Sharp County record., 1878-02-22


She never looked at it; and so, tho L
was IS sorry fer her as could De, an
knew she'd had no lunch, cos she'd
never got cut when the train stopped,
an She hadn't j smitch nor sign OF
satcheI or luggage Of any kind still l
was dub'us about offerin' to do any
thing. KNOWN she was a real lady and
I was on'y q train agent, and a orkard
hand at sayin' them kind o. things at
best, an she being al alone and q
traveIin' might take it ILL., But
at last comm in an out, an
seeinT her sittin' there, lOOkin' so awful
lonesome and tired, and dark lines
a comm under her big dark eyes, look
in like she would cry but dasn't-and
by Hickory I'm glad she didn't COS that
would a upset me quicker'n wink, Being
one o. the things l can't stand no way,
to see a woman cry. So seein' she
would never make no more OF herself,
I list give myself a poke in the ribs to
kinder rile my courage, and l goes up
. to her seat like I was after the Lejlte,
and says, Miss, eXcOOse me mum, ses
I, but you do look quite done up, if
you'll excOOse me mum, ses l, and I've
. got q sister Of my own mum, if you'll
. excoose the liberty num-, ses /, an
I'd humsIY Tx 90 be Of some service to
you mum, if you'd please to menshin'
in what way mum, ses l.
8" She looked up in d way rs I can't tell
you Of, sir, if I was to ever so hard, an
she ses: You're very kind indeed, she
ses, and I thank you very much, she
ses, but I require nothing nothing,
an then she looked away agin, out o.
the winder, and I see her mouth twitch
an her soft eyes iashin' with tears, and
I thinks to myself, Jack, here's a lovely
good young woman as far above you as
. the skies, and as has trouble, and here
YOU are a helbin' to pile it onto her; !;
. YOU ought to be kicked offn' the train :;
why don't you clear off and quit q
bOtherin' Of her and so I did, maxim
her the best bow Of respect I knew how,
and raIsin' q lump on my eyebrow q
doin' it through inadvertently comm
down too far an hittin' my fOre'id on
the seat-back.
1.-The next station we stopped at, was
a wood and water, where we gen'alv
stayed about ten minutes; there was q
restaurant there, an 50 | runs in and
gets a slapping big cup o. tea, and four
am sanwidges, telling the boss I'd bring
back the chiny next trip, an as we was
well acquainted that was all right, and
so, I walks into the car with 'em, tho
a shakin' all over, and I says, I hope
you won't think me q Villin, mum, but
think if you'd have the kindness to
take little of these here pr0visionyou' d
likely feel better
- Well. I didn't think she would, but
she took 'em, thanking me in the pret-
test way-I can hear her yit-(she ac-
tually laughed quiet little laugh when
she see them four sanwidge5 which WGS
a Ieetle overgil ,Tn | spose), and then
L-ss------sE-ai- y ssu-fs
chuck full, an Handed me a bill, and l
darsn't refuse, thu it went agin the
grain to take pay for such a trife o.
kindness to such a sweet young lady,
even if l was a little pinched, an she
not lacking, as | could well see by her
general get-up.
" Well, sir, it got to be late in the af-
ternOon, an I was beginnin' TO pack
away my books an things, gettin
ready to leave the train at the end o.
my route, when we came in sight o.
Stump Station the engineer Same
one's on to-day, blowed his whistle an
the conductor (killed in the big acct
dent last year, poor fellow-fOund with
the bell-cora in his hand). hepulled the
rope for to stop, and blessed if it
weren't for that there lovely young girl
to get off. No one there to meet her
not a soul in sight, and by HOckey's,
sir, / ever felt owed to do something
that / had No ou1Hess to do, it was
them sixty sec Jnds we stopped to leave
that angel all alone in them woods. One
look from her weuld a took me Off7n
that train in a jiffy, an the apples and
newspapers might a gone to Jericho
but what I'd a seen her safe to where
she was bound, though wherever a gen
tie, timid young thing ike her could
wish to 90 in them lonely woods, two
hundred miles from her home, was
more'n I could make out. Hows ever,
railroad trains amt no ways sentimen-
tai, sir, and it don't make no kind
of difference to the Compa-
ny what becomes or what don't be.
come Of the passengers, he-uns or She
un's, after they're set down, longs
they've paid their fare. And so we
dashed on, ieavin' her standin' there,
poor thing, an the dead leaves falling
all around her and she not minding
them, but looking straight up the track
and into the sun going down iu the red
haze at the end of it.
That were tne first time see her,