Daily Republican., 1881-08-05
THE PET OF IHE DRILLERS.
An OIL County S6ketch-HOw Ow Rough
Mems Hearts WerO Reached.
IEec.Al CurrnSnunlent of Phila 1Imes

lFecial Correspondent of Phila. Times.
BRADFORD, Pa, August |.
You'll excuse me, sir; but you see,
we're all unstrung to day and sort OF
wandering about aimless like. The
boys haven't the heart to work and the
drilling tools are standing idle in the
derrick. My wife's dear heart, is neal
crazy with grief and does take on aw-
ful. You see, Baby is dead"
"Bahy""
eyes, the little girl. She wasn't our
child, but we loved her just the same
She wasn't a baby, though you might
think so from the name. She was sew
cn or eight years old, but the name
BABY came to us with when her moth
er died
TIL" old driIler brushed away tear
with the sleeve of his blue flannel shirt
and turned sorrowing face toward /.
clump of pine trees away ont in the Nc
kean county oil tieds, ut the front of
he line Of devel, ,pucnt. A rough hem
lock board house pGered through the
trees and cast long shadow down the
Broad aisle made by the sombre pines,
and around and over the unpainted
door vines and flowers were hanging in
protuSion, the one redcerniIg feature of
the h"meiy house and it's lonely sur
rorndinps. had asked the old man
for the privilege OF taking supper with
him at the house, ana had, ut his re-
quest, 'lismounted and tied my Lorse to
young pine preparatory to reslming a
long ride back to Bradford
hat III; ,F
the old lady viii, have not very good,
perhaps, but you are welcome to what
there is Everything seems turned up.
side down to-day but come along, sir.
! see she is waving her sun5onnet at
me"
With hesita'ing step the old man led
the way over the TIN eshold of his fores,
homi. His wife greeted me quietly
and kindly, while three or four drilers
ana tool-dreSstrS seated about the room
acknowledged the strangers visit with
careless mods and then resumed their
conversation as though nothing had
happened. The meal was solemn one
and during it learned the history of
Baby and why they loved her as their
own.
BABY s HISTORY.
A year before a woman had moved to
Bradford from the lower oil country
with her little girl and had -sSayed the
struggle for existence with such EN-
ployment az her hands, wasted by pow
erty and sickness, could find to do. II
was bitter struggle, fight between
lite and death, with fearful odds of
death. Life was sweet to her, not for
herself alone, but for her little girl, who
II death should mercifully heal the
moth hers spirit, would be cast upon the
world of strangers, to drift God alone
knows where. The woman was proud
II ID would not ask assistance, for she
had once been We lthv and u leader in
refined, cultured soci t.. Her usbaad
was dead, or something worse-aJ least
ho was dead to her aud Baby? What
matters it either way? But the end
came one day, and poor little Baby
awoke one morning to kiss lips which
not back again and to nestle
in arms that would never more be
forth in protection and guild
lnce for the Ii tie Baby feet.
The little girl went out and sat on the |
doorstep and cried as ii her heart
would break ,and presently the Old drill
or came along and touched by the little
waits sorrow, took her in his strong
arms and asked her the cause of her
rouble.
"Manma is in there sobbed the lit
'le one, land she won't speak, and her
ace IL oh! 50 cold"
The tired han Is were folded peaceful.
y across the stillcd heart and all that
Nas earthly OF the poor, patient strug-
cling mother was lowered tenderly
way from the sight OF the little orphan
orever Baby found loving friends in
he old driler and his wife, who, loving
had never been blessed them
Ives. The little one was u 10y and
,eah of sunshine to the old people,
While to the 0rilers and ron u.hly-clad
Of oil she WAS n wilful, capri
lonS pet, ruling over the great. heart Il
men with scepttred power. Every one
owed her and & glldly submitted to her
owing rule. And now that she was
rad and lying so cold and still and
ilrnt in ibe home she had frightened
nd made Joyous the Io"ing hearts to
, hom she had been all in all were
tricken in helpless misery. I
Saddened ly the pathetic story stood
y the bed of death and look
d down into a face from which had
AIDED tears and fears and earthly pleas
res, wearing IL smile as if in pleasant
reamlani, about to awaken to call
f birds and breath Of flowers. And the ,
Oft summer wiad, laden with the per- .
line of the signing pines, came in
Trough open doors and windows and !
issed the dead clild's cheeks and blew {
he wavy brown bair about the smooth :
,hite brow in careless freedom. With S
mute grasp of the old drilier's hand l 4
ode away down the aisle of mbre {
ines and over II long, lonely highway l
} Bradford, pondering over the tender a
ess and kindness Of Il grizzled, gray I
aired follower OF the ever. shifting {
Genes of oil. {
vAGRANT'S VIOLIN.
Late at night, in company with
lend, sat in the waiting room of one a
Bradford's large hotels discussing the ,
,test Warren county strike. The door |
pened slowly and a disreputable-look- d
,g vagrant sidled into the room, hold. \
~ tho neck OF IL dirty violin. Propping q
imself against the wall and at the r
ime time eyeing the sleeping hotel [
Jerk he made prcpara ions to play. a
"Let MS get ont Of this. aon't want I
, be Tor ured with an inhiction on the
lcr,d name OF music" said my friend, {,
, he moved towart the door. otis a
'me wandering 'Jum' playing for "
rinks." |,
Mechanically drawing him to his seat ii
waited for the music, mentally defy 81
e the fiend to do his worst. The bow b
uched the strings softly and drew
rth burst of melody such as one ii
rely hears outside the great music IL
ills of the world. Oh, such a flood Of ii
usc, mellow and soft and beautiful, b
full of patbos and sorrow. One o.
light well believe that the poor latter al
,maliOn, the wreck of better days, WAS al
'uring forth his very soul in the il