Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-12-06
railroad track and followed it to q

My chum stopped at freight car
on a side track and began TO poke
around one Of the oil boxes on wheel,
and when | asked him what he was
going to do. he said that 10 q hun;-cy
man the cotton waste and the grease
in a hot box Of freight car was just
as good as q shrimp salad, and he be-
gan to poke the stuff out OF the hot
box to eat 1t. He said tho lives Of
tramps were often saved by eating out
of hot boxes. | swore that ] would
never eat no hot box banquet. and
pulled him away from the box car just
as a brakeman came along with a
hook and a can of oil and bucket Of
water to cool it of. and We escaped.
told him we would have a good
supper all right, IL he would stick by
me.
We went into the little town and it
was getting dark. and all the people
were out doors looking up into the
sky, and saying: There IL is, | see 1t"
and | asked man in front OF sa-
loon what the excitement was about,
and he said that they We're watching
the balloons from st. Louis, about 200
east.
Did you ever have an idea strike
you so sudden that II made you dizzy?
Well. l was struck with one so quick
that ii made me smoker. and l pulled
my new Chum away and told him how
We would get supper and a place TO
sleep, ard that was to go into the
woods near where the people were
looking up into the air. and when
balloon went over. after 1t got good
and dark. We could set up a yell, as
though murder was being done. and
when the crowd came to see what was
the matter, he could say We fell out Of
a balloon. and landed IN tree and
squirmed down to the ground.
Well | didn't want to lie, but my
chum, who had once been in reform
school, did not care so much about
lying, so he was to do the talking and
l was to be deaf and dumb. as though
the fall from the balloon had knocked
me silly.
Well. when we saw light in the
sky over us and the people were go
Ing wild over thinking they saw bal
loon, We began to scream like wild
cats. and cream like lost souls. and yell
for help. help" When the people
came on the run, and when they found
us with our clothes torn. and our hair
standing On end. and our eyes bullying
out. my chum, the old liar. said
when we were leaning over the basket
OF the balloon to see what town VIC
were passing over. We fell out In q
tree. and were SO hungry.
Well, the way those good people
swallowed that yarn was too comicaL
and they picked us up and took us
into a house. A pussy woman got
me under her arm and said: Poor
dear. every bone in his body is busted.
but saw him first, and am going to
have him mended and keep him for
souvenir" and l hung my legs and
arms down so l would be heavy, and
she dragged me to the house. All
said was pie. pie, pie, and she SAID
| was starving for pie. and when they
got US in. bed, with nice night shirts
on, they crowded around us and be-
gan to feed us, and we took everything
from soup to mints. and went to sleep.
and the last thing heard was balloon
talk. and the women who drew me in
the shuttle said: The ways OF Proyi-
dence are past finding out" and as |
rolled over in bed l heard my chum
in another bed say: You can bet your
sweet life" and then the people be
gan to go away. talking about the mar
row escape of those dear boys. and my
pussy fat lady held my hand and
stroked my aching stomach until long
after midnight. and then she tiptoed
off to bed.
l spoke to my chum and said: Did
it work out all right?' and he
groaned and said: Gee, but l ct too
much. l otter have saved some of 1t
for breakfast" and then We went to
sleep in nice feather beds instead Of
those beds at the orphanage made Of
breakfast food.