Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-01-01


Overhead the stars were glitteIlng; and
| away beyond them, Tom thought, was
God, forgetting all his poor. Up and
down for a little way the red CLEAN of
the lantern showed the cindery road and
the dull black rails; showed the little
frozen puddles between the ties; and
| something else-TOm was not quite sure
what-a small dark bundle lying upon
the track. He had it in his hands in
| moment. None too soon, for the express
came laundering down, and the engineer
had glimpse of something darting away
from the very brink OF destruction. But
Tom had the bundle, and, with his breath
coming quick and hard, he turned into
the house, and laid it down IN the light
of the fire.
ats a baby and it's dead!'' ne said,
enening the dirty old shawl and looking
curiousiya at the white, pinched face, and
thin. blue lips. Never in all his life had
Tom touched baby before; and his dull
| heart stirred little as he lifted the small,
palIid hands, and let them fall again,
stroked the cold cheek with his coarse
finger, and then, folding the shawl about
| If. laid it on the foot of his bed. Just as
he had laid it down the Christmas chimes
| began to ring from st. Madeline's steeple,
and poor Tom stopped his ears with his
| pillow, and said in his angry heart: Z" 1t
is all a lie. There is neither peace nor
| goodwill"
| Tom slept late the next morning. He
| liked his Sunday morning nap, when there
was no train to waken for, and nothing
else, indeed-no Christmas greeting from
wife or child. He thought of it sorrow
| fully, lying half awake, with the red sun
shine streaming across his face. Then
i i
| Of the little bundle in the dirty old shawl
II seemed warm, and not cold, lying there
at his feet: and he almost thought it
| stirred little, as the sunbeams, full of
| Pickering, dusty notes, laid long, bright
| fingers upon it. He opened the shawl,
| half dreadlng to see the wan face by day
light; and oh, wonder! the great sorrow
! ful eyes were wide OPEN, and the baby
| looked in his face with the mute appeal
| ing patience of one used to nothing but
utter neglect, and making no claim upon
any loving care.
| How soon the fire blazed again upon
| the hearth, and how tenderly TOMS clum-
| sy fingers held the cup, with its draught
| of strong black coffee, to the baby's
mouth He had vague impression that
milk was the proper food for babies But
milk he had none; and the little one
| showed its appreciation of the situation
| by eagerly swallowing the coffee, and
| going off into sleep shade less like
death. 1t slept on and on, while Tom ate
| his breakfast and took counsel of his
heart "I'll bring Mistress Mcbride to
look at it," said Tom, at last. And so he
did.
The m0therlv old body laid it tenderly
on her knee, chafed the thin, pallid hands,
| and stretched out the little cramped feet
to the blaze, while Tom looked on. won
| dering and anxious.
$50 so, poor thing, poor lamb!' said the
nurse. "She's beginning to come round
a bit. Deed, then, Mister Larkin, the
croolty of this world is past believin'.
The baby's been drUgged till its brains is
all Of water; an to think of layin' the
poor innocent on the trackr
might have been dropped accidental"
suggested Tom.
''BIight be" said the nurse, "some poor
| drunken creetur." And she dipped her
finger in the coffee and moistened the
baby's mouth.
Here's teeth, Mister Larkin," said she,
triumphantly-'s tHmmick teeth and
grinders; the baby's goin' on two year, if
| she's day. I wouldn't wonder now, if
| she pulled through, after all"
TOMS face lighted up, as if this were
| good news; and then fell again, as he add
ed: ''Her mother'u be after her, most
like"
"Like enough" said the nurse, "some
poor Creatur has used her for Begin
purposes; and she's been druggeN with
gin and what not to keep her from grow
In"
Tom looked so angry that she fastened
to add: "IheTe'S a many folks does it, and
maybe this one got sick of the child and
left it. Look at that, now" said she as
the baby opened her eyes and fixed them
on the dancing flames; 'shes comm
round peart enough. An whatll you do
with her, then, Mister Larkin?''
keep her" said Tom, without any
hesitation.
"The Lord be good to We, Mister Lar
kin. The baby's sure to bring blessing,
coming on Christmas, and Sunday too"
And the old nurse bent her gray head and
kissed the little skinny face on her knee.
| Poor baby! She knew well enough
what blows meant, and cold and hunger
but in all her little life she had no ex-
perience of love and tenderness. So she
| lay quiet and UnrespOnSive, only her eyes
seemed to follow the dancing flames
III go and see to my old man, now"
said Mistress Mcbride. Gust you lay
her in the warm, and give her time to
come rightly 10 herself. I'll brew her
some pOrridge, and fetch it after bit"
News travelled fast at the crossing; and
by the time Mistress Mcbride started out
with her bowl of porridge all the neigh
bors knew of the baby at Tom Larkin's.
I'D take it kindly of you, Mister Lar
kim" said the nurse, "if you'd come over
in friendly way and have your bit of
dinner with US. There's my old man,
bed-ridden, as you may say, to his chair,
and he Go get uncommon lonesome; and
it's many year since baby came under
our roof"
They're plenty enough hereabouts,"
said Tom, with his old gruf way. But in
a moment his face broke into twinkle of
a smile, as he added:
'Well, well. I'll come over. What a
thing it is, now, to have a baby!" And
all the neighbOrs stared in wonder to see
Nurse Mcbride carrying the baby home
| in her arms, as carefully as if it had been
a little princess; and Tom walking after,
with proud air-proud of his baby, to
| be sure.
The nurse was right. The baby brought
blessing. The dear Lord sent her,s.a
messenger before his face to prepare the
way for him to enter into that humble
little house and that poor heart. Even
Tom found that Maggie would always be
a cripple, let her live as long as she
might. 1t only brought little cloud
on his sunshine. It'll turn for the best,
some way" he said. ''We've both our
cross to carry. and posvbn it'll keen rs