Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1881-05-26
An Incident on the Cars.

Cars stop twenty inmates for re-
freshmentsp called out Conductor Rich
ardson, at Aliens Junction.
Then, as the train came TO a dead halt,
he jumped down on the station plat
form, ran along to the front line of the
passenger cars, where the engine was
standing, and swinging 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 oily, smoky
hands on a bunch of waste" took a
look at his grimy, dusty face in the mar
row little mirror that hung beside the
steam gauge, pulled off his short frock,
put on coat, changed his little black,
greasy cap for his soft felt hat-taking
5 these ''dress up" articles from the. tender
box, where -an engineer always has
something slowed away for any emer-
gency-and went back to the ceach, as
requested.
He entered the coach and made his
way to the seat where the kind-hearted
conductor sat talking to IA bright-loOk-
ing littlesgirl, about nine years old, odd
ly dressed in a woman's shawl and bon
net.
Several of the passengers were group
ed about the seat, evidently much inter-
ested in the child. who wore sad, pre-
matursly old countenanee, but. seemed
10 be neither timid nor confused.
Here is the engineer" said the con-
ductor, kindly, as Frank approached.
She held out 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 q farm
in Montana. He is dead. and my man.
mais dead. She died first, before Susie
and Willie. My papa used to tell me
that after be should be dead there would
be no one to take care of me, and that
must get on the cars and go to his home
in Vermont. And he said If the con-
ductors wouldn't let me ride because l
hadn't any ticket, must ask for the en-
gineer, and tell him l. was James Kend-
rick's little girl, and that he used to run
on the M and G. road"
The pleading blue eyes were. now fun
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 brushed the tears away from
his eyes, he said: ~ 81 - g
well, my dear, so you are little Bessie
Kendrick? It's my opinion that mer-
ciful Providence guided you on board
this train"
Then turning around to the group of
passengers, he went on:
Il knew Jim Kendrick, the father of
this little girl, well. He was man out
of ten thousand. When l first came to
Indiana before l got acclimated-I was
sick great part of the time, so that
couldn't work, and l got homesick and
discouraged. Couldn't keep my board
bill paid up-not to mention my doctors
bill-and didn't much care whether
lived or died.
"One day, when the pay-car came
along, and the mensJwere getting their
monthly wages, there wasn't cent
coming to me, and hadn't been free
from the ague, nor worked an hour for
the last month.
Il felt SO blue that l sat down on
pile of railroad ties and leaned my ell
bows on my knees, with my head in my
hands, and cried like boy, out of sheer
inconsistencies and discouragement.
Pretty soon one of the RAILROAD men
came along, and said,. in a voice that
sounded like sweet music in my ears, for
I hadn't found much real sympathy out
there, although the boys were all good
to me in that way You've been nav
ing a rough time of it, and you must let
mo holm Won ont
81 looked up, and there stood Jim
Kendrick, with his months pay in his
hand. He took out from the roll of bills
a twenty-dollar note, and held it out to
me.
81 knew he had a sickly wife and two
or three children, and that he had hard
time of it himself to pull through
from month to month, so l said, half
ashamed of the tears that were stream
ing down my face, "Indeed, l can not
take your money. You need every cent
yourself ..,
aIndeed you s0tU take it, man, said
Jim. You will be all right in few
weeks, and then you can pay it back.
Now come home with me to supper, and
ace 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.
j had returned the loan, but it was i'm