The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1921-05-02
/ TIE DAILY
,EsEI9R DRY
In the Traffic

CABS while up The eaRterly side
hnfrtes Q somewhat smaller stream,
largely. consisting Of taxis whose
Drivers are hustling for their share
81 the going down" business.
For here are passi;:S on their way
y the days affairs, tens Of thou.
sand 8 sof those who scorn to battle
tlietr way downtown by subway OF
J y, and whose time is worth far too
much In dollars and cents to be
SPENT on dawdling surface cars.
rofthe humble citizen who cools
his heels beside the parkway rail.
ing al one OF the cross streets,
awaiting perhaps one OF the very
occasional trolley cars which, lower
down. sheer off to penetrate the
slualid Tenth avenue region, there
rs q haunting arrogance about that
rushing river OF automobiles that
arotises envy. Yicarious pride, syn.
icism or the blues, according TO his
temperament
Patrolman Dan Trayers, trim,
Slim and clean,eyed, loved, better
than any other duty that fell 10
HIS lot, the occasional detail from
8 TO g O'clock, at the Eighty-second
street crossing. For It filled with
JOY the breast OF the amiable Dan
To raise his gloYed hand against
the progress Of a dozen grandiose
ealmotsines or breathless taxis arc
bring them to an impatient halt
While some skinny legged little girl
Of nine led her. six.year-old brother
over the crossing TO the west side.
walk. on their way to school.
40 there are many hundreds OF.
these children who must daily cross
1the Broadway vehicular torrent to
reach the big public school over
toward fThe Drive" Dan had plen.
" fofSopportunity to interpose that
inexofa able limb Of the law, his own
good right arm, between the wheel.
ed Mploeh and its potential sacri.
ficantss And, as he privately con.
fessed to his mother, It ''tickled him
bine.r
Yet Nc. traffic officer in New
York, regular or detailed, better
NEW the drivers rights nor more
infinitely respected them than this
5serenely dignified young copper.
Eighteen months on the force
was Dan, and his record was per-
tect. no his work he brought all
the sense Of. responsibility, the I'M.
defstaflding OF discipline, the
iauntless will TO service, that had
deyeloped Over There In the A. E.
NJ And he loved 1t and was proud
otahis uniform.
Game a time when shift IN the
system brought Dan to the Eighty.
second street traffic post every
morning instead OF now and then.
Il was at the beginning OF this per.
iod that he first noticed the girl
IN the thip coat. The morning was
keeniy c6ld and the coat was very
Thin indeed; the girl shiyered a
lit as she waited for a surface car.
II struck Dan as odd that In that
neighborhood one SO good looking
should be unfitly clad, for luxuri.
Gus coats and furs are as common
IS the very taxis themselves. Dan
saw the girl every morning for a
week, and noticed that she always
took car Of the same line. Once
when she glanced at him he caught
himself on the very point Of nod.
ding to her, out Of the friendliness
he had felt toward her from the
first, and he turned quite rcd and
stopped the next squad OF cars
With an even more austere gesture
than usual when he realized 1t.
But when he saw the girl next
day absentmindedly preparing TO
board a Broadway.Fort second
street car, be ventured to suggest,
f'That one doesn't 30 down Tenth,
lIady. Aud when the girl bestowed
ON him a fairly bewildering smile
and said, "oh, thank you'll" In a
voice Of vocal velvet, Dams heart
gave 9 Jump such as no German
she'll had gotten out Of It In the
Argonne.
After that the girls thin coat be.
came d positive personal worry to
Dan. He wasn't sure, but he had q
stfewds notion that a policeman's
wife could dress better than that,
even though he did keep his fin.
gers clean from all the graft. And
when the girl, each day for three,
greeted him with a cordial Good
morning, officer Dan almost, but
not quite, lost his head. between
the Riddles and the automobiles.
Il was on the fourth morning
tilat things broke badly for Off
ter TraYefs. He had held the trat.
ffc al the moment when the girls
\ OAR stopped Just above the cross.
Ing ,The girl was making for the
rear platform; bevy OF children
were being herded across the street
5yDan. From behind the ruck Of
lated cars came charging an AFRO.
faiit blue automobile, whose fat,
Cd faced driver was recklessly aud
defiantIy seeking to gain time
through the narrow; space next to
die car track. Boring and crowd.
ing trucnlently, It came on--and
rom the impact OF Its iaudguard
mo girl was flung against the
landing car.
: Casting half an eye. so 70 speak,
toward the girl--whom he would
seeno more TIL tomoffo% -Dan was
i. lnst in time to glimpse the thtns
lis happening. In the twinAing
tl eye Ill his policemanhood fell
him. He was no longer an
,hent OF discipline, figure Of
law. He was mere mar-alld
With anger. In six jumps he
beside the blue roadster. In
ae seconds more he had hauled