Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1902-04-03
JUST ONE BOYS WAY
THE DRAMA THAT WAS ENACTED ON
A STREET CAR.
A Pocket Exploration That Held the
Passengers Breathless and Proved
Enaincntly Satisfactory to the Per-
slstent Youngstcr.


When this small boy on the Ninth
street car went into his clothing after
his car fare, the other passengers be-
trayed little or no interest in him. He
was an ordinary, snub nosed, freclile
faced boy of nine or ten, and it seemed
pretty safe to assume that he had the
nickel necessary for Il ride or he would
not have swung aboard, and SO the
passengers paid little or no attention to
him. The men, as usual, occupied
themselves in pretending that they
weren't looking at all at the good look
ing women in the opposite seats, and
the women, also as usual, endeavorcd
to convey the impression that they
didn't know there was such a creature
as man within q hundred luiles of
them.
But when this small boy began to
have his troubles all hands got to look
ing him over. Everybody, it would ap-
pear, likes to see 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 possible attitudes as he stood
and wriggled in the aisle, and finally,
after terrific exertion, 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 overcoat. After al
most 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 Il
manner that he could never get right
again, he produced another penny, also
plentifully wadded in woolen lint be-
longing to the overcoat
A couple of elderly men who were
reading papers side by side at the end
of the car began to get nervous. They
pushed back their spcctacles and stud
led the boys movements anXiously.
"Fare, there son!' said the conduct
or.
The boy gazed reproachfully at the
conductor, stuck the two found pennies
in his mouth and continued his weird
eXcrtions to assemble his fare.
He unbuttoned his overcoat by the
simple process of giving it yank from
bottom to top, and then he dug into
the right hand pocket of his jacket.
That pocket, too, seemed to be lining
less. and the boy had to grope through
1t like a cat clawing for the exit of Il
bag. At length he got to the end of it,
and an expression of acute relief cross
ed his freckled features. The hand was
wedged in so tightly that he had about
as much trouble in getting it out as he
had had in getting it in, but it 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 if to say that
they wished the Internal business We're
done with. but the others who were
watching the boys moves looked SYM
pathetic.
The boy next began laborious ex-
ploration of his right hand knickcr
booker pocket, from which he pro-
duced and bestowed in his overcoat
pocket many articles peculiar to boys
marbles, piece of wax, rusty look
ing knife, two or three printed cellu-
loid buttons. and SO on--Gnd at the
very bottom of this salvage was yet
another penny. All the other passen-
gers except the two elderly men
breathed sighs of relief, but they want
ed to read their papers, and vet 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 rub
bling them off on his ovcrcoat sleeve,
and he said, with very boyish grin:
II got the other one somewhcres.
Wait Il minute, mister"
Then the boy gazed up at the ceiling
of the car and studied for moment,
while the other passengers except the
two elderly men, who looked ferocious,
rooted for him with all their might.
The boy felt tentatively at his left
hand knickerbockers pocket but 1t was
plain to see that he knew that was no
go. For about half a minute he looked
worried, and the sympathetic passen-
gers worried along with him, as could
be seen by the tense expression on
their faces as they regarded every
movement Of the boy with strained,
almost feverish attention. Then the
boy reached into back pocket Of his
knickerboclsers, brought forth one Of
those celluloid travelling soap boxes,
somewhat battered, 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
sympathetic passengers, men and wo-
men, 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 violently
again, readjusted their spectacles and
began again on their newspapers.
Then the small boy sat down, took
neat looking change purse from the In
side pocket Of his overcoat, dumped
the contents-about 50 in quarters,
nickels and dimes-into his hands and
began counting 1t. whereupon the pas
sengers who had been roofing for him
but moment before instantly froze
and looked ut him as If they consider
ed him bad lot and boy bound
straight for states prison or worse
Washington Star.
r,ot, NJ sarse "a TOO often b,on,ad m