Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1873-08-07

E0tnIul through trial. temptation and pain,
Thou hast boon truo whom my spirit was
Conc, and never will grievc thee again.
@l - 49,.
Sims i.Ai tie .0lrl.
.. BY NARY HARrwE1n.
"Come out here, George Burks. Put
that glass down-can't wait 3 minute,
Business particular concerns the com.
pany. : Il
CHOW I've got You by tn. arm, boy,
want TO tell you something. Then IL
you want to 60 back to that saloon,
you may.
1 don't often NEEDLE in other folks
business, do II When . tough old
fellow like me sets out to warn = body,
You may know its because no secs sore
need Of it,, I've hsd an eye on yon
ever since the company promoted you
to an engine, and I want you to make q
fair trip ct your life. You're fine,
bright youngster. I don't never say
things to compliment.
just takin drinks for good fellow
ship2 Yes, I know all bout that.
Been there myself. Sit down on the
edge of the platform here.
OF all the men ia Tho world, take
it, engineers ought to be- the last TO
touch the bottle, We have life and
property trusted to our -hands -unoom-
mon. Ours is grand business. I
don't think folks look at it as they
ought TO. Remember when I was {
young follow like You, Just sset up With
an engine, I used TO feel like / Strong
angel or somethin', rushin' over the
country, maxim that iron beast do Just
as wanted him to. The power sort of
made me think fast. square up. and
feel much of q man.
I was dom we'll when I married, and
I did we'll long afterwards. We had
nice home, the little woman and me;
our hearts were set on each other, and
she was little proud of her engineer.
She used to say 30, anyhow. She vas
sort ofmild and tender with her tongue
Not one of your loud ones. And
pretty too. But you know what it is
to love Noman, George Burks. Isaw
yon wa1kin with a blue-eyed little
thing last Sunday.
And after awhile we had little girl.
How felt when I came home and they
put her finto my arms for the first
time Hooked sort of silly and sort
of glad! Ny wife, she Just laughed
out loud to see me handle that little
thing so orkardly.
never liked little children much.
but took to that 'un powerful, Ev.
erybody took to her.
George, boy, did you ever take time
to 60 and peep at young ferns in the
springa You see 'em all doubled TO-
gether, like teenty fist. That's what
she was at first; all fist and squirm:
beauty curled up tight. Then they
unfold and spread out, and come up
bright and delicate, and finer'n YOU
can put into words. That's Just the
way she did. Every night I came
home, 1 found her growed aud plump
ened out more. Used to toss her up
and she'd squeal like q squirrel. and
come down on my face in fits of laugh
ter.
Oh;;rd&esn't think about her cum.
ningness! But the very first word she
learned to say, was .Papa!'
We talked 4 good deal about what
we should call her, my wife and I. We
went clean throug ID the Bible, and set
down. all the fine story names we heard
CT. But nothin' seemed to suit. l
used to puzzle the whole length of nv
route to find out name for that little
girl. MY wife wanted to call her Eu.
dora Isabel: But that sounded like
tolderol. Then We had up Rebecca,
and Maud, and Amanda Ann, and what
not: seemed to see Katie She
looked Katie, I took to CALM her
Katie, and she learned it. So Katie
she was. 49,. ;,
! tell you, George, that was q child
to be noticed. She was rounder and
prettier made n wax figure; her eyes
was bigger and blacker n any grown
woman's You ever saw, set like stars
under her forehead and her hair was
that Light kind that all runs to curls
and glitter.
"Soon she could toddle; she used to
come danein. to meet me. I've soiled
as many OF her white pianafores, bury
In my face in 'em and sort of prayin'
soft under the reef of my heart. God
bless my baby!-God bless my little
As she grew older, I used to talk to
her about engin'-even took her into
my cab, and showed her the 'tachments
OF the engine, and learned her signals
ana such things. She tuck such an
interest, and was the smartest little
thing! Seemed as if she had always
knowed 'em. She loved the road. Re-
member once hearing her say to a play.
mate, There's my papa. He's an en-
glneer: Don't you, wish he was your
My home was close by the track
Often and often the little girl stood in
our green yard, waving her mite of a
hand to me as we rushed by,
Well, sir, them was happy years,
1t most kills me to look over 'em nov
L was doin' too we'll. Had an IDEA 7
was q man made to prosper. felt
good to all the world, and that Ind
been we'll, if I'd showed my GOOD fel.
ioWsmp another way. But men are
tools. was SO easy I couldn't refuse
social glass, and I was always free
toasting others. Many's the time
we've stood, three or four fools OF ue.
cllnkln our glasses and drinkin' to
Observation-Disclosures the very thing
that made us 6t for anything bul
brothers. 1t pleased me most to have
them pledge my little girl. AND the
more they'd toast her, the deeper I'd
drink. And / was dr1nkin' death "a
her and damnation to me.
Ill cut 1t off short. Didn't mean
TO say but q few words to you, but /
got to thinkin' SO. Can't spin it ont
much longer, or there'll be no man left
me.
Well, one day started on NV home
trip, full of that good fellowship Won
was imbibin' awhile ago. Made the en-.
CINE WIZ? We was awful iollv. tho
firemen and me. Never was drunk
when got on my engine before. or the
Company would have shipped me-
Wasn't no such time never made on that
road before nor since. I had just sense
enough to know what I was about. Int
not enough to handle an emergency
We fairly roared down on the frestie
that stood Mt the entrance of our town
L had tipsy eye out, and GEORGE
as we was flynn through the suburbs. I
see my little girl on the track ahead
wavin' red flag and standin' stock
still "'o'A
The air seemed full of Katies 7
could have stopped the engine, if I'd
only had sense enough to know what tn
take hold Of to reverse her! But 1 vas
too drunk! And that grand little angel
stood up to it, trying to warn US in
time, and we just swept right ahead
into, 81 nile If tino uonoo ,,,oA X LI,. :,