Creative Writing: The Bystander

As Karolina walked, she was growing increasingly worried about her youngest son Albert when she carried him off of the train. He was unable to get rid of his chest congestion from the ocean voyage from Antwerp and he coughed constantly during the entire trip from New York City. The drafty train cars appeared to make him worse as she had tried to keep him warm as they traveled. He had contracted a fever and became more and more listless as she held him. He even refused to eat and just sat staring blankly out of the train car window. As they got off the train, she asked her cousin if he knew of a doctor in the city that could help her boy. Her cousin just shook his head. As she was speaking, a young newspaper boy of looked up from selling

Several members of the audience laughed as “Doc” Rockefeller put down his rifle and placed an old medicine man’s hat on his head complete with feathers. He received it from a Native American during his travels and his audience loved seeing it. He held up a small bottle filled with a brown liquid. “Now”, he said, “How many want one of these miracle elixirs?” Several members of the audience surged forward and pulled out worn dollar bills and waved it at him while the others just laughed and continued on their way to the nearest trains headed

His father stopped when he saw him, turned towards Johnny, and held out his hand and said “Give me a dollar for that bottle you just gave away, Johnny” Johnny looked at him in surprise and fished down to the bottom of his trousers where he kept all his money he earned from selling newspapers. He counted out one dollar in coins to his father. Bill Rockefeller put the change in his pocket and said: “Now hurry and go sell more newspapers, Johnny, we have to eat!” And boxed him on the ears. Johnny went back to the newspaper stand with his ears ringing. Johnny grabbed another stack of newspapers and began to hawk more papers to the arriving train passengers. He was shouting at the top of his voice to the arriving immigrants. “News, read all about it. President Pierce and his stand on slavery!” Meanwhile, Bill “Doc” Rockefeller used the dollar given him from his son to buy a beer at the local tavern while his son walked back home in the dark. Johnny resolved to continue to help those in need when he could despite his father’s poor