stens.

"'Pit-too-ee--there's your car, boys!' he says, 'n' then I begins to
hear a groanin' sound.

"Man! they ain't no way to tell you about that street-car! She falls
to pieces only they wraps all the upper parts together with wire till
she looks like a birdcage. A big freckled guy with red hair is runnin'
her 'n' I know just by lookin' at him it's Orphy.

"'Howdy, boys,' he says to us when he gets to where we're standin'.
'Jump aboard! I'm goin' down far as the pumpin' station an' the brakes
ain't workin' just like they'd ought-a this mornin'.'

"'We've got a trunk,' I says.

"'Oh!' he says, 'n' spins the whirligig. She keeps right on goin'.
Then he runs back 'n' yanks the trolley off, 'n' she begins to slow
down. 'Git your trunk an' fetch it to where I stop at!' he hollers.
'The cut-off ain't workin' just like it ought-a this mornin'.'

"We lugs the trunk down to the car 'n' puts her on the back platform.

"'That's the way things goes!' says Orphy. 'I hadn't figgered on no
trunk. Ed never tells me nothin' about it. You better set on it,' he
says. 'The seats ain't just in first-class shape this mornin'.' I
looks inside at the seats, 'n' he's got it doped right--some chickens
has spent the night on 'em.

"After we gets to goin' Orphy pokes his head in the door.

"'The company don't allow me to handle the money,' he says. 'But my
friends most gen'ally drop the fare down the right-hand side of the
slot.'

"Me 'n' Peewee goes forward 'n' looks at the money box. The front of
the car has warped till there's a big crack in the right-hand side of
the box you can see the platform through. I drops two nickels in on
that side, 'n' bing! they go down the shoot 'n' out the crack. They
falls on the platform 'n' Orphy picks 'em up 'n' goes south with 'em.

"'That's what I call a live guy!' says Peewee. 'I'm proud to know him.'

"Pretty soon Orphy comes back 'n' jerks the trolley off 'n' we stop on
a big square with a monument in the middle.

"'We got to wait here at the Public Square fer Mrs. Boone,' he says.

"In about twenty minutes here comes a dame across the Square. She's
sixteen hands high 'n' will girt according. She belongs in the
heavy-draft class 'n' she's puffin' some.

"'How-dee-do, Orphy,' she says. 'I'm a mite late, but I didn't get
shet of my peach butter as quick as I aimed to.'

"'That's all right, Missus Boone,' says Orphy. 'The company allows me
a liberal schedool. Set rig