The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1914-01-07
johnny Kay


billboard; the fact that he stood on d
staging 60 feet above the street level
did not disturb Johnny In the least;
that he had a roll Of greenbacks with
a total valuation OF $500 in his
trousers pocket did not trouble him
either.
AS Johnny Shaded of a letter he
felt the staging tremble slightly as
someone put "a, foot on the ladder be
low; Johnny looked TO see who might
be the Intruder.
Hello saidsthe man who was com.
Ing over the Side Of the staging: he
was a slx.toot one:inch man whom
Johnny had never seen before.
.Hello!F said Johnny.
The six;toot one-inch man stepped
close to Johnny.
..Got a bit OF hard cash handy, my
friend?"ih he asked.
Johnny saw a peculiar CLINT in the
strangers eyes; he noticed further
that the shade OF one eye differed
very slightly from that OF the other,
SO slightly that 1t was probably not
generally noticeable.
-Thirsty?n asked Johnny putting a
hand TO his change pocket for a dime.
The six-foot one.inch man put out a
strong hand and grlpped Johnny's col.
lar.
am minced of your roll, he said
BREEZY.
Being a decidedly understood speci-
men OF humanity. Johnny could not
protest effectively against the grip
of the six:foot one.inch man, and their
position on the slender staging for.
babe any such protest which he might
have attempted on terra firma:
81 am In need Of greenbacks and u
want yonr little roll!r said the six
foot one.inch man.
Johnny felt the hold on his collar
tighten, then he was lifted from HIS.
footing on the staging and swung out;
his feet wiggied convnlsively for a
moment and he looked down.
Sixty feet below he saw the brick
pavement cleaning red in the morn
Ing sunlight, and for the first time
in his 80 years Of living. Johnny's
stout heart quailed. From some
seemingly remote distance a low
voice was commanding his attention.
The silence was oppressive. Johnny
looked down again. The brick pave
ment still cleaned red in the. sun.
light and 1t was fully 60 perpendicular
feet below. The mans grip seemed.
to be %loosening on his collar.
Johnny silently reached toward his
pocket.
you're a little dutfer,r said the
man as he put Johnny down on tile
staging.
Johnny handed over his roll and
spoke briefly.
at was Il DROP he said.
"lt amt Jest n handy place for me
to show a steel barrel,r commented
the stx.foot one.iuch man, as he put
the roll in his pocket.
Johnny Kay did not whistle quite SO
blithely after the six.foot one.inch man
had gone, still he considered that
there might have been a very genuine
tragedy and was comforted.
Sim a small.sised parcel. but l
guess I'm worth $500 to Johnny Kay.
And there's another couples OF hun
dred sailed down where l can get hold
OF It" he said.
One morning two years later
Johnny Kay was laying gold.leaf on
a big plate.glass window in the boom.
Ing little Western city to which he had
gone and set up in business. A crowd
stood outside watching the men at
work and Johnny turned to the young
man who was helping him.
what do you feel like, Dick?- he
asked.
The young man laughed ~nervously.
Like a monkey in a glass cage" he
said.
when you've been at, It a month
you'll feel like a great man before the
public" laughed Johnny. Then he
glanced at the faces outside and
paused. ii
dick, you keep working, or pre-:
tending to- he said under his breath.
and with seeming d%eliberation put
n his coat and Joined the crowd out
side. He spoke a word to a couple Of.
policemen and edged his way to the
side Of a large man.
Looking your: work over?" asked
the big man.
Johnny looked into the mans face
and spoke gently.
ave been looking for you,r he said.
Later, at the police station. he told
his story.
1--we been looking for this man two
years, YOUR Honor. I've looked a good
many crowds over when ! was doing
window signs, in hopes to see this pair
OF eyes. I amt a learned man, your
Honor, but I have a notion that about
every man has a snare Of old Adams
curiosity: We fellows always draw a
crowd and had a sort OF feeling that
this man would come to my window
some day.
All.