Page 13 - Adventure Magazine, 1921, July 18th

Children of the Road 7

"Don't mind Crybaby," he apologized, meal-ticket all right, Portugee. Setdowns,
a dark flush on his face. "He's on'y been I s'pose."
with me a coupla months an' hasn't had "Yuh betcha. Setdowns in the dinin' -
much chance ter learn." room, waited on by herse'f an' her nigger
"But this Miss Heffernan," queried the cook, Mammy Selina. An' sich setdowns-
Kid. "Who's that dame?" reg'lar farmhouse horspertality! But she
Portugee was visibly surprized. don't allow no grown bums ter sleep over
"Don't know Miss Heffernan, Frisco? in her house. On'y road-kids.
Why, where yuh been doin' yer boin'? I "Tell yuh wot, Frisco, she's plumb crazy
thought every stiff this side o' the Mississipp 'bout road-kids. She has a iron bed in a
'nd specially road-kids sure knew her!" li'l rag-carpeted room up under. the roof
The Frisco Kid felt a trifle uneasy at his jist fer road-kids ter pound their ear in.
social slip in displaying ignorance. All at Many's the kid wot has flopped there fer
once he heard, from far down the railroad a night. Slep' there myse'f oncet, an' so's
embankment, the deep thrumming of an most o' my push. One o' the bunch was
approaching train. On a slap of wind up there on'y last week."
came the spine-tingling shrill of its whistle. "Thet was me," spoke up Crybaby Kid
He felt glad for the momentary interrup- between snuffles. "I was on me own tlien;
tion. the push ditched me jes' south o' Chi. · I
Above The Willows, from around an made a bee-line fer Miss Heffernan's on a
abrupt curve, a headlight burst out like freight headin' south.
a blazing eye. Ponderously the locomotive "She done treated me royal, a1l right.
thundered along the embankment, shaking Chicken 'n' dumplin's 'n' marmalade on
the earth, shooting fire between its grind- ginger cookies, an' a whole special chocolate
ing wheels. Came a long line of dust- layer-cake jes' fer me. I stayed two nights
raising coaches, shifting with breath-taking in thet ole whitey bed. An' breakfast in
rapidity, clacking by in endless persistence; the mornin's--creamy mush 'n' hot cakes
then the observation car, as sudden as the 'n' ham an' eggs 'n' three cups o' java afore
headlight, and a lady in green and a little I blew back to pick up the push.
golden-haired girl looking down over the "She didn't like none to see me go, Miss
gilded handrail; and then the train was a Heffernan. Kinder hinted round as she
fast dwindling beam in the gusty night. wanted to erdopt me.
Thick, oily-smelling smoke fell like soot "Yer see, she'd jes' made a big stake sellin'
about the boys huddled around the fire. a year-dale dorg she raised hernse'f to a
Presently they heard the shrill ,grinding of big gee in Chi. Thet guy must be plumb
brakes as the train slowed down for the loco 'bout dorgs 'cause he guv her a thou-
water-tank where the massive locomotive sandy roundy dollars fer thet year-dale.
would slake its thirst. Thet' s why I wanted to buy Gay-Cat-
Said the Frisco Kid, with an effect of to git to thet big gee fer mebbe a thousand
ease and knowledge, at this first oppor- more. I tole the push all about it when
tunity to make himself heard: I came back, but the push, they wouldn't
"Oh, Miss Heffernan---she's some rich believe it.
dame then. Must be when she can give a "Miss Heffernan showed thet thousand
cool thousand for a single measly dog." right afore my eyes, an' I even seed where
"Naw, she ain't so rich; jist comfortable- she kept it hid. But I ain't coughed none
like," returned Portugee. "She's a ole o' thet to the gang 'cause she said she done
maid wot lives in Middletown a coupla trusted me. I'm afeered kinder thet ef
dozen miles up the track. But she's good I. tole the gang some kid 'ud blab to the
ter hoboes. A stiff don't have ter batter wrong party, like a yegg er strong-arm guy
no back doors all over thet town ef he on the road, yer know."
knows where she lives. Why, there's boes "But this dame don't keep that money
thet has gone fifty 'n' a hundert miles off'n hid in her own house, does she?" asked the
their line o' travel jist ter throw. their feet Frisco Kid, dismayed for her. "She must
in her direction. Say, Frisco, how's it no be a little queer up-stairs."
one guv yer the office ter panhandle her "Oh, she's queer up-stairs all right,"
when yuh headed this way?" affirmed Portugee Kid. "But she's the
'
"I dunno; but she sure must be a good nicest, queerest up-stairs person I ever