The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1914-12-17

thinking that, as these were Christmas
times. I'd just give you a quarter for
your work"
Honest, Cap?-
Honest" | repeated. but the fact
is the two dimes, as / thought they
were, ars only two three-cent pieces, so
! have only eleven cents in change.
after all"
Spec: they'd change a bill fer You
'crost there at the lunch counter" he
suggested, with charming artlessness.
Won't have time-there's my train
just coupling. But take this-I1l see
you again some time, perhaps"
How big a bill is it you want
changed?" asked the little fellow. with
most acquisitive expression, and a
swift glance at our then lonely sur
roundings.
Il only have one bill with me-" said
], nervously. "and that's a FIVE"
We'll, here, then" said the boy, hur-
riedly, with another and more scrutin-
izing glance about him-"guess l can
'commodate you" And as l turned
in wonder, he drew from, some mysteri-
GUS recess in the lining of his coat a
roll of bills, from which he hastily de-
tached four in number, then returned
the roll; and before had recovered
from my surprise, he had whisked the
note from my fingers and left in my
hand instead the proper change.
This is on the dead, now, Cap.
Don't you ever cheep about me havin'
wealth, you know; cause it amt mine
that is, it is mine, but I'm "a
There goes yer train. Ta-ta!"
The day before Christmas" said /,
snatching his hand, and speaking hur-
riedly-"the day before Christmas, I'm
coming back, and If you'll be here
when the five-thirty train rolls in you'll
find a man that wants his boots
blacked-maybe to get married in, or
something-anyway he'll want shine
like this, and he'll come prepared to
pay the highest market price-do you
understand"
You jist tell that feller fer me-"
said the boy, eclipsing the twinkle of
one eye, and dropping his voice to an
infection of strictest confidence-"you
jist tell that feller fer me that I'm his
oyster!"
And you'll meet him, sure?" said l.
Il WILL" said the boy. And he kept
his word.
My ride home was an incoherent
fiuttering of the wings of time, in
which travail one fretful hour was
born, to gasp its first few minutes help
lessly; then moan, roll over and kick
out it's legs and sprawl about; then
crawl a little-stagger to its feet and
totter on; then tumble down time or
two and knock it's empty head against
the floor and howl; then loom up awk-
wardly on gangling legs, too much in
their own way to comprehend that
they were in the way of everybody
else; then limp little as it worried
on-drop down exhausted-moan again
toss up its hands-shriek out, and die
in violent commissions.
We have all had that experience of
the car-wheels-had them enter into
conversation with us as we gaily en-
barked upon some pleasant trip, per-
haps; had them rattle off in scraps of
song, or lightly twit US with some dear
ones name, or even go so far as to
laugh at US and mock us for. some real
or fancied dereliction of car etiquette
shall ever have good reason to re-
member how once upon a time a boy
Of fourteen, though greatly understood,
told the conductor he was only ten,
and, although the unsuspecting official
accepted the statement as a truth,
with the proper reduction in the fare,
the car-wheels called that boy liar"
for 20 miles-and 20 miles as long and
tedious as he has ever compassed in
his journey through this vale of tears.
The carwheels on this bitter winter
evening were not at all communica-
tive. They were sullen and morose.
They didn't feel like singing, and they
wouldn't laugh. They had no jokes.
and If there was one peculiar quality
of tone they possessed in any marked
degree it was that of sneering. They |
had harsh. discordant snarl, as it |
seemed. and were spiteful and insinu-
ating.
The topic they had chosen for that |
nights consideration was evidently of |
a very complex and mysterious nature,
and they gnawed and mumbled at it
with such fierceness and, withal, such
selfishness, could only catch q flying
fragment of it now and then, and that,
noticed, was of the coarsest fiber of
and Of slangy flavor Lis
tening with the most painful interest,
at last made out the fact that the In
lection seemed to be in the interroga-
tive, and, with anxiety the most in
tense. l slowly came to comprehend
that they were desirous of ascertain.
ing the exact distance between two
given points. but the proposition
seemed determined not to round into
fuller significance than to query mock.
ngly, How fur is it? How fur is It?
How fur, how fur is it," and so on to
/ most exasperating limit As this
phrase was repeated and re-
terated in its growing harshness and
intonation, the relentless
of the query grew simply
and when at times the car
ioor opened to admit brakeman, or
he train boy, who had everything to
'ell but what wanted, the emphasized
'efrain would lift me from my seat