The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1873-10-17
NO. %.
Iaistellanepns.
SIMS LITTLE GIRL
BY MARY HARrwELL.

Il Come out here George Bake
: Put Jhst glass down csn't wait
Minute. Business particular con
cerIs the company. . .-'.- u.
II Nov I've got YOU by the arm
d boy, i want to tell you something
FEen, ii you want TO 90 back int,
i thst s:loOn You may.
= L don't often neddle in o;he
u folks business, do II When a touol
II Uld fellow like me sets out to warn
lOdy, you msy know it is becsuse b.
sees sore need OF it. I've had al
= eye On you ever since the compsn,
promoted you to an engine, and
, Nsnt H"u 10 make fair trip of you
LIE You're fac, bright youugster
| d7n't never say things to conpli
meht .rl
}. "Just tskiu' drinks for good fel
iowshipt YES, know all '6out that
Been there my self. Sit down on th.
edge OF the platform here. 81.
: ''Of all men in the world, / take il
engineers ought to be the last to
touch the bottle We have lie snd
property trusted in our hands uncom
mon. Ours is grand business. Re
member, when l was young fellow
like you, just set up with an engine,
| used to feel like a strong angel or
somethin', rushin' over the country,
maxim that iron beast do Just as /
wanted him to. TheSpower sort of
made me think fast, square up, and
ioel much of u man. ..l u
Il was dOin' well when l married,
and did well long stterward. 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 50
anyhow. She was sort OF mild and
tender with her tongue Not one OF
your loud ones. And pretty, too.
But you know what it is to love
woman, George Burke. | saw Jou
wAlkin' with blue-eyed little thing
last Sunday.
"And after a while we had little
girl. How felt when came home
and they put her into my srms for
the first time! | looked sort OF silly
and sort OF glad My wife she just
laughed out loud, to see me handle
that little thing go orkardly.
81 never liked little children much
but took to that 'un powerful. Ev
cry body liked her. .--.-.....
"George, boy, did you ever take
time 10 go and peep at young ferns
in the spring? You see 'em all
doubled up together, like q teelty
fist. That's what she Was at first
all fist and squirm beauty curled up
tight, Then Lhey unfold and spread
out, and come up bright and delicAte,
and tiner'n you can put into words.
That's just the way she did. Every
night came home l found her crowd
and plumpened out more Use1 to
toss her up, and shed squeal like q
squirrel, and come down on my face
in fits of laughter. IT.. ..-. .el-a
"Oh, dsresn't think about her
cunningness! But the very first word
she learned TO say was 'pspar
ave talked good deal about what
We should call her, my wife and L.
We went clean through the Bible,
and set down sll the fine story names
We heard of. But nothing seemed to
suit. | used TO puzzle the whole
length OF my route to find out name
for that little giIl. My wife wanted
TO call her Eu1ora Isabel. But that
sounded like folderOl. Then we had
up Rehecca and Maud and Amsnds
Ann and what not. FinsIly, when
ever | looked at her, l seemed to see
katie She looked Katie l took TO
cAliin' her Katie, and she learned it.
So Katie she was.
/ tell yOu George that she was
child to he noticed. She was rouDder
and prettier made N q wnx figure,
her eye was bigger and blacker N
| any grown woman's you ever saw,
set ike stars under her forehesd
and her bsir was that light kind that
runs to curls and glitter. -sFl
"Soon's she could toddle, she used
TO come dancIn' 10 meet me. I've
soiled many OF her white pinafores
bury in' my face in them before | was
washed, and sort OF prayin' soft like
under the root OF my heart, God
bless my baby!-GOd bless ny little
lsmb -
GAS she grew older, used to talk
to her about the engin'-even took
her into my cab, and showed her the
'tachments CT the engine, and learned
her signals. She tuck such an inter-
est, and was the smar:est little thiugl
Seemed as ir she bad always kuowed
'em. She loved the road. Remem-
Der once hearing her say to play
mate, There's my papa. hes an
engineer. Don't you wish he was
your papa?' 1
"My home was close by the track
Often and often my little girl stood
in our green yard, waving her hand
to me ss we rushed by.
"Well, sir, them was happy years.
It most kills me to look over 'eIn
now. / was DOM too well. Hsd
an idea wss a man made to prosper
/ tvlt good at all the world, and that
'ud been well if I'd showed my good
fellowship some other way. But
men are fools. I vas so easy T.
couldn't refuse . social glass, shd 7
was always free tossling others.
MsDy's the time we've stool, three
or tour fools of us, cIinkin' our
| glasses and diiEkin' TO the brother
hood-drinkin' the very thing that
made Us fit tor anything but brothers.
IL pleased me most 10 have them
pledge my little girl. And tie more
they Toasted her the deeper I'd drnk
/ wss drinkin' death to her and dan
nation to NE.
"I'h cnt il CT shor. Didn't mean
to say but a few words n you, bnt I
got 20 thinkin' So Can't spin il out
DuGA longer, CT there'll be no msn
lefI OF me
"Weil, ope day I started on nv
bone trip, full Of tLat good fellow
ship you was imhbin' a while ago
Made the engine ~hizz We was
aHfu! jolly, the fireman and ne.
Never was drunk when | got on rly
engine before, or the company would
have shipped mr. Wssn't no sueh
time ever msde on that road before
nor since. l had just sense enough
to know what / vas about, but not
enough TO handle sn emeugercy.
We tairiy r1ared down on lhe Iestle
that stood ct the eutrgnce of our