket of his shabby little
overcOat, screwing himself into many i'm
possible attitudes as he stood and wriggled
in the aisle, and, finally, after terrific ex-
ertion, he brought forth a penny, half
buried in a 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 it looked as If the
boy might get himself wrapped around an
invisible axis several times in such a man
ner 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 boys
movements a~nXiously.
Fare, there, SOM" said the conductor.
The boy gazed reproachfully at the con-
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 it a yank from bot
fDD, 70 tnn nnd fhan he dug into tho RIGHT
hand pocket Of his jacket. That pocket,
too. seemed to be liningless, and the boy
had to grope through it like a cat claw
ing for the exit of a bag. At length he
got TO the end Of it, 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 il
out as he had in getting it in. but it
clutched another cent when II 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 If TO say that
they wished the Internal business were
done with, but the others who were watch
ing the boys moves seemed sympathetic.
The boy next began a laborious eXplora-
ton of his right-hand knickerbocker pock-
ct. from which he produced and restowed
in his overcoat pocket many articles pc
culiar to boy-marbles, a piece of wax, a
rusty-looking knife, two or three printed
celluloid buttons, and so on-and at the
other 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. kid" said the con-
ductor, once more tackling the boy. The
boy handed him the four pennies from his
mouth, after very politely rubbing them
a very boyish grin:
az got the other one somewhere-wait a
minute, mister
Then the boy gazed up at the ceiling of
the car and studied for a 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 q 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 Id. 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 viO-
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
pocket of his overcoat. dumped the con-
tentS-abOut 81 In quarters, DtckelS and
dimes-into his hands and began counting
il, whereupon the passengers who had been
roofing for him but a moment before in
stantly froZe and looked at him as if they
considered him a bad lot and a boy bound
straight for states prison or worse.