Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1872-10-24
The Sick ,Baggageman.

The affection etertained by railroad
men for each other is well known. Rude
as many of them are, when pain and
sickness attack fellow. none are so
prompt and generous to assist him. and
hands accustomed to hold the grinding
brake with the strength of giant, sud
denly become soft as the fingers of a
woman in works of charity toward the
helpless. A most touching iinstance of
this nature it is the office of the re-
porter for the Democrat to chronicle
to-day. s,oq tratb. .-.,......
From the window of the Democrat
office all along Fourth street may be
seen numerous railroad offices, before
which constantly draw up huge transfer
buses, from each of which pours ike
| Noah's family out of the ark on wheels.
long file of men in busters, and wo-
men with carpet sacks and ankles. Ex-
press wagons, too, abound-erom each
of which is hurled, with crush ike
| thunder, an avalanche of trunks. Yes.
! terday, about 5 o'clock, Just as the heat
of day had ceased, and a slight breeze
played along the street, small express
wagon, containing three men, drove UP
at slow pace. One who got between.
and was supported by the other two.
had, it was evident from his pallor, only
recently recovered from illness. His
companions were in perfect health. All
| three, it was clear, from their boards,
and the cut of their clothes, were rail
road men. The express wagon stopped
great difficulty. His companions stood
by him, watching him with infinite
| solicitude.
swell, Doc, old fellow said one,
"you'll be all right in day or two,
won't you? Feel better now? Looks
like old times, don't it? Here, Billy,
rattle them checks? ., it's biz, it is,
you old son of a thief?' "A 81 iL 0
"Well, Ed" replied the sick man,
it does seem good, after being in bed
| for two months, to see the boys hustle
them old trunks around lively but I'll
never be the man was before the rheu-
MATES took me. III never sling trunk
again, Ed"
eyes you will, too" replied his COM
rade, cheerfully. Before the next
change in the time tables you'll be wrest-
ling HI out of them Saratogas. The
doctor says so, and he ought to know.
| Try now, Doc he says it'll do you no
end Of good if you can only get up your
spirits again. Can't you watt this little
oil-skin carpet-bag II he continued
pleadingly.
mo 60, Ed," answered the invalid.
with touch Of dependency IN his
voice, u the Doc amt what he used to
was nohoT.''
Well, but Doc continued his friend.
"spose we get an ak and start that
little trunk there at the corner; couldn't
you bust it? It might do you good"
Ere he could answer, large express
wagon drew up before q whole pyramid
of mammoth Saratoga trunks. Two
men leaped lightly from it, one with a
lamp and bundle of jingling checks ;
the other pulled down with crash and
a couple of portmanteaus. The sight
and sound were to the sick expressman
like the trumpet to a blind old war
horse. Forgetting his illness and his
weakness he rose, and gained the heap
of baggage at a bound, and seized large
Saratoga trunk, which three hall porters
could hardly move. Posing it in the
air, he hurled the huge mass through
luC all 40 II IL lldu Ot6a lGdlA6Is C6lZ6u
with perfect fury, he slung trunk after
trunk upon the wagon; the pile melted
| like platter of beefsteaks before an
Indian chief; the atmosphere was per.
fectly black with carpet sacks, and not
less than three portmanteaus were in
the air at once. But the effect was too
much for him, and as the last trunk was
landed with such force that it burst
asunder in mid-air, and gushed forth
socks, collar boxes, shirts, petticoats,
hair brushes and things, as if bomb.
she'll had exploded in hosiery shop, he
fell fainting to the sidewalk. They
sprinkled him with water, forced whisky
down his throat, and did all that lay in
human power to bring him to, but
vainly. At last, when every expedient
had failed, one slammed a trunk down
at his ear aud beloved, Denverr'
The fainting man awoke, shouted
"Show me your ticket" and was borne
away by his faithful friends, who shed
tears of JOY at his recovery 81. Louis
| Democrat