Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1904-06-30
BEPPO
~
FRAME n. SWEET
(copyrisht, I'M By Daily story Psh. Cal

Kissing tip only curled harmlessly
through the air, as the driver knew 4
would. Beppo's hooking. defiant eye'
had been watching him. as they had beer
watching imminent collisions on al
other sides, and when the tip circled To-
ward him he lodged adroitly, Just
enough to let 1t hiss by. However. hit
backward, hooking glance and 1eerine
call were accompanied by slight turn
of his wrist which swerved the push cart
far enough to allow the big wheels tc
pass
Beppo was well known on Elizabeth
street, to the policemen and hackmen
and street vendors, as well as 70 the
dray and van drivers, and though they
all scolded him and tried to chastise him
for his impudence and recklessness, not
one of them but had secret respect for
his hardihood and sturdy independence.
Now, at Is, he owned push cart,
while many of his older competitors only
rented-and his push cart, In the morn
ing, was always well stocked with good
fruit. And besides this, In one way and
another, he had picked up a crude
knowledge Of reading and writing.
But, save the toddlers, he had no
friends He did not want any. And as
for sympathy, looked or expressed, we'll,
that was worse than the most vicious en-
nifty. He would have none Of it. The
world had cuffed and kicked him through
his early years, and perhaps he now
meant to retaliate. In spite of his Is
years, he was no larger than properly
developed boy of ten or IL.
So now. as he lodged and twisted and
wormed his push cart through the tele-
scoping traffic, jeering and yelling de-
flance at the drivers, and even perhaps
showing open violence, there was no
friendly glance toward him save those
of the two or three urchins who, even in
this confusion of wheels and horses
feet, had found and were following him
Two policemen stood near. One of
them shook his head
THAT boy ought to be run in, not only
for his own sake, but for the Streets
he said. Hes a menace to everybody,
and bad example In recklessness for
the other boys. don't see how he got
under those horses heads without hav-
ing his cart smashed and himself, too"
His companion smiled. you've only
been on this beat MONTH Delehey," he
returned, land I've been here seven
years. That boy was here when came,
and he's been taking chances like that
all the time, and never a smash yet. I'm
thinking it's not so reckless as 1t looks
to us.
"All the same he's tough case" per-
sisted the first speaker, land 1t would be |
a good thing for even street like this II
he was off,"
Hes tough, all right" readily, land
bad example in recklessness to the 9TH
er boys; but I've got good deal Of re-
spect for Beppo. Things have gone
tough with him, and that's had a good
deal to do with making him what he is.
- " A ~ 'na' n,9 i.oAiessneSs 10
him dodge and twist his cart through
as bad jam as the street ever had, just
~ sell d lew oranges 10 an old customer
he saw on the other sidewalk He'll do
anything for trade, and in spite of be-
. -s, ~ n.ie' Wouiun wonuer II ne
'oiu Twice as mucn as any olner push
"a" ~. nan VI 'ne S'ree''
inele wac SCUM Oh altercation
Amuns '1e push cart men lower GOWN tne
,uiD' anu tne poiicelnan started IN tnat
AZ e'tlon, tne las. speaker dropping a
CIV Genus upon oeppos cart as ne
'ITSeu anu plcAins up a banana
ne neA' Joy ,no' "eie q. ainlosl tne
~ H. p 10 " ,s, .ni.henins con
- - .eee 'na' III e".oneu Jam
,o .lr SI : "Hs oiose w, aionssiue inc
~ anu No ""' 'aiiyins vi d priSk
eu
Suuueniy ne turned from prospective
glanclng Sharply out into the
'ereel; men, WIN WHO pound ana
ctSmDie lna' carried MN almost unoer
pau " piSuc,ns nurses anu across tne ,
cry oonsue Vi Mow moving carriage
= was III 'ne miost Oh tne turmoil OF We
'oie
BON Policemen sprang forward out
oE moment cOulQ moi see WnAt ne was