Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1876-12-28

| stakc near the caOin wen IL WAS ltdc
thing, for II to eat grass. Mary didn't
know much about things then, she was
young like. and one day she thought she'd
put the calf in the stable. told her she'd
better not try it-she was just slight girl.
Now calf you know. Is the most deceiv-
in animal In the world. 1t don't look as
IL it he'd any strength, and yet it'll upset a
full grown man. So Mary unties the rope
and starts for the shed. and the calf kicked
up his heels and away he went. Mary
held on to the rope and away she went
thrown down, rolled overland there was
a confusion OF calf an. calico all over the
place. There wasn't no bones broken, but
Mary was the most amazed girl you ever
saw. That calf grew up to be a knowin'
COW. She used to run out on the track
just on purpose to frighten people. She d
stay on till the train WAS close up but new
er got hit. The men soon all got TO know
her and didn't mind her. But whenever a
new engineer came along and saw her he d
whistle brakes, and raise rumpus, often
| bringing the train to dead stop. But
she'd walk off Just at the right time and
seemed to understand the joke.
Our little cabin was In among the noun
tains. good ways from any other house.
and used to sometimes think that Mary
must be lonely. with me away so much of
the time. You see, was alters out three
| nights in the week. | went up In the day
time, passing my home at noon, and down
again that night, passing at midnight. But
was home two or three days in the week
and alters Sunday. The place where we
lived was a wild region Of country and the
storms We used TO have up there, so high
in the air, was fearful.
didn't tell you anything about the boy ?
No. Well, do you know. took 10 him
the very first moment. An that's avery
curious thing about babies. Now | never
iancied 'em much, bot tell you, stranger,
it makes all the difference in the world
whether its your baby or whether il be-
longs TO somebody else. I've seen a great
msny of EN- in my time, and accordin to
their parents they was the most uncom.
mon babies: but never could see much
OF 1t. | used 10 laugh a good when people
made such fools of themselves over their
children. but know exactly how II is now
for suppose was the greatest fool over
my Charley as ever lived. Mary named
him Charley. That was after me. Seems
to me that boy took to "A locomotive from
the time he was six months old. His
mother would set out in front OF the house
with him In her lap, when | was up at
noon, and she'd kiss her hand aud wave
the baby at me. BY the time he was three
years old bed got SO that used to take
him up to ride with me. There was a wa
ter tank near the house aud when stopped
TO water be was alters there, and I'd ketch
him up n carry i'm of ten or twenty miles
till met another train. and some of the
boys d carry him back home. 'Twasn't
long afore there was scarce a man on the
road as didn't know Charley Latham's ba
by. They'd pick i'm up wherever they
notAll HpH in, a,,1 hat h.a
nearly all day, but somebody'd set i'm down
afore night n he'd come toddlin' home.
Sometimes think It's queer how the men
used 10 take 10 that baby. There was fell
lers just a. rough as bears-breakmen,
thatd get drunk and crazy with liquor and
cut and or shoot a man quicker n litenln';
n section men-up In them mountains
them section men were mighty hard cases.
What for iighiin' and quarreln', they d
beat Sam Hill. An Wit there wasn't one O.
them chaps as would speak cross word
TO my baby. They was all fond OF i'm, and
If anybody took 10 impOsin' on i'm, why.
there u be russ quicker n the drop of
yer hat.
There was Bin Walker You didn't
know Bill Walker, did you! No, OF
course you didn't. Dead now. Left a
switch open on i'm and he run of. Never
spoke after they picked i'm up. Bill. he
was a crusty old backelor-one of them
fellers wat never ses nothin' IL he kin help
hisself. He didn't have no relations and
he WAS SO sot agin everybody the bows
used 10 say they didn't believe he ever had
q father or mother like other folks. He'd
had hard lines In life for fact, and IL made
'im wat they call misen-.Yes. that's IL
"a misen.horp. He seemed to hev a par
ticuiar grudge for everybody he had ever
seen, and a sorter general disgust for ev-
erybody he hadn't. Bill picked up the 5s-
by for q ride one day and when he stopped
AT the station he was goin' round ollin' his
ingine and the little tyke was taggin' after,
holdin' on TO his coat tail and gettin' his
self all covered with oil and grease. just
like q reg'lar engineer; and there was one
of the station men, as didn't like Bill no.
how, and he ses, ses he, 'Hullo, Bill Is
that left-hander Of your'n!
They say Bill jest turned ashy. He sets
down his can and reached for that feller-
jest one. square in the iugular and he die Mt
git out o. bed for ten days. One day there
come down from New York a rocking
horse, and Mary found 1t at the water, tank
with piece of paper tied 20 the bride, n
it said like this If Bill Walker could ever
wish for baby Of his own 1t would be lii.
tie Charley That rocking-hoi Sc cost Bill
WnOle HOutns ; wages.
One of the first things Charley learned
to say. when he was beginnin' to talk, was
this. You see, the men Oh the road used
TO often call one another 'Pard'-shert for
'pardner.' Charley he caught it, and he
alters called me 'Pard.' | don't think he
ever called me father or papa. like other
children do; but it was alters 'Pard.' on
and me is pards, isn't we?' he used 10 say.
An that's what we alters called one an
other and he went by the name of Charley
Latham's pard' all over the road.
I'd be goin' by the house, on the noon
tram, and leadin' out O. the cab watchin'
for 'im, n he'd be out in front, with a white
rag or something to wave at me. and I'd
see by the motion Of his lps-I couldn't
hear for the noise Of the cars that he was
sayiu', You and Inc is pards, isn't weY
As / was tellin', Sundays l laid of: n in
the mornin', after breakfast. Mary would
ill up a basket with some bread n butter
n meat n things. and we three would 90
OFF up into the mountains and stay all day.
We used to do this mostly every Sunday,
and SO Charley got 10 callin' it his pard's
day. You see, he got q notion it was the
best day in the week COS was alters home
with him. didn't never 60 to church
much-it was long ways; and then l
thought Charley would get as much relig-
ion by going around in the woods, and
among the mountains, where the trees and
leaves were so beautiful, and the rocks so
grand, as any other way. II they don't
tell US that the Creator who made 'em all
is powerful and good too there ain't no
preacher car do ii.
You went up to the top OF Pixies Peak
the other day. I've been there too, n I'd
like to know II chap can 60 up there.
among those awful precipices and gorges,
and look over the country for hundred
miles, and SEE the mountains around, and
the plains way of in front, that don't seem
to have no end, aud then look at hisself
and say whether he does really amount to
a row of pins. YOn see never was q chris
tian, and never give Charley no sich train
in, and sometimes think mebbe l didn't
do quite right by him. But, Lord love you,
stranger, wen he went among the angels,
I'm jest certain there wasn't none. OF 'em
had any cleaner soul AN what he had.
There WAS place. about three quarters
of mile from our house, where we used
to 90 COED deal Sundays and Mary would
read the Bihle tn us and siuV. She was a