Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-12-02
THE BABY's BANK.

i
valve and opened another. al wasn't always
an engineer. / wasn't anything tor a long time.
l had the knowledge in NY head al the while,
/ but it was lest under heap Of rubbish. What
fools men are whea they're left to themselves,
/ sometimes. Now, look at me. Would you say
j was ever tramp:'
/ tramp! His white. muscular throat. white
and wholesome under the coal dust his strong,
well knitted frame, clear eye and firm hand de-
noted 4 man Of pluck and courage. a practical
worker; not the idle, Gerveless, relaxed object
which is denonnated a tramp and which is a
| blight on the face of nature. No, this man,
guiding the good engine Mohawk, was never a
tramp, AID we told him so.
But was gentlemen" he said coollv sight
/ ing long stretch of road over the backbone of
his engine. and letting her out little for a
/ dead lCye! heat a. was net only tramp. bat
( the E.eanest Kind of one, aud | worked harder
and Suffered more to get into that condition
I than | ever did to reach this aud he looked
Proudly at the polished trimmings of his flying
sterd.
III tell you how it was" he said at last as
/ lie slowed up to round q Curve and then went
easily OF past the fields Clad in their summer
Ncrdure. past woods that were panoramic in a
I flash of beauty and away int o the open country.
/ II was tramp-nO matter how / came to be-
/ or why ! lost home. friends. seif-respect all
/ that makes manhood but didn't wear Il red
/ ribbon q: my watch chain then. and IEy brain
W;:s Hu;i,i."il-tiere were ihauv more like NE
aad went from bad to Verse but had nc, er
/ broken rhe laws: Wrongcd any one but myself
/ when f"'l III with some tplinws who thought
! thcy had found q tool. and they had. They say
every man has his price. and they offered NE
mine: It was the price Of niy soul. too. and |
4 a reed to take the money and do the work.
1t was th!s-tO sneak around and get az
| Quantci with the inside of hOuse-the house
/ of the richest E.an III the place. and to show
thc.n The way they said looked the most re-
spectacle for the Purpose. Gentlemen. you
wouldn't trusted onJ Of the gang with :. ten
cent tit. least Of al me Is looked then. but /
felt almost Fro:;i of the compliment. and that
afternoon | was To go up to the house to lock
! fur work or 10 ask FOR food Just as it happened
To strike lee. when there was 10 one home hut
the women folks, and look around to see how
We would get in that night-for rOtbing. and
/ perhaps murder. was what they meant
" Ii was lust such IS pleasant, peaceful after
noon as this. and all the doors and windows
open, and not soul saw NE as | i0unCed in
/ through the garden ald UP to the verandah:
tie gang | had fallen in with had made one
nilstakc-they had kept me sober for the
WUih. rot Cear-acaded. bat sober eGGunh
TO make me feel that ! was doing a mean
daStardy frick. to make nle for the first time
many year ashamed Of my own company.
BIT Ia rCnt0O far must 90 on. hal walked
up the steps ard into the house without
!
room. aud there saw OH the lHantel. in great
@D.ei-fra!Ged glass. white face and two
red. b.Jpd->ACt cyeS-lny own; but what fright
they gave ne: and then saw something else. a
small iron bank. such children keep ii.,n.i:eS
in. 1t was made OF atticGd bars or wrought
iron. and between every bar WAS the mi2IIu of
quarters ard half iCiarS. and smaller gold coin.
] hadn't penny TO my name. ] was hungry.
tircd. fGUtSorc and dis@u$ted with what had
/ undertaken. Il came over ne Ike T. lSh That
I 4 puIi cot Of 10
gang: il would be dishonest. but ret SIc as
this they had planned. l reached out my hand
and stopped. there at my Very fecf. or
white lace pillow, and all white and fluffy
saw in all my life She was asleep but
as | looked at her in startled wonder. She
opened her eyes Is wide and bri Lnt daisies.
held un both pretty hands. laughed like & bird
sin"in" and said. Joe. joe which wasn't my
naae at all Giin touch The babys hand.
and / didn't touch the baby. While | stood
there little pale woman came out Of her room
anG neaTiy tainted when she saw me- and sat
DOWN there AID told the whole story. and asked
her To have Ilic sent to iaii for protection for
myself ami others; she sent FOR her husband.
and al the time we were talking the baby
l&u..htj AID coOcd. and called ne by the name
She had given ne. joe and the rest of the
gang were waiting at the turn OF the road for
HE 10 come back 10 them.
Il didn't give them up-it wasn't worth while
when had to put the people they had designed
on their guard. and lett the town that night; |
didn't 90 to jail; tie man whose house was to be
Robbed gave me sOne work. but didn't reform
al i'll a minute. and he never could have re.
formed me al ALT was the baby did it. She
trusted me; When felt the old boy getting the
better CT me Went To the baby and she smiled
at me ana crew strong right Oft made
man of ire. | never could tell what that baby
saw in my face To make her lielp me in that way
but IL wasn't of this world She knew she
could save me. aud she did it. That was ten
Years aro. gentlemen. and | ain more OF q man
to-day than ever was, and it's her doing
she must lie quite Il large girnoT," Wesaid,
inUuiIingy
May be SO. ] don't know how that is: some
folks say they don't reckon them by months
a1d years. I'd like to fe" she's the same sweet
smiling baby. holding out her hands in that
cCnlldln9s way and cal! me that same name-aut
never wanted any 0Ge else to use the name
since she said it the last time. She
was going to sleep never TO wake up. the doc
tor said they told NE she wouldn't know me-
that ! would disturb her. | went in on
my knees. l craw!ed up to the bed and
looked 1T her: dear -. Mt she was as white as
the sheets. AMI her pretty curls never stirred a
hair. and her sweet eyes Closed and ssroaacd in
my heart. ter thOuwiit she was gone and thea
81" opened her eyes and there came a
great struggle Tor breath and oh nv God I'd
nave died 20 help lier. and she just looked at me
&nd put one hand UP ! iancei she
pointed NJ theTe-a she smiled on me- aud
say she, a., nj once: joe, Hoe, and then she
made her mother understand that she wanted
something Ii was the little bank ard she
wanted me t have it. took it to hUmor her.
ana though, "a give it back TO her when she
GET we'll. And then she smiled again. and
listened 10 hear her say. 'J0e!-and all was
s'Iil. Gu see never could 20 wrong now: but
how did she kEow abO9t that little bank and
my wicked thoughts? And She for4avc ard
loved me. too, pretty dear. The smoke makes
ne cry. There's our depot AZ the next station.
and were running Oh schedule time as YOU see
gentlemen. "-Spy'iaqtejd Ne,rS.
An O!ts-Timc Hotel Bill.
From the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
In Loft