Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1876-08-31
BESSIE HENDRICKS JOUR
NEYs

JARS stop twenty minutes y called
| out Conductor Richardson at Aliens
Junction. Then, as the train came to
dead halt, he jumped down upon the
depot platform, ran along to the front
OF the long line of passenger cars,
where the engine was standing, and.
swinging himself up into the cab said
to the engineer:
Crank, | want you to come back to
the first passenger coach and see a lit
tie girl that [ don't hardly know what
to make of"
Frank nodded, without speaking,
deliberately wiped his oily, smoky
hands in bunch of waste took a
look at his grim, dusty face in the mar
row little mirror that hung beside the
steam-gauge, pulled off hisshort frock,
put on coat, changed his little black,
greasy cap for a soft felt hat, taking
these ''dress-up" articles from the ten
der-boX, where an engineer always has
something slowed away for any emer-
gency, and went back to the car as re-
quested.
He entered the car and made his
way to the seat where the kind-hearted
conductor sat talking to a bright-look-
ing little girl, about nine years old,
oddly dressed in a Woman's shawl and
bonnet.
Several of the passengers were
grouped around the seat, evidently
much interested in the child, who
wore sad, prematurely old counte-
nance, but seemed to be neither timid
nor confused.
"Here is the engineer" said the
conductor, kindly, as Frank ap-
preached.
She held UP her hand to him, with
a Winsome smile breaking over her
pinched little face, and said:
''My papa was an engineer before he
became sick and went to live on a
farm in Montana. He is dead and my
mamma is dead. She died first. be-
fore Willie and Susie. My papa used
to tell me that after he should be dead
there would be no one to take care of
me, and then [ must get on the cars
and go to his old home in Vermont.
And he said if the conductors would
not let me ride because [ hadn't any
ticket, | must ask for the engineer and
tell him that was James Hendricks
little girl, and that he used to run on
the M" e S road"
The pleading blue eyes were now
suffused with tears; but she did not
cry after the manner Of children in
general.
Engineer Frank stopped down and
kissed her very tenderly; and then, as
he brushed the tears away from his
own eyes, said:
"Well, my dear, SO you are little
Bessie Kendrick. [ rather think a
merciful providence guided you on
board this train
Then, turning round to the group Of
passengers, he went on:
81 knew Jim Kendrick we'll. He
was man out of ten thousand. When
| first came to Indiana, before I got
| accimated, [ was sick a great part of
| the time, so that [ could not work:
| and got homesick and discouraged.
Couldn't keep my board-bill paid up,
to say nothing Of my doctors bill, and
didn't much care whether I lived or
died.
Zone day, when the pay-car came
along and the men We're getting their
monthly wages, there wasn't cent
| coming to me; for I hadn't been free
from the ague nor worked an hour for
| the last month.
81 felt so blue that sat down on
pile of railroad ties and leaned my
elbows on my knees, with my head in
my hands, aid cried like a great boy,
out of sheer homesickness and discour-
agement.
pretty soon one came along and
said, in a voice that seemed like sweet
music IN my ears, for I hadn't found
much real sympathy, although the
boys were all good to NE in their way:
You've been having rough time of
it, and you must let me help you OUT
looked up, and there stood Jim
kendrick, with his months pay in his
hand. He took out from the roll of
bills tWenty-dollar. note and held it
out to me.
I knew he had sicklv wife and
two or three children, and that he had
a hard time OF it himself to pull
through from month to month. so I
said, half ashamed of the tears that
were still streaming down my face !: