The Republican journal., 1873-09-11
How Madgie Saved the Train.

| his wrinklcd front Caspar had a bend
"a, if he had been half persuaded these
| many Years TO 90 on hands ard krees
again, SO heavily time set on his back, md
| 50 close did his daily labor draw him.
He was @ood-natured, trotting old
| fellow working his mouth eagerly, and
,irainng his bleared eyes, rs he approached
| the towns draggled skirt for very think
| inc OF his folk ks--his old woman and his
'littlc gal
There were many rows Of dismal frame
| huts all around, built by railroad com
| panio- for the purpose OF penning as many
of their employees families at a time, as
! possible They reposed grimy and bar
fen-like, squat on that sandy foundation
| which Scripture condemns, swarming
with lc@ionS Of tallow- headed children.
| Women. sharp at the elbows and sharper
nj the face. were raising clouds of pork
smoke from their respective kitchen affairs.
In fact. The whole neighborhood reeEed
with the smel! Of grease, and the evening
was SO warm, Lapander might have re-
scented it, But Caspar's nose was not
delicate. He trotted over the cinder side
walk, nodding this way and that glad
| that there was such Il fine air and that his
.-lhar's the little Gal, as usual,n he
| chuc>lcd. as he turned the corner and
| found Madme on her lookout ut the gate
| She was Z; comfortable sight to see in that
ncimhborhood 80 tidy and fair in calico
| Youth You wonder why she hadn't been
set further up town, and draped in some
thing costly; why her dett fingers have
~, l.
loci. soul which slumbers in rosewood,
and which rises at n touch, like some
| blessed grnii TO comfort all the ills and fill
| lll thoughts: YOU wondered why some
| higll-bred father was not coming home
| to her NOW. But then this old man found
| it So hard to do without her Then, too
| Mad9e might neN er, III her life, have struck
| the royal heart which was now in hel
hands, Whicn She regarded as her bank
! against The tuture, and the interest OF
| which was the only income she wanted.
| -'Ihtrr Nou arc, grandpa." cried Madge
"lcs and there YOU are, Madgie. And
here we both are, Madgie,' entering the
open gate and putting down his pick.
He put his hand on each side of her
hcad and gave her a sounding smack on
| the check.
''Snpper's ready
| "les, YES. jist wait till get IL little of
| th,, ~llit't OIL .ny h,nhs and nerL It's
been a powerful hot, dusty day
| Ca,par trotted through the little barn
| allotted 10 him, hailed his old wife, who
sat ready to pour out his tea, and after
blowing and phln@ng through Il deal OF
water, returned to his family with shining
rountrn:nce and a handful of onions.
| II ii,t pulled these up for relish. They
are cooling, ingens is. You tended that
in@en bed, didn't you, Madgic?" 7"
Grandpa and l."
| And we wanted some of them ingens
| for market, =" said the old wife, eyeing the
! sacrifice severely Weain't got no ground
to throw away raism' luNuries for our
selves.
.Well, we'll mother pleaded Caspar,
dipping his fragrant sphere in salt; Il
don't calklate to pull 'em all. .jist want
ed somethin' retreshin after a hard day,
Taste EN-, Madgie,' insinuating the em-
crald tops toward her.
.Oh no, grandpa; keep 'em Yourself, y
shaking her head and smiling,
II feel" rambled Caspar, filling his
senses and his jaw with pertllmed roots,
until blind man would have pronounced
him a Mexican, if his nose had set him in
Judgment over Caspar-''l rally feel as
If needed somethln, workin' hard day
after day for nothing, you might say sort
of seem your work 60 to pieces under
your own eyes, and KNOWN the danger to
them on the road.
>What do you mean, grandpa?H said
Madge, turning white rs bread and butter.
''Why. honey, you see we've picked and
picked in that cut, and the sile's as un-
,tdd\ az water The stones and earth
list roll ON the track contineral. The
company ought to do somethin' to that
cut. Stones big As You is Jared down by
every train. But then the roads new
yet"
Men amt got no sense" broke out the
old wife Don't YOU see you're skeering
lhat child to death lor fear Charley'll get
smashed up. He runs on that road
Two blades of keen remorse leaped
from Caspar's bleared eyes
Nov don't be skcered, honey. Take
an ingcn, honey" ....
He reached over to pat her fingers.
''Charley didn't pass to-day, when the
dirt was rafting down so. He don't pass
till half past eight this evening, and we
left the track as clean as a table. Yes,
sir, them rails is a. free and bright as new
lin pans. 50 don't you be skeered, honey
''l'm moi scared about anything, grand
ma, said Madge trcmulously, but smiling
like a rainbow.
There, now, mother" cried Caspar,
| trumphantlN, returning to his onions,
.'you come down on me for nothing She
amt sllcered Il bit
No, NOT Il bit She flew about the room
like II bird washed the earthenware,
brought her grandfather his pipe, and
dropped at his feet to tell him some funny
story alloat In his enjoyment he wrapped
himself in such a cloud that he could hard
" see the clock
Mad9e Slipped out to the gate. She
was often there, looking up the road The
two old people sat inside, thinking OF the
days when they were young.
She was restless, and fitted over the
cindcr sidewalk, following a magnet
which would have drawn her from he
| centre Of the earth---to the road, of course.
How often She watched the rails converg
inc horizonward until they sharpened
themselves to a needle point The rail
road had fascination for Madge. When
a baby She used to follow her grandfather
to hi+ work, and hide among the bushes
10 see the bic ireghts 90 numbering by,
and TO see the express trains whirlng into
town like screaming land-demons. She
had heard of the sea and the spell it had
upon sailors, but she saw the railroad and
felt the spell, which nobody seemed to re-
mark, that it casts over inland laborers,
She saw her boy pIaymates sucked up by
the road, heard her grandfather tell OF
the hair-breadth escapes from collisions,
Of cool courage in men who placed them
selves between the people they carried
and the most horrible death. She had
learned the power and mission of ''the
road In short, she wasas loyal daugl-
ter of the rail Us any Maine shippers child
is of the sea, Madge had affinity for any
engine. TO this day her throat swelled,