Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1912-12-20
The HomelieSt Boy on Earth
Al DOCTORS CHRISTMAS STORY
By Kate Epson Clark
By Kate Epson Clark

three wears ago, that | first saw him. He 1
was standing on corner OF one OF the
busiest thoroughfares in the world,
where three sets of surface-car lines
cross each other at acute angles, and an
elevated railroad roars overhead. He
looked as II he ought to have been SELL
ing papers, but the afternoon editions
were only Just out, and / reflected that
he was probably enjoying one more mo-
ment of .idleness before he entered the
tremendous competitions of the even
ing's campaign.
Both of us had been stopped on the
curbstone by crush of cars and other
vehicles, such as is constantly occurring
at that particular point. Three of four
people stood between us; but the phe-
nomenal LONELINESS of the boy caught
and held my attention.
His eyes were badly crossed. One fix
eddy regarded the scene before us, while
the other surveyed a lofty cornice across
the street but both were alike in being
red and watery, while they were but
| tressed by collection of strong and UNI
| compromising freckles. His nose was
fiat and shovel shaped, and his mouth
extended from ear to ear. His hair was
| stiff and carroty, and it had not been
| cut for six months. 1t protruded through
| holes in his dingy old cap, bristled out
| above mis- ears, and formed fierce dado
all around the top of his ragged coat
| collar.
The crush continued. / began to re-
fleet that it was time l should be at the
hospital, good six blocks away. car
| starter was waving his hands frantically
and dashing here and there. Two po-
lcemen, sons of Anak for size, bulged
and bourgeoned in and out among the
| impatient and struggling throng. End
less strings of car beads stood, as FAR
as one could see and vehicles of all de-
scriptions were wedged in on either side
| of them, while a vast truck, with one
wheel splitting its sde-the driver
| important and elated at his sudden con-
| seuuence-lay helpless across everything.
The homeliest boy on earth gaZed on
this scene and, simultaneously, upon the
| cornice. with rapt and even feverish de-
light. 1t was evident that for several
| moments more the congestion must con-
tinue. People began to cross the street
in spite of the efforts of the policemen
and the starter. They threaded their
way underneath the heads and even the
bodies of the horses, and paused with
defiant mein under the very noses OF the
death dealing tenders.
At length one tremendous shove on the
part of the dozen or more men and the
two or three pairs of horses at work
on the truck, dragged the last Vestge
of it from off the tracks, and the stream
of commerce began again its mad How.
Down the long lines of cars rang two
bells-two bells-two bells-and the uni
verse once more revolved, as after JOSH
ua's experiment at Aijalon.
Suddenly almost before the crowd
around me began to loosen, Wild half
smothered shrek arose from them all
that vague, loodcurdling noise uttered
only by a multitude which has, for the
instant lost it's self consciousness and
self control. The thing was too swift to
describe The homeliest boy on earth
a tiny girl, and an oncoming car. TO-
gether with several teams, We're mixed
up in it; while myself was halfway be-
| tween the car and the curbstone.
The little girl had somehow got caught
under the wheels while she was cross
ing the street. She had probably been
holding her mothers hand, but had been
torn from it; and right before our eyes
yet beyond our reach, she was running
seemingly into death. She gave des-
perate plunge forward then backward
then forward again; while the motor
men, pale and frightened, tried to stoI
their cars and the blood of every spec
tator froze with fear.
We all started for the child; but the
one who got there was the boy-goi
there whole seconds before the rest O
us-got there in time. And then we saw
the child lying stretched out in the
street-a pretty, flaxen-haired girl, si>
or seven years old; her short, fiarins
skirt-so near had she come to destruc
tion-caught underneath the awfu
wheels of one car, while her pretty pic
ture hat lay beneath the wheels o
another But she herself was whole ant
sound, just where the boy had dropped
, her after that one fierce wild effectua
! snatch and he had dropped beside her
to the definite annoyance of the drivers
of two hacks, a hanson, a delivery wag
on, and an automobile, all of which hat
to give decided and very quick swerves
in order to avoid running over the pros
trate figures.
3 AS soon as the cars dared to move
the sons of Anak gathered up the tw'
] mites. They took the girl into drug
T store; but the boy Grossly insisted upol
being dumped directly on the curb-stone
E Just where he had been standing.
He had lost his cap in the scrimmage
and now his carroty hair was STANDING
: out all over his head, like fox's brush
! or better, a porcupine's quilts. Severa
I men tried to tell him how well he ha
: done and several ladies slipped coin
S into his hand, but. to the consternatio
: of all his admirers, he glowered at then
S with one eye, and at the sky with tn
other and spat out such peppery AM
n even profane words that they were gla
n to pass on and leave the hero to his owl
e vicious temper.
Like everybody who had passe
through this thrilling scene, l wa
r trembling in every limb; and ! did no
get over it for half an hour or more. TIL
n boy too, was quaking. had returned t
the curbstone on purpose to watch hin
The hospital would have to wait. I ha
- become interested in this eccentric be
!, ing, and l was determined in spite c
u his surly behavior, that l would fin
>. some way of approaching him. ] listen
ed while he answered the scores c
questions which were put to him.
Nav Don't want none. Naw din
know her. Nav; course l di'nt hear any
body holer. Say, yer cop, yer, kent the
e leave a Teller be-?
); He took the coins they gave him, bu