The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1881-03-25
A TOUCHING Scene.

TOUCHING Scene.
a passenger on the Pacific Railroad, while
en- route recently for San Francisco, witness
ed the following very touching incident:
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 he
Jumped down on the station platform. ran
along to the front of the long line of passen-
ger cars, where tie engine was standing, and
swinging himself up into the cab, said TO the
engineer:
"Frank, I want YOU to come back with me
to the first passenger coach and see a little
girl that hardly know what to make Of
The engineer nodded without speaking,
deliberately wiped his oily, smoky hands on
bunch of waste, took a look at his grimv,
dusty face in the narrow little mirror that
hung beside the steam guage, pulled off bis
fTOck, put on coat changed his little black
greasy cap for his felt hat-taking these
dress up" articles from the tender box,
where an engineer always has them slowed
away for an emergency-and went back to
the coach as requested.
He entered the coach and made his way to
the seat where the kind-heaIted conductor
sat talking to a bTight-lOoking little girl,
about nine years old, oddly dressed in a wO-
mans shawl and bonnet. Several Of the
passengers were grouped around the seat
evidently much interested in the child, which
wore sad, prematuTely old cOuntegance,
but seemed to be neither tImIQ nor confused.
Here IS the engineer, said the conductor
kindly, as Frank approached. She held uD
her hand to him, with a wlnSOme smile break
ing over her pinched little face. and said
My father was an engineer before he be-
came sick and went to live on a farm in
Montana. He is dead and my mother is
dead. She died first, before Susie and Will
lie. My papa used to tell me that after he
should be dead there would be no one to
Ns.T- I
cars and go to my old home in Vermont
And he said if the conductors wouldn't let
me ride without any ticket ! must ask for
the engineer and tell him l was james Me
Hendricks little girl that used TO run on the
NJ Il q. Road
The pleading blue eyes were now full Of
tears but she did not cry after the manner
Of children in general.
EHgiLeeT Frank now quickly stopped down
and kissed her very tenderly, and as he
brushed the tears away from his own eyes,
said
well, my dear, so you are little B essie
Mckendrick2 It's my Opnisn a merciful
Providence guided you on board of this
train
Then turning around to the group of pas.
sengeTS, he went on:
Il knew Jim McKendrick, the father of
this little girl, well. He was man out of
ten thousand. When l first came to Indiana
before 1 got acclimated-l was sick great
part of the time, so that 1 could not work
and ] got homesick and discouraged. Gould
not keep my board bill paid up-uOt 20 men
tion my doctors bill-and ldidn't care mucl
whether ! lived or died.
zone day, when the pay car came along
and the men were getting their monthly wa
/ ges, there wasn't a cent coming to me. for
hadn't been free from the agUe nor worked
an nOuT for the last month.
4 felt so blue that ] sat dONn on a pile OF
railroad ties, and leaned my elbows on M
knees, with my head in my hands, and cried
/ like great boy out of sheer hOmesicknes;
and Encouragement.
Pretty soon one Of the railroad men Camt
along and said in a voice that sounded like
sweet music in my ears, for ] hadn't fOunJ
much sympathy out there although the BOYS
were all good to me in their way: 'Iou'y VI
been having rough time OF j, and YOU mus
. let me help you out
Il looked up and there stood Jim AIcKen.
/ drick with his months pay in his hand. He
took out from his roll OF bills twenty dol
lar note and handed il to me.
4 knew he had a sickly wife and two Ol
/ three children, aud that he had hard tim,
Of it himself to pull through from month {,
/ month, SO | said, half ashamed of the tear
that were still streaming down my face, In
deed can't take the money you need ever,
/ cent yourself.
'sIndeed you will take it, said Jim
Z on will be all right in few weeks, an,
then you can pay il back. Now come hOm,
with me tOsupper and see the babies 1t vii
. uO you 4oOt
- took the bank note and accepted tn
Invitation, and after that went to his nous
I frequently, until he moved away, and
. gradually lost sight of him. l had returne
the loan, but 1t was impossible TO repay tn
good that little act OF kindness did me, an
/ l rather guess Jim Mckendrick 5 little gin
here will not want for anything if ! can hel
. it
Then tGTning again to the child whose blu
eyes were wide open enough now, the engI
eer said to her
IN take YOU home with me, Bessie dear
when we get up to Wayne. My wife will fl
. you up, and well write and find out whethC
these Vermont relations really want you &
not If they do, Mary or ] shall go Wit
yOu. But if they don t care much about yOl
YOU shall stay with US and be our little cir
for we have none Of our own. You loo
very much like your father, God bless b
memory
just then the Eastern train whistled.-
"Au aboard - was shouted. Enginet
Frank vanished out of the car door and wei
forward to his engine wiping his eyes wit
his cOatSleeve, while the conductor and syn
pathetic passengers could not suppress Il
tears this touching little episode evoked du
ing the twenty minutes stop at Allen
Junction.