The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-01-21


Jimmy had recited to himself over and
over. He intended to walk up to the
counter and say, II want to pay for
that chicken I took, Mr.. Baker"
To Jimmy that sounded sufficiently
humble, and yet it did not seem COM
pletely abject. He fancied the grocer
would reply, "AH right, Jimmy; it
will be twenty cents"
To which the boy expected to answer
| in a clear, strong voice: We'll, Mr..
Baker, I have seventeen cents at
home and you may have that, and 1
| will bring in the rest as soon as my
/ mushmelons are ripe"
With that agreement reached,
| Jimmy saw himself limping out of the
/ store. He harbored hope that may
| be the grocer, plying the poor, lame
/ boy, would call him back and cancel
| the debt, and perhaps give him stick
! of licorice Jimmy knew his part by
! heart He was sure there would be no
/ halt nor break in this dialogue. But
/ the demon that was tOrturing his des-
/ tiny that day probably ehuekled as
! Jimmy crossed the grocery store
| threshold.
The boy that the grocer saw when
he looked UP from the pickle-barrel
certainly had a badly freekled face;
/ the grocer thought the boy had bold,
mean eyes. The youthful jaw set
/ firmly and the pain In his foot en-
graved ugly lines in his face. The but
/ ton was off the wristband. long tear
down the lower part of his trousers
leg revealed a glimpse of brown.
tanned skin He was not boy who
looked like a creature of dreams and
/ of a high resolve. No boy who
! amounts to much ever does look the
part. as the actors say. So when
Jimmy Sears-ragged and braZen-
/ stood before the wronged chicken
7 owner, rage flooded the mans bosom.
/ He rushed around the counter end,
mumbling at the boy. The instinct of
fear crowded all the fine speeches out
of Jimmy's head. He backed off, and
i exclaimed, as he saw the grocer grab
| q butter-paddle: "Dern YOU, don't you
touch me; I'll pay for your old chick
en-. Watch out, nOw.'
Two scale weights slipped invOluun-
tarily into Jimmy's hands, and he
backed from the counter to the side
walk. His hands were uplifted as if
to throw the weights. The grocer had
not come up to the boy, who shouted
in a burst of fear and anger:
J "Tn pay for your chicken, I say.
Now you keep away from me!'
; The grocer looked dismayed for a
Il second time by the threatening
4 weights in the boys hand. But pride
urged the man on. He stepped up
r quickly, and planted a smarting blow
| on Jimmy's leg. 1t was well for the
grocer that he ducked his head; for
, when the paddle struck, the boy did
not finch, but let drive one weight
after another, and cried before each
: crash Of glass that the flying irons
made inside the store, Yes, you Will!'
: and again, Eyes, you will!'
; He forgot the ache in his
cramped heel and the burning in his
bruised toe as he ran to the middle of
: the street.
you old coward. why don't you
pick on some one your size?"
/ The tears were rising to his eyes;
he had to run to escape from the tide.
: Just as he turned, he caught a glimpse
: of his father joining the gathering
= crowd. After that his feet grew
t wings.
t A freight train stood on the track
) in front of the boy, quarter of mile
, away. A mad impulse came to him as
he ran, and he yielded to it. A boy
| with a grievance, or a boy who has a
sore toe, or a boy with fear at his
: back, cannot fashion his conduct after
the beautiful principles laid down in
{ Mr. Herbert SpenceT's Data of Eth
: les" SO when Jimmy Sears came to
the freight train that blocke his flight
he darted down the track until he was
out of sight of any possible pursuers
, in the street. He clambered breath
: lessly into a coal car and Struggled
: down into a corner inside a little strip
t OF shade and painted like a hunted
, rabbit A sickening pain throbbed UP
: from his toe.
The train moved slowly at first and
! Jimmy knew that he could not hide
5 from the train men in a coal car. On
: banter from Piggy Pennington and
Bud Perkins, Jimmy had often ridden
t on the brake beam while the switch
/ engine was pulling freight cars about
/ the railroad yards, he had a vague
l idea that midway Of the train, be-
! tween two box cars, would be a safe
} place. When the train began to in
r crease its speed, Jimmy climbed ur
| the side of a cattle car and ran along
r the roof He had gone three cal
| lengths. and was about to make his
third jump, when he saw the angry
2 face of his father who appeared or
E the depot platform just opposite tc
. him. InstinctiVely the boy darted tC