Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-08-17

with an eager attitude, nodding her round
yellow head emphatically now and then,
as some OF her statements to me were
confirmed.
oval, the one that sleeps in the green
est grave" said Uncle Sammy, as he care
fully fashioned spinning top out of a
bit of white pine board with the keen
blade OF his jack knife, twas a man about
twenty-five, I should jedge, tibet was
killed by John Wilbur's freight one bit
ter, stormy day, matter of seven or
eight years ago, or so. The poor unfor-
tunit was walking on the track, some
three mile above here, with his head
down, his cap pulled over his face when
they come upon him in roundup curve.
AfOre there was time to pull the bell
rope, or reverse the ever, the savage
snow-plow had hit him, an his soul had
gone up, up through the whirlin', bind
in snow back to the God who gave it.
at was one Of the fairest, pleasantest
faces [ ever see when they brought him
here. John Wilbur stood out there in the
wind with the tears freezin' onto his pale
cheeks as he was tellin' the dretful story.
Just to think ont said he, that half an
hour ago this man was full Of life and
hope as any one of us. 1t goes to show
| us how near our railroad runs to the gate
! of the other world.
"Wall, we laid the unfortinite man out
decently in the freight-house office, and
then we telegraphed right and left, tryin'
to find out somethin' about him. The
only clew we could git hold on was that
an Englishman had been askin for work
up at Brackenbero' the day before, and
had been directed to the steam mill here
But in the breast pocket Of the poor feller's
short jacket was little letter with no en-
to it, much worn with many readins':
l knew it by heart. 1t said, dear Johns
Baby Mary grows finely, and as soon
she is strong enough to sail over the sea
l will join you at Brackenboro'. The old
grandfather is sad at the thought of our
leavin' him behind, but I comfort him
every day with the kind words you wrote
that when we had a roof of our own with
a willow tree at the door, he should sit in
the shade of it and sing to the children
the songs of old England
at was the letter of one not used to
writin,' I guess with no address, but THE
Willows, England 1t had no date, and
was signed Alice Leigh The corners
jury brought in verdict of AN unknown
man killed, with no fault of the road
though it was plain enough to me that
the man was John Leigh of England.
We buried him up there on the company's
can Uncle Sammy praeyd for the unfor-
TINT like a herO-Ive heered' EN- saw that
war there put in the square little girl,
who still stood by with dilated eyes,
drinking in every word.
''There bein' no minister here, that was
my dooty,'' said the old man gravely;
''and laid away the door, little worn
letter in my wife's upper boory drawer
that bein my dootY likewise. Wal, we
didn't hear nothin' about any friends of
the unfortinit, and should "a we'll nigh
forgot all about him if Freeman's wife
hadn't seen his ghost off and on, when
the wind blew, or the air was full of snow.
or most any time when news was skurse
and there wasn't much to talk about
zone dark, rainy night after the man
had laid out there alone nigh onto year,
Frank Rays freight run into a washout,
down the road there by the Glenbrook
culvert 1 was in Freeman's wife's
kitchen that evenin', warmin' my
hands, and she was tellin' me that the
unfortnit stranger was mighty uneasy
tor some time, that he had been lookin'
iuto her windows off and on all the eve
MIN till I come. There he is now, poor
fellow, said she, but looked and didn't
see nothin', of course. Jest then Frank
Rays engine come shriekin' into the
yard.
cit seemed that the machine run over
the break safely, but the cars went down
through and piled up promiscus' enough.
The conductor and two brakemen was
killed, and two passengers that was in
the caboose, probably. That was all the
passengers there happened to be on that
night. They always brought more or less
that had missed the yong OWL down be-
low. Twas dretful sad time. NV wife
went down to the wreck with the wives
OF the men that was killed, and was there
when the caboose was rightcd up. There,
quite dead in one corner Of the short blue
car, holdin' her poorly baby girl to her
heart, was as handsome and pure faced,
golden-haired little English woman as 1
ever sot eyes on, with smile restin' on
her sweet face as if she had been a cooling
with her last breath to the baby who was
smilln' back at her.
''My wife laid 'em out as decently as
she could in the freight house o41ice, Jest
where the poor dead man had falkland
what do you think? She found pinned
into the bosom of the little mothers
dress an old purse with few pieces, and
letter dated at Brackenboro full wear
and half afore. know that letter, too,
by heart-that part ont that wasn't di-
rections tor her about comm to Brack-
enboro. It said: Dear Alice: Praise
God, I've got here all safe, and please
God I'll soon have home for thee and
the baby. Comfort the old grandfather,
and tell him he shall come to us by and
by and sing the songs of Merry England
to the children, and that when I get
home | will set out a willow tree by the
door for the sake of the old home in Eng
lam The poor, bad-wr1tten, SLED letter
was signed Your faithful and loving
husband, John Leigh
II was as weak as rat when I first
read it, and my wife said it was the true
love in the poor young husbands heart
that heart that was the but handful of
dust-that drew this sweet, constant little
Witt straight to him; that God in his
great kindness would not leave her to
face so great disappointment, so he gave
her and the baby quick, painless death
and joyful meeting in Heaven. Wal in
the face of the fact that I knew we'll
enough the woman's name, the coroner's
jury brought in a verdict Of unknown
woman killed and no fault of the road
as before, and we made grave up there
in the white sand and laid her in f. with