The Newark journal. (Newark, Ark.) 1901-1959, 1904-12-02

passing from one car TO another,
tossed big red apple to the child,
whose delight was unbounded.
After that, Shorty had something
for the little fellow nearly every
day, bright little picture book,
banana, or stick of candy.
The child would stretch his club
by nanus up 10 eaten the sul, ana
dance a funny little jig, while his
sister would hang onto his skirts
as if to keep him from flying away
altogether. Train hands and pas
sengers all learned to look for
"the kid" as Shorty called him, on
every morning trip.
But one bright morning in early
summer the train was very late.
The train from the west was de
layed by an accident, and the
southbound local had orders to
wait for it. AS it passed the house
where the little boy lived Shorty
came out on the platform as
usual, but the child was not III
sight. The lad glanced about,
fearful lest the little one might
have wandered onto the track.
Sure enough, there was the lit
tie red cart on the other track,
right in the path of the uptrain,
which could now be seen just leav-
ing the station below. Shorty's
heart came into his mouth at the
sight, for where was that baby?
Not on the track, but on the
sloping bank that led from the
railroad ditch up to the fence, the
little white bonnet was bobbing
up and down as its wearer trotted
gleefully from one clump of
daisies to another. Just as
Shorty caught sight of him he
dropped down on his chubby
knees and crawled under the fence
after particularly fascinating
bunch on the other side. He was
safely out of the way now if only
be did not take it into his head to
return.
'If he sees the train, he'll be
comm back after the cart, sure,
and then he'll be killed." thought
Shorty. "An' the cart'll be
smashed anyhow, an then the
kid'll break his heart. Guess |
can yank it off. Here goes, any.
howw
With boyish recklessness, be
swung himself off the bottom
step, facing in the direction the
train was going, and throwing
himself toward the other track as
he thought of the cruel wheels be-
hind him. But the momentum
was greater than he had sup.
posed, and running rapidly for,
ward with no power to stop him
self, he tumbled ANONYMOUSLY
upon his nose, and with the con
sciousness that one foot wouldn't
CO." he seized the little red cart
and rolled with it down the bank,
feeling as he went the jar of the
train as it Numbered by and came
to standstill. When Shorty
opened his eyes the engineer was
on his knees close by his head.
"You little foolw said he, but
witha queer twist in his voice that
belied his words. Shorty opened
his mouth to reply, but emitted in
stead a howl of pain. Somebody
was manipulating his ankle in
way he did not like at all and a
calm, measured voice, somewhere
in the vicinity of his feet, was say
ing: There are no bones broken,
but it is bad sprain, and he must
be kept off his feet for some time
to come"
That's the doctor Teller that
comes up every mornin'," thought
Shorty, "an' that chap writin' in
little book is that newspaper
Teller. It'll be in the paper to.
night how l took a tumble" And
then he became aware of "the kid
dashing joyously pand down the
bank with the red cart, and jam
ming it recklessly against the
Sims of everybody within reach.