The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-01-26
A Chicago Girl's Journey.


One of the pleasantest incidents as
ISOLATED with the recent Christmas an
niversary that has come under our OBJ
servation was journey that a little
Chicago girl, only ten years old, took
alone from that city to Concord, this
State, distance of over LOO miles.
1t was such a remarkable journey for
one so young to venture upon that we
are sure the many young readers of the
Journal, and probably every one of the
older ones, will want to read about it.
The little girls grandfather lives in
this city, and she wanted to spend
Christmas with him very much. She
thought it would be 50 nice to make
such visit that one morning at break
fast she said to her father that she
wanted to 60 to New Hamphere to
Christmas, and that if he would be so
good as to buy her a ticket and take
her to the cars she would not be afraid
to 60 all the way alone. Her father
could hardly believe her to be in ear
! nest in making such request, and told
( her the journey would be more than
| 1000 miles, and that she would be two
or three days and nights on the cars be-
fore reaching Concord. The matter
was talked over in the family, but the
little girl persisted so strongly in her
desire to make the trip that at last her
parents consented, and all the necessa-
ny preparations were made for the jour
ney.
1t was a Monday evening when a
gentleman in the Chicago railway sta
ton approached the conductor of the
Pullman sleeping-car train and asked
him if he would take charge of small
girl, who was going alone to New
Hampshire to spend Christmas with her
grandfather. The kind-hearted con-
ductor looked down on the little girl
with establishment, and at first could
not believe that the gentleman really
meant what he said. The little girl
was so very small that the conductor
said he was afraid he should lose her
He looked at her carefully, and noticed
that she had black hair and ewes and
rosy cheeks. She wore black dress,
q dainty travelling hat, and q dark
sacque trimmed with very rich fur, and
she carried a heavy shawl in strap,
and nice bag on which were inscribed
her name and residence. The conduct
or took her on the train, assigned her a
nice section of a car, where she could
sit in the daytime and have bed made
for her to sleep on at night, and at Just
nine p. M. there was q rafting and
rumbling, and she had Just time to say
good-by to her father when the train
rolled out Of the depot into the dark
ness, and started on its way to Canada
and the States.
We have not the room to give all the
particulars of the little adventurer' S
journey, but would say that the next
morning she woke up to find the train
on huge steamer at Detroit that was
carrying it across the river to the other
shove, where it would be placed on the
rails again. She took breakfast on the
steamer, and when conductor was as
sisting her back to the car nice look
ing man kindly asked her name, and
how far she was going. Twill give her
exact reply, because the boys and girls
who read this letter will become inter
ested in her, and will wish to hear from
her again. She answered the gentle
man:
MY name is Emma Rand. | live in
Clybourn place, Chicago, and my ia
theirs name is Douglas Rand, and he is
a manufacturer. | am going to New
Hampshire to spend Christmas with my
Grandfather Rand. My mother says
he lives in white house near the CITY
Hall. | don't expect to have any trouble
finding him when | get there, for my
Aunt Nellie has written me that she
will be close to the cars when they stop
at Concord, and will not miss me when
| step out"
Her artlessness and simplicity so
pleased the gentleman, who was a
Methodist clergyman from Kansas, that
he at once told her that he was travel
ing alone as far as Montreal, and would
most gladly do all he could to assist
her. Emma, as we now shall call her,
was much pleased with her new ac-
quaintance, who did all in his power to
make her journey a happy one. Near
Kingston an accident occurred to the
train, but it was not thrown from the
track, and no one was hurt. There
was, however, considerable delay, and
when at last it reached Bonaventure-
street station, in Montreal, the Boston
train had been gone some two hours.
By thus missing the railway connec-
ton the passengers for the south were
obliged to wait and take the late after
noon train. This gave them a good
halliday to spend in that quaint old city.
The weather was delightful and the kind
minister took Emma to many places of
interest. He pointed out to her the
beautiful buildings in Notre Dame and
st. James streets, showed her the CITY
squares, and finally took her up into
the great high tower of the Cathedral
of Notre Dame, where she had most
lovely view of the city and the st. Law
renee and Ottawa Rivers. At about
four O clock in the afternoon she went
to the Boston train. She shook hands
with the clergyman and the conductor,
and thanked them for all they had done
for her. The latter introduced her to
the conductor of the Boston train, Il tall
man, with sandy side-whiskers, who in
most pleasant voice said he would
take the best care of her, and would
wake her at least half an hour before
reaching Concord. On this train good