Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1877-06-20
A Noble Engineer. or Bessie Hendricks
Journey.

Journey.
Cars stop twenty minutes :" called
out Conductor Richardson at Aliens
junction. Then, as the train came to a
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:
"Frank, want you to come back to
the first passenger coach and see little
girl that don't hardly know what to
make Of"
Frank nodded without speaking,
deliberately wiped his oily, smutched
hands in bunch of waste, took look
at his grim, dusty face i'm a narrow little
mirror that hung beside the steam
guage, pulled of his short frock, put
on coat, changed his little black,
greasy cap for soft felt, taking these
''dress up" articles from the tender
box, where an engineer has something
slowed away for an emergency, and
went back to the ears as requested.
He entered the car and made his way
to the seat where the conductor sat
talking to 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 interested in the child, who wore
a sad, prematurely old countenanee,
but appeared to be neither timid nor
confused.
''Here is the engineer" said the
conductor, as Frank approached.
She held up her hand to him, with a
winsome smile breaking oyer 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 after he should be dead, there
would be no one TO take care of me,
and then | must get on the ears and 90
TO his old home in Vermont. Aud ne
said, if the conductor wouldn't let me
ride because hadn't any ticket, | must
ask for the engineer and tell him that l
am James Hendricks little girl, and
that he used to run on the n. d 5 road.
The pleading blue eyes were now
suffused with tears; but she did not cry
after the manner of childhood in
general.
Engineer Frank stopped down and
kissed her very tenderly; and then, as
he brushed the tears from his own eyes,
said:
swell, my dear, so you are little
Bessie Kendrick. l rather think
mereiful Providence guided you on
board this train
Then turning round to the group OF
passengers he went on:
81 knew Jim Kendrick well. He was
a man out of ten thousand. When
first came to Indiana, before | got
was sick a great part of
the time, so that / could not work, and
1 got homesick and discouraged. Could
not keep my board bill paid up, and
didn't much care whether | lived 10
died.
"One day the pay car came along and
the men were getting their monthly
pay, and there wasn't cent coming to
me for hadn't worked an hour for the
last month.
al felt so blue that sat down on
pile of railroad ties, and leaned my
elbows on my knees, with my head on
my hands, and cried like boy, out of
sheer homesickness and nddiscouragement.
"Pretty soon some one came along
and said, in a voice that seemed like
sweet music in my ears, for l hadn't
found much real sympathy, although
the boys were all good to me in their
ways. You've been having rough
time of it, and you must let me help
you OUT
''I looked up, and there stood Jim
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.
''I knew he had sickly wife and two |
or three children, and that he had a |
hard time of it himself to pull through |
from month to month, so ] said, half |
of the tears that were stream
ing down my face, Indeed l cannot |
take the money, you must need it
YOURSELF
"'Indeed you will take it. man. said ,
Jim. You will be all right in = few
days, and then you can pay it back. |
Now come home with me supper and |
see the babies. 1t wi do you good
81 took the note and accepted the
and after that went to his |
house frequently, until he moved away
and | gradually lost sight of him.
az had returned the loan; but it was
to repay the good that little |
act of kindness did me, and l guess
little girl here won't want
for anything, if can prevent It,"
Then turning again TO the child,
whose bright 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
those Vermont folks want you |
or not. If they do, Mary or shall go
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 much
like your father, God bless him!''
Just then the Eastern train whistled, |
Engineer Frank vanished out of the car |
door, and went forward to the engine,
wiping the tears with his coat sleeve,
while the conductor and passengers |
tha faar, THE l;ttio