The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1876-10-20

Mrs. Annie A. Preston, in n. Y. Independent
Cars stop twenty minutesp, called
! ont Conductor -K1chardson at ALIeni
Junction. Then, as the train came to {
dead halt, he jumped down upon the
depot platform, ran along to the from
of the long line of passenger cars, where
the engine was standing, and, swinging
himself into the cab said 10 the engineer
Frank, l want you to come back tc
the first passenger coach and see little
girl that I don't hardly know what tc
make Of"
Frank nodded, without speaking, de
liberately wiped his oily, smoky hands
in bunch of "waste," took look at his
grim, dusty face in the narrow little mir
Tor that hung beside the steam gauge,
pulled off his short frock, put on a coat,
changed his little black, greasy cap for a
soft felt hat, taking these "dress-up" ar
ticles from the tender box, where an en-
gineer 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 sad, pre-
maturely old countenance, 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 farm
in Montana. He is dead and my mamma
is dead. She died first, before Willie and
Susie Ny 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
rcka little g4sI. anu sTrsKe us1ds ei'1s'
on the NJ q s. road"
The pleading blue eyes were now suf
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:
Dwell, my dear, so you are little Bes-
sic Kendrick. l rather think a merciful
providence guided you aboard this train.
Then, turning round TO the group of
passengers, he went on:
e. knew Jim Kendrick well. He was
a man out of ten thousand. When 1
first came to Indiana, before got accli-
! mated, 1 was sick a great part of the
time, SO that could not work; and l
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 l lived or died.
Zone day, when the pay-car came
along and the men were getting their
monthly wages, there wasn't cent COM
ing to me; for I hadn't been free from
the ague nor worked an hour for the last
month
"I felt so blue that l sat down on
pile of railroad ties and leaned my
elbows on my knees, with my head in
my hands, and cried like a 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 I hadn't found
much real sympathy, although the boys
were all good to me in their way ::
You've been having a reugh time OF it,
and you must let me help you OUT
al 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.
" knew he had a sickly wife and two
or three children, and thathe had hard
time of it himself to pull through from
month to month, so / said, half ashamed
of the tears that were still streaming
down my face: Indeed, cannot
take the money. You must need it
yourself
Indeed, you viii take it man. said
Jim. You viii be all right in few
days and then you can pay it. back. Now
come home with me to supper and see
the babies. 1t will do you good.
al took the note and accepted the invi-
tBtion, and after that went to his house
frequently, until he moved away and |
gradually lost sight of him.
" had returned the loan; but it was
impossible to repay the good that little
act of kindness did me, and l guess Jim
Hendricks little girl here won't want
for anything, if l can prevent it.
Then, turning again to the CHILD whose
bright blue eyes were wide open now, the
engineer said to her:
"Tll take you home with me, when
we get up to Wayne. My wife will
fix you up, and we'll write and find
out whether those Vermont folks want
you or not. If they do, Mary or shall
60 on with you. But, if they don't care
much about having you, you shall stay
with us and be our little girl, for we have
none of our own. You look very like
your father, God bless him."
Just then the eastern train whistled,
engineer Frank vanished out of the car
door and went forward to his engine,
wiping his eyes with his coat-sleeve,
while the conductor and passengers
could not suppress the tears this little