Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1853-07-08
From the Washing ton Republic.
Chat with the conanctor

.sr1t. - I = d
II n9e. often man loses anything by kindness
know ilttle matter of that sort saved INV Ifs ~
perhaps the lives of many others at the SHINE t;na
HOW was shat q asked we of our friend Raw
lings, the model conductor nav
"Why, we had an Irishmar, On this rood o,o,,:
tunnel. 1t was warm weather so he used 70 20
into the tunnel to keep cool rather tbinL 10 80
to take little liquor when he was lonesome on1
way he laid down on the track one dav to listen for
the cars ne ael asleep and very imprudently got
his head cut on oy the express train. Well, there
was the last of that Irishman. There was tho d.
IFS own row IN his shanty when we TOOK the moor
fellow up, and we got away as soon as we decentlv
could for you know it's not agreeable to be
ded with a distracted family when you're neither
doctor nor nurse nor a preacher. Somehow I
always sorry when passed that place of course
felt as if-not exactly the same thinc-but inst "a
bad might happen to me some day. and then there'd
be another row in family. | told nv wife about
It, and she sent the family some little things The
wI5ow u inc oeao freshman was a Catholic,
and, as | was then on very fast train, | would
sometimes take up tho old woman on SUNDAY. and
carry her to church at Martinsburg. I somehow,
thought it was satisfaction to her to 60 to church
for she had but little chance in the world any how
certainly did not expect to get ANYTHING for It in
this world, and | expected they had so much scored
against me in the other, that it wouldn't amount to
anything there.
That was during the summer. One night the
next winter it was very cold, and the mountai ms
time, when, on turning curve the engineer saw a
waving light on the track, and we soon heard some
| one ahead shouting. | then out on the plat.
form. The gineer Stacked up and stopped the en-
gine and got out went ahead in the dark to see
what the matter. There it large land slide
had fallen across the track near the shantv of that
old washwoman. She had built-up large fire and
watched for the train for the were so sharp
that we might have been upon the slide before we
| could it. So, when we up, there was the
old lady, with her calico cap, swinging the chunk Of
fire like revolving lighthouse and there were the
little Irish carrying brush like many little bea
7ers. She had watched all that light in the cold
But for her. in another minute we should have run
into pile of dirt and stone big Barnum's Ho
tel should have got pit ticket certain, for
was the platform. What would have become oil
the passengers and train you guess as we'll as
can"
We expressed hope that the old widow had beer
properly rewarded.
1.-The passengers made up about eighty dollars
the company afterwards gave her shanty rent free
the brakemen and engineers bought her cow anG
she made out very we'll. But when handed the
money to her that night. she said Gintlemen and
ladies I'm thankful and may we niver know the
want of what we give me. But what did was most
ly on account Of him, there. He kind and
thoughtful to the poor and the afflicted, and I'd {
watched till froze before harrum should have come
to him, if could ha ped ito
Il Darn the thing, it made me choke right up
"Passen,iars for the Rea-a-y" " Don't forge
your umbrella, sir; there might be an explosion
and you'd want it to keep off the cinders.'' - lie
me pass your band-box, miss" g Take care of you
little boy, madam no insurance on HIM" All right
90 ahead -