Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1883-06-21
THE NORTHWEST
His Baby Was Dead.

The jolly conductor had been laying
off for few days, on account of sick
ness at home, but one day he appeared
on his train, looking pale, and the
brakeman who had run with him fol
years, knew the conductors mind was
away at the side of his sick baby
With punch In hand, and, his heart in
his throat the conductor entered the
smoking car, and said, Tickets in q
voice not at all like its usual sound
1t was more like an appeal to his Heav-
emily Father to watch over the baby at
home. Four drummers were sitting
together in two seats, all good friends
of the conductor, and as he took their
thousand mile tickets to punch, one
said, "Old man was up late last night,
Beware of the wine cup" and he
laughed, and the other boys laughed,
and the conductor tried to smile, but
he couldn't. Another drummer who
had travelled with the conductor
for years, and loved as brother, think
ing he was little of, said, 30, boys,
wait till he goes through the train and
collects few cash fares, and he will
brighten up. Then l will tell him
the last story" and they all laughed
at their old friend, and he punched
the last of their tickets and went on
with a forced smile, and as a tear drop
rolled down his dark cheek the boys
thought he had a cipder in his eye.
The last drummer slapped him on the
arm and said, come back soon to
your own chickabiddy," and as he
went out of the car a laugh arose, and
he stood on the platform minute be-
cause he felt faint, and then entered
the other car. He knew almost every
passenger, and on any other day he
would have been proud to have them
speak to him as they did, and chaff
and joke, but that day every word
seemed to be bullet. He was present
in body, but his mind was far away,
and when he put check in the band
of a lady's turban hat, instead of put
ting it on the window, and she blushed,
and the passengers laughed, they
thought he did it for a joke, but 1t
was because he did not know what he
was doing, his mind being with the
sick baby at home. He hurried along
and lady with little three year old
girl was next, child just the age of
his sick one. The mother had thought
1t would please the conductor to let
the child hand the ticket to him, and
the little one had the ticket in its fat
hand, and was shrinking back behind
the mamma, trying to muster up cour-
age to hand the ticket to the big con-
ductor, who had often held her IN bis
lap when she was on his train, when
he would laugh so hearty that the
child would be esurprised, and he would
tell her of his little baby at home. The
child peeked around mama's shoulder,
and saw the conductor before he saw
her, and he looked so changed and
sad that the little one opened her eyes
in wonder, and handed up the ticket
carefully as though he would bite,
and when he saw her he almost tainted
and when she said, "where's 'oor baby. u
he thought his heart would jump out
of his breast The tears run down his
face and he whispered, "she may be
dying now" and as he went out on The
platform at station he felt that il
would almost be mercy if the train
would run over him. He went in the
car and finished his work, and returned
to the smoker and sat down in the
end seat, then got nervous and went ir
the baggage car; passing the large
hearted drummers, who were full ot
fun and wanted him to be, and they
said, "come, old boy, sit down here
and have q smoke but he said in g
husky voice that he hadn't time, and
as he went out the door he braced ur
enough to turn and smile at the boys
through the window and throw a kiss
at them, because he didn't want them
to think be would go back entirely or
old friends, but when he got in the
baggage car and sat down in chair
he looked like man that had lost ev.
cry friend. At the next station a wo.
man with little girl was cross to the
child, and jerked it along by the arm,
and he snatched the little. one from
the mother and tenderly lifted 1T on
the car, and the mother looked indig-
nant, and she got on the car and
pushed the little one along the aisle,
and SCI it down in the seat as though
she would like to break its bones, and
the conductor looked OF her as though,
if she were a man, he would everlast-
ingly wipe the platform with her. He
got on the car in the rear of the
smoker, that time, because his old
friends, the drummers, were SO
thoughtless of his feelings. He did
not realize that they were unaware of
his sorrow. Every kindly expression
from the passengers seemed to him
like an unfeeling remark, and he would