The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1876-11-09
Bessie Hendricks Journey.

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 into the cab said to the engineer:
Crank, want you to come back to
the first passenger coach and see a little
girl that I don't hardly know what to
make Of"
Frank nodded, without speaking, de-
iberately wiped his oily, smoky hands
in a bunch of waste" took look at his
grim, dusty face in the narrow little mir
ror that hung beside the steam gauge,
pulled off his short frock, put on a coat,
changed his little black, greasy cap for
soft felt hat, taking these "dress-up" ar
ticles from the tender box, where an en-
eineer always has something slowed
away for any emergency, and went back
to the car as requested.
He entered the car and made his way
to the seat where the kind-hearted con-
ductor sat talking to a bright-loOking
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 inter
ested in the child, who wore a sad, pre-
maturely old countenance, but seemedto
be neither tilnid nor confused.
Here is the engineer" said the
conductor, kindly, as Frank APP
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 farm
in Montana. He is dead and my mamma
is dead. She died first, before Willie and
Susie. My papa used to tell me that af-
ter he should be dead there would 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 l hadn't
any ticket, must ask for the engineer
and tell him that I was James Kend-
rick's little girl, and that he used to run
on the NJ & S road"
The pleading blue eyes were now SUI
fused with tears; but she did not cry
after the manner of children in gen.
eral.
Engineer Frank stopped down and
kissed her very tenderly; and thenas he
brushed the tears away from his own
eyes, said:
Well, my dear, so you are little Bes-
sic Kendrick. / rather think mercifal
providence guided you aboard this.train.
Then, turning round to the group of
passengers, he went on:
knew Jim Kendrick we'll. He was
a man out of ten thousand. When |
first came to Indiana, before l got accll-
mated, l 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 moth
ing of my doctors bill, and didn't much
care whether lived or died.
One day, when the pay-car came
along and the men were getting their
monthly wages, there wasn't cent COM
ing to me; for l hadn't been free from
the ague nor worked an hour for the last
month.
Il felt so blue that | sat down on
a pile of railroad ties and leaned my
elbows on my knees, with my head in
my hands, and cried like great boy,
out of sheer homesickness and disCour-
agement.
Pretty soon one came along and
said, in veice that seemed like sweet
music in my ears, for | hadn't found
much real sympathy, although the boys
were all good to me in their way
You've been having rough time OF it,
and you must let me help you out.
81 looked up, and there stood Jim
kendrick, with his months pay in his
hand. He took out from the roll Of bills
a twenty-dollar note and held it out to
me.
IL knew he had a siokly wife and.two
or three rbiIdre0 and thatbe had a hard