Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1903-01-01
An Escapade
By TOM GALLON.

0 0QkO "a ~ "A AAbNAN " e3A $500
important-puffs and snorts its wa,
along the coast, and plungeS in tn
most reckless fashion into q tunnel
energies with sort Of shrek OF sat
isfaction; and deposits you ct lit
tie toy station on the very beach.
1t was in that waG that Mr.. Rich
ard Lyddon came into Dawlish; ant
it is extremely safe to say that M
wished he had never come at all
Truth to tell, Dick Lyddon wal
bored to death. At the present mo
ment he was supposed to be on g
walking tour; which consisted In 60
ing everywhere by train or carriage
and never walking, if it could by any
possibility be avoided. Dick was very
rich-ridiculously rich, in fact-with'
out a relative in the world, and
without anyone to look after him
save certain shadowy trustees whom
he saw about four times year.
Dick was also very young; young
enough, indeed, not to have been
bored at all, if he had only taken life
in the proper way. Save for that ele-
ment of boredom, he was a good
hearted, jolly, supplemented fellow
enough, tall and fair-haired, and with
the gentleSt and best sort Of blue
eyes imaginable. And he had, be
sides his small personal baggage
Capt. Boxer.
Capt. Boxer deserves line all to
himself. He was very stout (much
too stout, in fact, for companion
on walking tour; somewhat short
IN the temper; and inclined to give
vent to his opinions, on occasions,
without reference to the feelings OF
anyone.
Might carry your baggage, sir?''
Dick had been standing with his
hands thrust in his pockets, staring
modify at the station platform; he
turned quickly at the sound Of the
voice beside him. He saw in the dim
light of the place a lad, apparently
about IA or IS, very slim and deli
cate looking, and with a very white,
pathetic face. Before he could an.
swer the voice of Capt. Boxer chimed
In:
Mice lad-'sharp. Probably skip
off with the bag-probably drop it
and smash something"
"My bags rather heavy; I don't
know whether you can manage it,"
said Dick, kindly. "And I'm sure l
don't know where I'm going"
"Indeed-I'm quite strong, sir"
broke in the boy, eagerly, moving to-
ward the bag.
Now Dick could quite easily have
carried that bag himself; but he was
a good-natured fellow, and he felt
that probably a dime would mean a
great deal to this boy, and would
mean absolutely nothing to himself
Therefore he let the lad carry it; and
Capt. Boxer carried his own. More
over, it was found, when the two
friends got outside, that the captain
knew of a certain comfortable hotel
not very far off-had heard of it
somewhere or from someone-and
thither they went.
But outside the station they
stopped and looked about them; fol-
neither boy nor bag were to be seen:
Dick looked somewhat blankly at the
captain, and the captain nodded sa-
gaciously.
Certain of it," said the captain,
jerkily. "Knew boy would skip-saw
it in his eye"
Dick ran back again; and Just in.
side the station came upon the boy
and the bag. But the boy was not
carrying it; instead, he had simply
tainted beside it.
What brute am to have let this
chap carry that bag!" he muttered
to the captain, who had returned hur.
riedly. Gust look at him; he's as
slim as a girl-and pretty girl, too.
That's it, youngster; pull yourself
together. All right now?"
Slowly the heavy eyes opened and
turned in Dicks direction:
Indeed, 1 am quite well; there is
nothing the matter" he whispered,
glancing nervously toward the door.
eff you will let me go now 1 shall be
quite we'll"
"Well, here's your dime, at any
rate" said Dick
The boy looked at it wistfully, but
slowly shook his head. mo, thank
you, didn't earn it," he said. And
then, before the astonished Dick
could stop him, he turned quickly and
ran out of the hotel.
Order dinner, captain" cried Dick.
making for the door also. Il can't
let him go like that; III be back
presently" He dashed out of the
place in pursuit of the boy.
He had some little distance to 90.
and, under ordinary circumstances.
might have turned back laughing a
himself for his Quixotic folly. But
the pathetic face of the boy haunted
him; he seemed to be looking again
into those brown eyes. So he went
on hurriedly, keeping the figure be
fore him in sight, until he came into
the narrower streets of the little
town, far away from the sea. And
there he ran the boy to earth.
Right at the very top of one of the
smallest houses the boy-still uncon-
scious that he was being watched
thrust open a door, and disappeared
into a room. Motives of delicacy pre-
vented Dick from going further; and
yet he wanted to help the lad If he
could Hesitatingly he waited about
on the staircase, half-inclined to
blame himself for taking so much
trouble over a matter which did not,
after all, really concern him; half
inclined to push the matter further
and follow the lad into the room.
He must have waited quite ten min
utes on that staircase, fOrgetful Of
Capt. Boxer and the dinner, and ev-
erything. At last, however, he