e Queer Side of Things.

THE LEGEND OF BILLI, ERIE.

ADAPTED

FROM THE

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“1OGUESS TCOULD BREAK UP THAT LOT WITH KID GLOVES O, "

ROM New York to Toronto, and from the Niagara IFalls to Cleveland, wherever vou travel you may hear from the

“Bill Iirie "—that noble oyl who dicd rather than diserace his craft, Bill got his sccond name from the 1ake Eric Railway, the property of the Vander- bilts, whereon he was emploved as porter. Hce had held the trunk-smashing champion- ship of America for many vears. He had broken all the records as well as all the boxes. Ordinarily clever porters smashed

thetr thousands—DBill smashed his tens of

thousands. No patent iron-bound trunk had terrors for Bill—he smashed them all while, as for ordinary portmanteaux and hat-boxes, he just annihilated them eollee- tively in batches. You couldn't get ahead ot Bill.

Lt is a sad thing, though, to think that cven Bill was beaten at last. [overvbody, cven the boldest, mects his Waterloo some day. Still one may be pardoned a manly tear for poor Bill Eric. That he should

have died, and by the trcachery of a fellow

porter ! The box that caused all the trouble Was

IFrixcn o T,

rarlway officials the story of

SOUDAN.

a4 plam-looking, old-fashioned box cnough, although pretty stout. Bill Eric smiled to look at it. T guess Teould break up et lot with kid gloves on,” he said.

He lifted i, that strong, noble man, as high as the crown of his head. Then he let 1t fall with a mighty bang.

There was something wrong. A Dittle chip flew out of the concrete platform, but the box Tav uninjured. “ That's amighty quecr,” said Bill. ** Reckon 'l have 1o boot it.” Then he raised his foot—that mighty foot, clad in 2 boot which would oo through a brick wall of its own werght,

He kicked. Everybody within hearing jumped a foot high at the shock., There was aslight mark on onc side of the box : that was all. "Then he kicked again. This time he hurt his big toe. Then he tried all his regular dodges, and even executed his famous war-dance on the lid—that war- dance which had, again and again, burst in @ new burglar-proof sate. But he knocked a piece of iron off one boot and hurt his feet on that solid mass. After that he went

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4 . P ) “HI EXFCUTED HIS FAMOUS WAR-DANCE ON TIHE LID.’7