The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1880-12-24
LITTLE BESSIE.
An Incident on the Cars

Golden Days.
Gears stop twenty minutes for refresh
ments," called out conductor Richardson
at Aliens junction.
"Then, as the train came to a dead
halt, he jumped down upon the station
platform, ran along to the front of the
long line of passenger cars, and, swing
ing himself up into the cab, said TO the
engineer:
frank, want you to come back
with me TO the first passenger coach and
see little girl that hardly know what
to make Of"
The engineer nodded, without speak.
ing, deliberately wiped his ely, sIioIky
hands in bunch of waste" took a
look at his grimy, dusty face in a mar
row little mirror that hung beside the
steam guage, pulled off his short frock,
put on a cost, changed his little black
greasy cap for his soft felt hat-takIng
these 'dress up articles from the tender
box, where an engineer always has
something slowed away for an emer-
gency, and went back to the coach, az re-
Quested.
He entered the coach and made his
way to the seat where the kind-hearted
conductor sat talking to bright-look-
ing little girl about nine years old, oddly
dressed in a woman's shawl and bonnet.
Several of the passengers were group
ed around the seat, evidently much in
terested in the child, who wore a sad,
prematurely old countenance, but SEEM
ed TO be neither timid nor confused.
"Here is the engineer" said the con-
ductor, kindly, as Frank approached.
She held up her hand to him, with a
winsome smile breaking over her pinch
ed little face, and said:
my papa was an engineer before he
became sick and went to live on a farm
in Montana. He is dead, and my man.
ma is dead. She died first, before Susie
and Willie. NY papa used to tell me
that after he should be dead there would
be no one to take care of me, and
l must get on the cars and go TO his old
home in Vermont, and he said if the con-
ductors wouldn't let me ride because
hadn't any ticket, / must ask for the en-
gineer and tell him that | was James
Hendricks little girl, and that he used
to run on the M and c. road"
The pleading blue eyes were now full
of tears but she did not cry after the
manner of children in general.
Engineer Frank now quickly stopped
down and kissed her very tenderly; and
then as he burshed the tears away from
his own eyes, said:
"Well, my dear, 80 you are little Bes
sic KendrIck? It's my opinion a mer
ciful Providence guided you on board
this train"
Then, turning around TO the group o!
passengers, he went on:
81 know Jim Kendrick, the father OF
this little girl, well. He was a man OF
ten thousand. When first came to In.
dtana-l,afora oCF r.-a-
sick a great part of the time, SO that ]
could not work, and got homesick and
discouraged. Couldn't keep my board
bill paid up--not 10 mention my doc
tors billiard dida't much care wheth.
er lived or died.
zone day, when the pay-car came
along. and the men were getting their
monthly wages, there wasn't ceut COM
ing to me, for hadn't been free from
the ague, nor worked an hour for the
last month.
al felt so blue that 1 sat down on a
pile of railroad ties and leaned my Ell.
bows on my knees, with my head in my
hands, and cried like a great boy, out of
sheer hOmesickness and discouragement.
"Pretty soon one of the railroad men
came along and said, in voice that
sounded like sweet music in my ear, for
there, although the boys were all good
TO me in their way:
you've been havipg y Fough time ol
il, and you must let nie help you QUIZ
81 looked up, and there sssssE,d Tar,
KeDdricls, with his inOnsit ,,s~S In Is
hand. he took out fEaJh' tbe raIiy IF h;Iis
. go note, and heif9t ont 70 me O''
Il kcsw hsas9sssd 4 s;s.k wife and two mr.
t It 4sfl1rcn, asd that he had a hard
als1le Of Is 60 pull her through from
month TO month. so / said, half ashamed
OF the tears that we're still streaming
down my face. Indeed, / cannot take
the money. You need every cent of it
yourself"
Indeed, you will take il man. said
Jim. You will be all right in 8 few
weeks, and then you can pay it back.
Now come home with me to supper, and
see the babies; it will do you good
81 took the bank note and accepted the
invitation, and after that went to his
house frequently, until he moved away,
and gradually lost sight of him. / re-
turned the loan, but il was impossible to
ness did me, and ] rather guess Jim
little girl will not want for
anything If ] can help it,
Then turning again TO the child, whose
blue eyes were wide open enough now,
the engineer said to her:
"I'll take you home with me, Bessie,
lear, when we ge. up to Wayne Ny
wife will fix you up, and we'll find cut
whether these Vermont relations really
want you or not. If they do, Mary OF
shall 90 on with you But if they don't
ARE much about having you. you shall
,tay with US and be our little girl. for
re have none Of our own You look
Eery much like your father. God bless
ais memory"
Just then the Eastern train whistled. |
"AH aboardi" was shouted, engineer
Frank vanished out Of the car door and
vent forward 20 his engine. wiping his
yves with his coat sleeve while the con-
iuctor and sympathetic passengers
Gould not suppress the tears this touch |
ng little episode evoked during the !
twenty minutes stop st Aliens June !
ion.