Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1879-09-05
NO. pa.
Gales ano Skettbes.
THE "UNFORTINITs."
CONTINUED from Yesterday

can uncle Sammy prayed tor the un-
fortinit like Il hero,-I've heered 'em say
that war there put in the square little
girl who still stood by with dilated eyes,
driking every word.
There bein' no minister here, that was
my dooty." said the old man gravely; land
! laid away the poor. little letter in my
wife's upper boory drawer--that bein' my
dooty like wise. Wal, we didn't hear no.
thin about any friends of the poor unfor-
TINT, and should a we'll 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. on most any time
when news was skurse and there wasn't
much to talk about.
"One, dark, rainy night, after the man
had laid out alone there nigh onto year,
Frank Rays freight train run into wash
out, down the road there by the Glen
brook culvert. was in Freeman's wife's
kitchen that evenin' warmin' my hands.
and she was tellin' me that the stranger
was mighty uneasy for some time, that
he had been lookin' into her windows of
and on all the cvcnin' till came in. jest
then Frank Rays engine came shriekin'
into the yard.
ut seemed that the machine ran over the
break safely, but the cars went down
through and piled up promiscu's enough.
The conductor and two brakeman were
killed, and two passengers that were in
the caboose, probably. That was all the
passengers there happened to be on that
night. They always brought up more or
less that had missed the young OWL down
below. Twas dretful sad time. My
wife went down to the wreck with the
wives of the men that were killed, and
was there when the caboose was righted
up. There, quite sad in one corner Of the
short blue car. holdin' her pooty baby gill
to her heart. was as handsome and pure
faced, goldeu-haired little English woman
as ever sat my eyes on. with smile
restin' on her sweet face as if she had
been a cooin' with her last breath to the
baby who was smiin' back at her.
my wife laid EN- out as decently as
she could in the freight-honse office. jest
where the poor dead man had lain-and
what do you think? She found pinned in
to the bosom of the little mothers dress
au old purse with few small pieces and
letter dated ut Brackenboro a full year
and half afore. know that letter, too,
by heart-that part ont that wasn't direc-
tions about comm to BrackenbOro 1t said
Dear Alice Praise God. I've got here all
safe. and please God I'll soon have a
home here for thee and the baby. Com
fort 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 l get home will set out o
willow tree by the door for the sake Of
the old home in England The poor,
bad-written. siled letter was signed:
Your faithful and loving husband. John
Leigh.
81 was as weak as rat when / first
read it and nv wife said it was true love
in the poor young husbands heart-that
heart which was then but handful Of
dust-that drew this sweet, constant little
wife straight to him that God in his great
kindness would not leave her to face SO
great disappointment, 50 He gave her
and the baby quick, painless death
and iovful meeting in Heaven. Wal.
in the face of the fact that l knew well
enough the name of the woman, the coro-
nor's jury brought in a verdick of 'un-
known woman killed, nor no fault of the
road, as before. and we made a grave up
there in the white sand and laid her in it
with her baby on her breast to sleep aside
was her husband"
"An Uncle Sammy prayed bootiful, too
for the souls that had got home at last.
father put i'm the square little girl eager
ly, THAT was my dooty again, there bein'
no minister" replied the old station agent
with tie other one. and made it my duty,
~, I'M o1a
by the graves so that they might have
'em after ALL J."
drawing long breath. '.all this I've told
We is stranger, stranger than anything l
have ever found sot down in books, but it
amt nowhere nigh onto what came next,
and this is what makes the whole thing
look as if it was "a made-up story. The
poor unfortinits slept for q matter of five
Years, or so. in their lonely graves. peace
fully, only Freeman's wife says she used
to see em in hot. dry weather waierin'
the roots of the willers sot out, with their
tears, and that would set all the children
of Shanty village carryin' water to it from
the brook, and the tree grew and flour
ished till We see it's a beauty.
'NaI tnere caInt up mere u STeat coui-
pany of Mormons from England on their
way to Utah. The agents shipped them
about as if they were cattle, and took 'em
on extra trains SOS TO connect with the
Grand Trunk. The engines was to be
changed here at this station, and a lot Of
folks had gathered to look at the Mormons.
as if they were wild animals instead Of a
pack "f poor, deluded human bein's.
"Just as the train whistled, Freeman's
wife sadled up to me, and saws she, some
tins up with them unfortinits, They was
out on the track all last night, every time
there was a whistle, with their hands up
over their eyes lookin' down the road
into the darkness. There they be now"
said she, under the shade OF the big hen-
lock. over on the edge of the glen there
watchin' for the train. But looked and
couldn't see nothin' 'cept them two white
birch saplins.
Just then the extra come putin and
blowin' along, and as as soon as it stopped
the poor Mormons began TO swarm out like
so many sheep. with no more of an idea
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