A DOG FOR A QUARTER 



And so we parted, and with my " trunk '*— about a 

 foot square, easy to carry under one arm and con- 

 taining a shirt-waist and a pair of stockings, not 

 more, for I was just a kid in knickers— I went off on 

 the railroad train. 



I came upon the " stable car," and Cash, midway 

 between Washington and St Louis. I saw a little 

 fellow ahead of me hiking a mile down a railroad track 

 as hot as a furnace carrying a pail of water in each hand. 

 He had a long peaked trotting driver's cap, and looked 

 the funniest guy I'd ever seen. I walked up behind 

 him to see who he was, and I heard him whistling— 

 and then, of course, I knew it was Cash. 



We embraced like brothers should ; I was glad to 

 see him and he me. We sat down by the track and 

 talked things out. We had plenty of hope— but I 

 couldn't focus that talk quite properly through looking 

 at that darned cap of Cash's. I burnt it one 

 morning. 



It was here I got hold of another dog. I whistled 

 to him, and was going to steal him, for I'd taken a 

 fancy to him, but the owner came out, and as I had 

 actually got hold of the animal's head there was only 

 one thing to say: 



" Do you want to sell this dog, boss ? " 



He stuck out for half-a-dollar, but I whistled him 

 into taking a quarter. And I had a new companion. 



I hadn't by any means got over my fear of horses, 

 but Cash put me at odd jobs, and when we got to St 

 Louis he made me ride a little, and gradually I got used 

 to it. The stable belonged to Tracy and Levy, and 

 they had two horses called Surprise and Biddy Bowl- 

 ing. It was a pretty easy job to start with, and all 

 I had to do was to lead one of them round after he had 

 done a gallop until he stopped sweating. Then Cash 



B 17 



