The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1881-01-19
a Touching Scene.

A passenger on the Pacific Railroad, while
en- route recently foe San Francisco, wit
messed the following very touching Incl
dent:
When the train reached Aliens Junction
Conductor Richardson proclaimed. Cars
stop here twenty minutes for refreshments.
Then, as the train came to a dead halt, lac
jumped down upon the station platform,
ran along to the front OF the long line OF
passenger cars, where the engine was stand
ing, and, swinging himself up into the cab,
said TO the engineer:
Frank | want you TO come back with me
to the first passe niger coach and see q little
girl that hardly know what TO make of"
The engineer nodded without speaking,
deliberately wiped his oily, smoky hands on
a bunch of waste, took look at his grimy,
dusty face in the narrow little mirror that
hung beside the steam gauge, pulled off his
frock, put on q coat, 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 slowed away
for any emergency-and went back TO the
coach as requested.
He entered the coach and made his way to
/ the seat where the kind-hearted conductor
sat talking to a bTight-cyed little girl. about
nine years old, oddly-dressed in wOman's
shawl and bonnet Several of the passengers
were grouped around the seat evidently
much interested in the child who wore a
sad, prematurely old countenance, but
seemed to be neither timid nor confused.
'Here is the engineer" said the conductor
kindly, as Frank approached. She held w
! her hand to him with q winsome smile
breaking over her pi.lched little face, and
said:
"NIy father vas an engineer before he be-
came sick and went to live on farm in
Montana. He is dead aud my mother 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 then | must get on the cars and
go to my old home in Vermont. And he
said if the conductor wouldn't let me ride
| because hadn't any ticket, / must ask fol
the engineer and tell him j was James Nc
Hendricks little girl, that used to run or
/ the N. and G.. Road"
The pleading blue eyes were now full o.
| tears; but she did not cry after the manner
of children in general.
Engineer Frank now qufckly stopped down
and kissed her very tenderly, and then, as
he brushed the tears away from his OWN
eyes. said:
"Well, my dear, SO you are little Bessie
McKendrick? It's my opinion a merciful
Providence guided you on board this tram.
Then turning around to the group OF pas
Scngers he went on:
II knew Jim McKendrick, the father OF
this little girl, we'll. He was q man out OF
ten thousand. When first came to Indiana
before got acclimated-I was sick great
part of the time, so that could not work,
and got homesick and discouraged.
Couldn't keep my board bill paid up. not
to mention my doctors DILL and didn't
much care whether lived or died.
zone day, when the pay-car came along,
and the men were getting their monthly
wages, there wasn't cent coming to me, for
/ hadn't been free from the ague, nor
worked an hour for the last mouth
al felt so blue that 1 sat down on pile OF
railroad ties, and leaned my elbcwson my
knees, with my head in my hand, ana cried