Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1868-09-05
A Touching Incident.

The following incident of travel
is narrated by correspondent of
the Daily Saratogian, 1t took place
on the Rensselaer, Saratoga Rail-
road, on one of the Northern trains,
between Saratoga and Whitehall:
When the train halted ut Sarato-
ga, among the passengers from the
West came n man of about thirty
years of age clbowing his way
through the crowd and bearing in
his arms child. lie was poor
man; his clothes were poor; he
looked poor. Around his hat was
tied piece of soilcd worn Grape
1t was evidently all the mourning
his scanty means would permit
The mother of the child was dead.
This man was rough in exterior,
yet his face was an honest one. He
handled the baby awkwardly, yet
there was II Tenderness in his sad
look that showed the purity of Il
fathers love. The little fellow lay
asleep on his coarscly clad knee;
Il stray sunbeam glanced across its
tired face. They were both tired,
the father and the child, for they
had come from the far West; and
as he placed his hard, toil-worn
hand to shield it from the golden
rays, there was in his looks IL mix
turc of sadness and care, as if his
pent-up feelings had been so crowd
ed back into the inner cells of his
heart that even tears could have
been relief to the hidden anguish
that was making his life a misery.
The poor child cried; it might be
the little thing was tired; it might
be it missed its mother; perhaps it
was sick and so it criel. The tears
rolled down its baby checks; the
father wiped away the dew drops
as they fell, and then tried to feed it.
He was 80 awkward with the bottle
his had been life of toll and
hardship-and he knew not how TO
give his darling its nourishment.
AS he made effort after effort to
stifle the cries and check the tears
of his mothcrless babe, how he must
have missed hor who, in his life of
labor and privation, had been his
solace and comfort! An unbiddcn
tear started to his eye, but he brush
ed it quickly away. All who saw
him pitied him, At length woman
richly appareled, with an infant
resting on the lap of his nurse be-
side her-shc had been watching
the man-said in gentle tone,
"Give me the child" The poor
fellow looked up at her with look
of gratitude, for there was moth
er's tenderness in her voice. With
humble resignation, as though it
were pain to part with him, even
fora moment, nc gave her his boy.
The iadiy took it; its soilcd dress
rested on her silk; its tiny head
was soon beneath her shawl, and in
a moment all was still. Like the
Grccian daughter, who through the
iron bars fed her starving father, so
did this high born lady from her
breast feed the hungry child, and
when, on her gentle bosom, tholittle
one lay in calm and unvexed sleep,
she put aside the shawl.
The fathers heart swel!ed with
gratitude. lie said, as tear swelled
in his eye, and his voice was thick
with emotion, "Thank you. I'll
take him now" Then the woman's
nature spoke forth, as she gently
answered, "Not yet; yOu will wake
him-and for mile after mile that
noble hearted woman neld that poor
mans child, and it was not until
her own babe required such nour-
ishment as only a mother can give,
she gently rose and placed the stran-
ger boy wit his father.