Out for Business; or, Robert Frost's Strange CareerAlger, Horatio, Jr.
History
Out for Business; or, Robert Frost's Strange Career
Alger, Horatio, Jr.
Chicago (Ill.) -- History -- 19th century -- Juvenile fiction; Self-reliance -- Juvenile fiction; Stepfathers -- Juvenile fiction
As he spoke, both turned their glances upon the car in which Robert
and the miner were located, and saw both looking out of a car window.
The miner's face wore a look of amusement and satisfaction, which was
enough to anger the two adventurers.
"Good-by, boys!" he said. "You're leaving us in a hurry, but we won't
forget you."
In reply, Jones, who was the more choleric of the two, shook his fist
at the miner, but did not indulge himself in any remarks. His feelings
were probably too deep for words.
"What shall we do, Barlow?" he asked.
"Foot it to the next station, I reckon. I'm used to walkin', aint you?"
"I've done a little of it in my time," said Jones, with a grin.
"Then we can take the next train that comes along. That cursed miner
won't be on board, and we can be received as gentlemen."
"Say, have you got a clothes-brush, Barlow? My knees--that is the knees
of my pants--are all over mud."
"So are mine. Yes, I believe I have, but don't let us repair damages
here. They will be looking out of the car-windows and laughing at us."
"Go ahead, then. I'll follow."
They started in the direction in which the train was going. Two
minutes later they fell in with a young Irish boy, who surveyed their
dilapidated appearance with amusement.
"Say," he remarked, "have youse been racin' wid de train?"
"Why do you ask, boy?" inquired Barlow with lofty dignity.
"I take it all back. I guess you've been on your knees prayin'."
"Boy, don't you know how to address a gentleman?"
"Where's the gentleman?" inquired the youth, with a vacant look.
"Jones, chase that boy and give him a lesson."
Jones undertook to do so, but he was short and fat, and the boy easily
eluded him. He climbed over a fence on one side of the railway, and
began to make faces at the pair.
"What would you have done to me if you had caught me?" he asked in a
mocking and derisive tone.
"Given you a first-class thrashing," growled Jones.
"Then I'm glad you didn't catch me. Say, I saw you get out of the
train."
"Suppose you did?"
"You were kicked out. What had you been doin'?"
Angry as the two adventurers were at their humiliating treatment, their
feeling of indignation was intensified by the boy's taunts. Jones was
about to make an angry retort, when Barlow stopped him.
"Don't mind the boy," he said. "We'd better be getting on."
They walked briskly till they had probably got a quarter of a mile on
their way to the next station. Then they paused and looked back, for on
the way they had passed the train.
"What's the matter with the train?" asked Barlow.
"Don't know. It's making quite a stop."
"I wish it would get wrecked."
This gave an idea to Jones.
"So I say. We'd get even with that miner, and the men that hustled us
off the train. What do you say to wrecking it?"
"We can do it. See that switch?"
"Yes. What of it?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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