Evening star., 1932-12-20
BY DANIEL ROBERT MAUE.

Since he wore no socks against the
chill of the night. the small hitch
traveller I discovered in the Texarkana
station sat on a bench beside me and
without difficulty showed how his right
foot had been caught in some car
couplings.
He still wore the torn boys shoe that
perhaps had saved him from greater
ipjuIv and bruised flesh and bone.
3fe still hobbled in favoring that limb.
And YET he spoke of the accident with
ell the casualness of reference to the
distant past.
He had been riding southwark, to-
ward the Texas border, on the rear
end of an oil tanker, with his feet
braced against coupling. On down
grade the train coasted. The couplings
were open. Then the engine took up
the slack The foot slipped and mar
roWlv missed being caught completely
Inpatient at the Catholic Hospital,
Texarkana, had delayed his travel
westward.
You see, I could still walk" he said,
in explanation of why it was that the
railroad company never knew of the
mishap.
We'll, anyway" he went on, some
DAY I'm going to dress up and put on
my new overallS.'
I wondered what he meant-until by
turning up one leg OF the worn outer
Cveralls he displayed somewhat less
worn leg OF a second pair.
Huck Finn Battle Front.
We talked in the Texarkana pas
scngcr station at midnight. My en-
forced departure on train bound for
Fort Worth, Tex. interrupted our
frien3liness. Something like scheduled
time must be observed on my journey
from New York City to Los Angeles,
Calf. I sought to know the young men
and boys who in their unreliable num-
Der go erratically about the 48 States.
Many of them homeless, almost all
of them penniless, and all of them un-
employed, these wanderers go in a large
measure aimlessly along motor high
ways and railroads in Huckleberry
Finn battle front mode of life.
When had boarded the train that
night wrote in my notebook these few
words of just tribute: "A straightfor-
ward story from an amazingly stalwart
and alert character of decided force"
A slight fellow, whose feet swung
clear of the floor as he sat on the sta
ton bench, the injured hitch traveller
grew into large manhood as he talked.
He came to sit beside me in the station
from a group of other youths who
stood reSt1eSSiy about a bootblack' S
chair in the mems wash room.
On my last inspection of the faces
there he had occupied the one chair,
not only by virtue of his inf1rmity but.
judging from the conversation. also by
reason of his wit and force of character.
had briefly engaged in free-for-
all argument with the young men and
then retired to the general waiting
room. The little fellow soon came
limping directly toward me, slid into
the wide seat, and opened conversation
with a smile. His blue eyes, full of
spirit and independence, were still wide
with the stimulation Of the talk in the
adjoining room.
We had this bond-he was going in
my direction. to Fort Worth. in the
morning if weather permitted search
for an open box car or refrigerator.
"A man is crazy if he rides outside
In bad weather." he explained.
ParentlesS at Ten.
His story was simple one. His par
ents died before he was 10. A brother
provided for him until he was Is, at
which age he was graduated from high
school.
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