The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1921-05-02
] TIE DAILY
EsfI0RI siICRY
In the Traffic
~ WlLL Il, AMEs,

oflarrow psrallelograms OF fenced
seeensward, scored across at regu.
lar intervals by the transverse
streets. IT
Down the westerly sldo OF this
double street fits, each morning
an amazing horde OF motor vehicles
privately owned cars OF all de.
gtees save that Of shabblness, and
squadron upon squadron OF taxi.
CABS; while up The easterly side
hlrrtes a somewhat smaller stream,
largely consisting Of taxis whose
drivers are hustling for their share
~ the going down" business.
Ferhere are passi:..s on their way
to the days affairs, tens Of thou.
sands OF those who scorn TO battle
/ titeif way downtown by subway OF
~, and whose time is worth far too
tnu0ll In dollars and cents to be
spent on dawdling surface cars.
no the humble citizen who eools
his, heels beside the parkway rail.
ing az one Of the cross streets,
aw1iting perhaps one OF the very
OCCASIONAL trolley cars which, lower
down, sheer off to penetrate the
sulplid Tenth avenue region, there
Is aflauptlng arrogance about that
rushing river OF automobiles that
sarotlses envy, yicarious pride, syn.
icist1 or the blues, according to his
tempetamenE
Patrolman Dan Trayers, trim,
slim and cleaneyed, loved, better
than any other duty that fell 10
his lot, the occasional detail from
stos o'clock, at the Eighty second
street crossing. For 1t filled with
Joy the breast Of the amiable Dan
10 raise his gloyed hand against
the progress Of a dozen grandtose
hlimousines or breathless taxis ann.
bring them to an impatient halt
While some skinny legged little girl
~ nine led her six.year.old brother
over the crossing to the west side.
vail, on their way to school,.
AS there are many hundreds Of
these children who must daily cross
hthe Broadway yehicular torrent to
Teach the big public school over
toward aThe Drive" Dan had plen.
~ ofoppcrtunity to interpose that
able limb OF the law, his own
GOOD right arm, between the wheel.
ed Moloch and its potential sacri.
dcants. And, as he privately con.
fessed to his mother, It "tickied him
.blnet
Yet no traffic officer in New
York regular or detailed, better
knew the drivers rights nor more
infinitely respected them than this
dignified young copper.
Eighteen months on the force
wass Dan, and his record was per-
teet. no his work he brought all
the sense OF responsibility, the un.
Restraining Of discipline, the
dauntless will to service, that had
developed Over There In the A. e.
r And he loved 1t and was proud
oil his uniform.
Came a time when shift in the
system brought Dan to the Eighty.
second street traffic post every
morning instead OF now and then.
it was at the beginning of this per.
iod that he first noticed the girl
ittthe thiD coat. The morning was
keenlS cold and the coat was very
hin indeed; the girl shiyered a
bit as she waited for a surface car.
it struck Dan as odd that In that
neighborhood one so good looking
should be unfit1y clad, for luxuri.
aus coats and furs are as common
as the very taxis themselves. Dan
Jaw the girl every morning for a
week, and noticed that she always
took a car Of the same line. Once
when3sh glanced at him he caught
Eiifnself on the very point Of nod.
ding to her, out Of the ffiendliness
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-Forty second
street car, he ventured to suggest,
\ "That one doesn't go down Tenth,
Slady.g And when the girl bestowed
pnfhim a fairly bewildering smile
and said, "oh, thank you!" in a
voice of4vocar velvet, Dams heart
gave q Jump such as no German
shell had gotten out Of 1t in the
Argonne;
J After that the girls thin coat be.
Game d positive personal worry to
Dan. BE wasn't sure, but he had a
shrawd notion that pollceman'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
that things broke badly for Off.
Scer Travers. He had held the ttat.
y &c at the moment when the girls
car stopped Just above the cross
ing, The girl was making for the
rear platform; a beyy Of children
were being herded across the. street
~ Dan. From behind the ruck Of
halted cars came charging an AFRO
CANT blue automobile, whose fat
ted-faced driver was recklessly and
dettantly seeking to gain time
through the narrow space next tc
tiEe car track. Boring and crowd
iiig truculently, It came on--and
from the impact OF its mudguard
lie girl was flung against the
ltanding car.
9 Saatink half an eve. so 70 speak