Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1875-10-13
4 Railway Story from Germany.


II was in a third.cass carriage. She was
a pleasant-faced young woman, going, |
think, for the first time after her marriage,
TO visit her parents in her old home, to show
them their two fine grandchildren. At least,
this was the little history built up for her
in my own brain, from a word or two that |
heard between her and her young husband
at the station, as he put her into the carriage,
with an affectionate farewell | always
watch with great interest the farewells and
greetings of my fellow travellers, and have a
fashion of thinking out for myself the whole
story of their previous lives from the little
hints that | get in this way. 1t is to me as
if We're permitted TO open the second vol
ume of an interesting romance, and allowed
to read only one short scene in this, and
asked to guess as nearly as possible from
tins one scene the previous course of the
story, and the characters of the actors in it.
The youngest child was an infant of about
three or four months old very quiet aud
good and the other was pretty, restless
little girl Of three, who could not be still
a single moment, and kept the careful mother
busy by her questions aud wants and
childish pratlle She was not at all bash
ful, aud soon talked to us also, in such
natural, coquettish, condescending way, that
we We're quite in love with the charming
little lassie, and begged her mother not to
check her innocent advances to us.
When we had been travelling together for
two hours, and began to feel quite like old
acquaintanoes, while the train was going at
full speed the mother half rose from her
seat to place the little girl, who had left her
place, again on the opposite seat. How il
happened, ! have never understood it was
one of those accidents which seem impossi-
ble, and in fact, only happen once in a hun
dred thousand times but just as she stood
half erect, holding her sleeping babe upon
one arm. and her little frolicsome maiden
somewhat awkwardly ON the other, the little
girl made one of her sudden, quick move
ments, and in an instant she was gone from
our eyes.
What a moment The poor mother stood
fixed and rigid in exactly the same attitude,
her arm still bent as though around her
child, gazing with wide-open, fixed eyes at
the place whence she vanished. She seemed
literally turned to stone with the rest of us
the case was almost the same How long
this lasted, | do not know; doubtless it
seemed to Us much longer than it really was.
Then the Young mother seemed to come to
herself, and made u sudden movement rs if
she would spring through the window after
her vanished darling, now far away !
caught her quickly fast and held her, while
the kind young lady who sat opposite to me
took the baby from her arms, and we all be
gan to talk together no one listening TO the
other, about what was to be done for her
somehow We managed in our excitement TO
do all that was possible; the guard came
the train was stopped, and the mother, with
out speaking to one OF US, or even looking at
/ us, left the train, supporting herself on one
arm of the synpathzing guard, while he
/ held the sleeping baby fast in the other
/ OF course the train must go with in
creased speed, 20 make up for the moment of
/ delay so there was no chance for us TO see
more of the bereaved mother Telegraph
1 TO Us at the next station" said one of the
/ railroad iunctionares 10 the guard " Yes,
4 YES, be sure to do it immediately" said
dozen voices for in some mysterious way
the news of the accident had run through
| the train rs ii 10y electricity, aud long row
of sympathizing faces watched from the car
riage the disappearing forms of the mother
and the guard
1t will take her half an hour to reach the
spot, and it is Just thirty-Rye minutes now
10 the next station" said the stout gentle
man. in the corner, taking out his watch
and holding it open in his hand, his eyes
1 fixed upon it, lie had struck me as one OF
the most selfish and disagreeable old gentle
men possible scarcely answering a polite
/ question from neighbor, and then in the
shortest aud gruifest manner possible; he
had seemed completely absorbed by his
newspaper and his suutf-box, not having no
/ ticed the little fairy in any way except to
| glance at her now and then with a savage
expression, as her clear, childish laugh dis
| turbed his reading Now his whole soul
seemed 10 be fixed on the watch before him,
and he " ohided the tardy flight of time"
again and again, in words more forcible than
ornamental.
There was a young would-be dandy in
one corner light, straw-colored gloves, a
slender cane, an infant moustache, and an
eye-glass stuck in one eye, seemed 10 be, in
[ his opinion, tokens of vast superiority over
the other travellers and he spoke very little
except occasionally 10 make some supercili
ous remark, or ask some question about
third-class travelling, apparently 10 produce
on us the Impression that he was young
nobleman, or prince, perhaps, in disguise,
seeing for himself how ordinary morals
| Jared
/ What a change had come over him now
| the eye-glass hung dangling hther and
thitheri with the kid gloves, of which he
| had been so dainty, he had grasped the
dusty facing of the door, and was straining
his gaze, first backward until the poor mother
was no longer to be seen, aud then forward
to the next station where news was 10
meet us.
Now at last we are there the train halts,
and one OF the guards runs quickly into the lit
tie office over which Telegraph " is painted.
Everybody who can possibly get his or her
head out of the window ON that side, thrusts
it out There is a moment of intense sus-
pensei here comes the guard again with
dispatch in his hand he stands about mid
way between the ends of the train, and be-
gins 10 read II out in his clear, loud, official
tones Child perfectly sound aiighted on
pie Of draw IN a Geid, moi tco feet from
stone ,caN :"
Then what scene Every man at the
train windows has his hat of in moment