The New Orleans Democrat. (New Orleans, La.) 1875-1876, 1876-02-01
A German Railway Story.


BY J. 8. T.
It was in third-class carriage. She
was 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 that built.
We had been travelling together for
two or three hours, and began to feel
old acquaintances. The mother half
rose from her seat to place the little
| girl, who had left her place again on the
opposite seat How 1t happened have
never understood; It was one of those
accidents which seem impossible; but
just as she stood, half erect, holding
her sleeping babe upon one arm, and
her little frollicksome maiden some-
what awkwardly on the other, the little
CIR! made sudden movement, and In
| an instant was gone from our eyes.
What q mOmentt 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 where she van
ished. She seemed literally suddenly
turned to stone; with the rest Of us the
case was almost the same. How long it
lasted do not know; doubtless it SEEM
ed to us much longer than it really was.
Then the young mother seemed to come
to herself, and made sudden move-
ment as II 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 began to talk to-
gether, no one listening to the other
about what was to be done for her,
Gnt nhnVv vnr iv~
ment to do all that was possible. the
guard came, the train was stopped and
The mother, without speaking to one of
US, or even looking at us, left the train.
supporting herself on one arm of tta
Sympathizing guard, while he held the
still sleeping baby fast in the other.
OF course the train must 20 with in
creased speed to make UP for the mo-
ment Of delay, 80 there was no chance
for us to see more Of the poor bereayed
mother. Telegraph to US at the next
station, said one OF the railroad men
it Immediately" cried q dozen voices:
for In some mysterious way the news OF
the accident had run through the train
as II by. electricity, and a long row OF
sympathizing faces watched from the
carriage the disappearing forms Of the
mother and the guard
"It will take her half an hour to reach
the spot, and 1t is just thirty-flve min
utes to the next station" said the stout
gentleman IN the corner, taking out his
watch and holding 1t open in his hand.
his eyes fixed upon it. He had struck
me as one OF the most selfish and dis,
agreeable old gentlemen possible:
scarcely answering a polite question
from neighbor, and then in the short
est and gruffest manner possible he had
seemed completely absorbed by his
newspaper and his box OF snuff. not
having noticed the little fairy in any way
except to glance at her now and then
with q savage expression as her clear
childish laugh had disturbed his read
ing. Now his whole soul seemed to be-
fixed on the watch before him, and he
again In words more forcible than Orna-
mental.
There was young would-be dandy
in one corner; light, straw-colored
gloves, slender cane, an infant mus
tache, and an eye-glass stuck In one eve,
seemed to be in his opinion, tokens OF
vast superiority over the other travellers.
and he spoke very little except OCCASION
ally to make some supercilious remarks
or ask some question about third class
travelling, apparently to produce on us
the impression that he was a young no.
bleman, or prince, perhaps, In disguise,
Jared.
What a change had come over him
now. the eye-glass hung dangling hither
and thither; 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 back,
ward until the poor mother was no
longer to be seen, and then forward to
the next station where the news was to
meet us.
Now at last VIC are there; the train
ly into the little Office over which ssTeI-
egraph" is painted. Everybody who
can possibly get his or her head out of
the window on that side thrusts it out.
There Is moment Of intense sus-
pense; here comes the Rnard again with
a dispatch In his hand Ne stands about
midway between the ends OF the train,
and begins to read 1t out in his clear,
loud, official tones: "Child perfectly
sound; alighted on pile Of straw in o
field, not two feet from a stone WALL"
Then what q scene! Every man at
the train windows has his hat off In O
moment and Is waving It and cheering
as IL he would split his throat every
woman is buried In her pocket-handker-
chief, crying and laughing together.
The stout old egotist and the vain Young
dandy have thrown their arms around
each other, and are embracing with that
heartiness that belongs to the sons Of
the Vaterland, although they never met
before this morning. The stiff old maid
In the corner has shaken my hands in
both hers so many times that feel they
are quite sore.
ALI the inhabitants of the little village
come running around the train. "What
10 It? Where is he? Is it the Kaiser
himself, or Is it the Kronpriz?' they
asked In bewildered excitement at the
sight.
But all the Kaisers and Kronprinzes
In Europe put together could not have
aroused the flood Of feeling that surged
through that train. It was q sympathy
with q sentiment far older than loyalty
Older than the Kings to whom loyalty
Is due-which was stirring every heart !;
1t was sympathy with a mothers love!
ROMANTIC REUNION OF A BROTHER AND
SIsTER.-Seventeen years ago William
Lester, poor carpenter, died at Bos-
ton. Three OF his children were taken