River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1873-08-12
Sims Little Girl.
BY MARY HARTwELL,

| tnat glass dOwn-can't wait minute.
Business particular concerns the COM
pany.
Now I've got you by the arm, boy,
L want to tell you something. Then If
you want to go back to that saloon,
you may.
i 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 he sees sore
need OF 1t. I've had an eye on You
ever since the company promoted you
to an engine, and / want you TO make a
fair trip # your life. You're a fine,
bright youngster. l don't never say
things to compliment.
just takin' drinks for good fellow
shipl Yes, | know all bout that.
Been there myself. Sit down on the
edge of the platform here.
OF all the men in the world, [ take
1t, engineers ought to be the last to
touch the bottle. We have life and
property trusted to our hands uncom-
mon. Ours is a grand business. 1
don't think folks look at it as they
ought to. Remember when | 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 l wanted him to. The power sort of
made me think fast, square up. and
feel much of man.
was dom well when / married, and
[ did well 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 so, anyhow. She was
sort ofmild and tender with her tongue
Not one of your loud ones. And
pretty too. But you know what il is
to love a woman, George Burks. | saw
you walkin' with a blueeeyed little
thing last Sunday.
And after awhile we had little girl.
How 1 felt when l came home and they
put her into my arms for the first
time 1 looked sort of silly and sort
of glad My 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
springs You see 'em AL 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, aud flner'n you
can put into words. That's just the
way she did. Every night I came
home, found her growed and plump
ened out more. Used to toss her up
and she'd squeal like a squirrel, and
come down on my face in fits of laugh
ter.
Oh, ] daresnt think about her cum.
nihgness But the very first word she
learned to say, was Papa !
We talked good deal about what
we should call her, my wife and 1. We
went clean through the Bible, aud set
down all the fine story names we heard
Of. But nothin' seemed to suit.
used to puzzle the whole length of my
route to find out mamie for that little
girl. My wife wanted to call her Eu-
dora Isabel But that sounded like
folderol. Then We had up Rebecca,
and Maud, and Amanda Ann, and what
not. | seemed TO see Katie. She
looked Katie, ] took to calm her
Katie, and she learned it. So Katie
she was.
tell you, George, that wds a child
to be noticed. She was rounder aud
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 toddIe: she used 20
come dancin' 20 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 babyl-God bless my little
lamb =
As she grew older, I used 30 talk 10
her about engin even took her into
my cab, and showed her the 'tachments
of the engine, and learned her signals
and such things. She tuck such an
interest, and was the smariest little
thing Seemed as if she had always
knowed 'em. She loved the road. Re.
member once hearing her say TO play.
mate, There's my papa. He's an en-
gineer. Don't You wish he was your
papa2'
My home was close by the track.
Often and often the little girl stood in
our green yard, wing hci mite Of o
hand to me as We ~ by,
Well, cir, them was happy years.
II most kills me 10 look over 'em now.
] was dom too well. Had an idea /
was a man made 10 prosper. / fell
good TO all the world, and that nd
been well, If Id showed my good fell
lowship another way. But men are
fools. was 80 easy 1 couldn't refuse
a social glass, and | was always free
toasting others. Many's the time
we've stood, three or four fools OF ~
clinkin' our glasses and drinkin' Il
Observation-Disclosures the very thin,
that made us ft for anything bu
brothers. IL pleased me most 70 hay,
them pledge my little girl. And th,
more they'd toast her, the deeper T.,
drink. And ] was dnnkin' death I,
her and damnatiOn TO me.
/, I'll cut II of short. Didn't mea