The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-02-01
At THE FORD STREET CROSSING.

At THE FORD STREET CROSSING.
To this day she does not know how it happened.
She had always been a cautious little creature and
though born bred in the big city,
her fear the tange trolley trucks
through which she threaded her way each day her
way work..
But this morning everything had gone wrong Bes-
SIZE the apple Of eye the orphaned niece upon whom
she spent the wealth of her affection well large
proportion Of earnings party night
before. and she had stayed until O'Clock
Such thing had happened before in the annals
of the quiet little fiat West Ford its head
and fnancier Maggie Daws0h. spinster, aged 81. had
been able to catch wink of sleep until the bright
eyed deotee of pleasure had given accounting of her
unseemy hours.
OF course it had been all right, extra dances
and "a delayed car-Miss Dawson knew it would be all
right, but this did prevent her waking the next
morning with dull headache and strange quvrring
in her joints. Indirectly it responsible for her
heedlessness stupidity the Ford street crossing
Of Main street
She remembers to this day-hoarse shouts of
ing. mingling with an oncomng from which she
could not fee. Noise all her, a singing
sensation somewhere in head. and darkness.
After awhile she opened her to the light again.
and looked into the pertu5ed of policeman
Dingwal strange odor saluted her nostrils. some
thing hot and fiery percolated between her lips and
words that brought flush to her cheeks hailed her
consciousness.
The latter merely policeman DingwalIs opinion
CT the truck driver whom feDowpatrolran had placed
under arrest after the accident His flow of vigorous
sons frightened eyes staring straight into his own
Nothing but bit of scalp wound. ma'am The
ambulance doctor'n be here in minute
But before official arrived from lips
story of the gallant She thrilled and
excited by it all, and SO impressed by Dngwal's mat
ter-of-fact view HIS deed. hardly felt the
stitching and dressing Of her wound.
Naturally enough when she returned her
she watched for policeman Dingwan the familiar
crossing and he who spent his days conveying
TO the sidewalk where they would be, always
woman who had been dead in the hands of that
slip of AMBULANCE doctor
After many earnest consultations with Bessie. Miss
Dawson decided that it eminently proper for her
to show her appreciation of Dngwas lifesavng Prov
there arrived precinct
quarters evening simple gold inscribed on
the reverse side. I'm grateful remembrance. NJ. E D."
1t had cost than she had spent before at
time, but Bessie, whose chief sin ingrati-
tude had willingly foregone to help her
pay the unrecorded debt
SO. Of course, policeman. Dingwall uniform and all.
staked that night down the corridor lead
ing gratitude Bessie but because of the gift
in person. In TRUTH it took him long time express.
his sentiments. and when he he the
to come again. invitation which filled him with
strange satisfaction.
Then commenced happy days for Miss Dawson The
chickering's which oceured daily in the office where
she directed OF trifng girls fell her
DRY like fluffy enowfages
woman of exceptional executive ability Little they
knew how she longed o upon Though
no deep student of social conditions something told
her that if she had been capable might
had less responsibility.
People always looked to help. for little favors
and seemed think might long
anything done for her. Her heart hungered for
of dependence, for something lean upon. for
one 10 do for her-not from sense of Miss Dawson's
fat and acknowledged love and interest purely
in her.
And in a vague way that Dingwalrs coming
into her life meant this. She liked look up him
he tail and straight She liked to feel his
touch her each morning they the
ing. He born protector-and 80 Maggie Daws<n
it before
He fell into the habit dropping round for Sunday
night and Bessie, housekeeper. always took
special pains with the meal Once twice she man.
aged TO out of her enough
flowers for the table. and almost invariably she
managed to have engagement for the evening.
She fitted about these people. dearest the
world her with a smile her lips and strange
pain Juggling at her heart.
She read in Dingwalrs eyes what happily I'M
conscious and the night when he finally
found her aone-at the social of the St Paul's guild
she knew the had She listened quietly at
first. then teasing smile came to her assistance.
20 couldn't Mr. Dingwalll am so young you
know-and you-why, quite old; 40. if
a day No. 1 have my fling couldn't settle
down to the life you would like
In vain he protested. her merry Knocked him.
and he recognize the the voice
made light his suit.
Then he left her. sitting down beside Maggie Daw
son, looked into her calm happy face wondered
how he could have made the mistake of thinking that
It that butterfly a niece
him. He knew his mind at last but he couldn't speak
t-not just Yet.
The light burned low in the bedroom shared by Mag
gle Dawson and Bessie. The tired Of
nings gayey. had fallen TO sleep almost directly and
IN the faint light her niece gazed down the happy
face that grown young the past months
The girl casped her hands tightly, then bent
kissed her aunt tenderly. Safe in own white
ron bed she buried her face resolutely in the pillows
GRANT ELLIS
Baby Makes Ten Dollars a Week.