Jerry went on until he came to an avenue down which the elevated cars were running. They were a great novelty and he paused on the corner to watch several of the trains rattle along overhead.
As Jerry was about to move on, he heard a wild cry of alarm from the second story window of a house opposite. Looking in the direction, he saw a girl pointing up the street to where a baby-carriage had rolled from the pavement to the gutter, overturning itself and spilling a little child into the street.
The youth ran in the direction with the idea of picking the child up. As he did this an ice-wagon came along at a furious speed, the driver on the seat trying in vain to stop his horse.
The ice-wagon was heading directly for the child and unless something was done the little one would be run over and most likely killed. With his heart in his throat our hero threw down his valise and leaped to the rescue. In another instant the runaway horse was fairly on top of the lad.
Jerry’s heart was in his throat when he sprang to the rescue of the little child in the street. He saw that the horse attached to the ice-wagon could not be stopped and realized only too well what it meant should he be struck down.
Yet the sight of that innocent face nerved him on, and in less time than it takes to write it he had the child in his arms. Clinging to the little one, he flung himself backward, and like a flash the horse sprang past, dragging the ice-wagon so close that the wheels scraped his leg.
A shout went up from the crowd, but Jerry did not hear what was said. Staggering up, he ran back to the sidewalk, leaving the baby-carriage a wreck behind him.
In another moment the girl who had given the first cry of alarm was at Jerry’s side.
“Is he hurt? Is little Tommy hurt?” she cried, as she snatched the youngster from Jerry’s arms.
“Me fell in the dirt,” lisped the little one. “Me ain’t hurt, but me awful dirty.”
“Never mind the dirt, dear,” cried the girl. “I am thankful you escaped. Mary, why didn’t you take better care of him?”
The last words were addressed to an Irish girl who had just sauntered up.
“I went to get a hoky-poky at the corner,” replied the girl. “I don’t care to mind yer brother any more anyway,” she added, and darted out of sight into the crowd.