The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1883-07-17
HIS BABY WAS DEAD.

of for few DAYS, on account OF SICK
aess at home, but one day he appeared
on his train, looking pale, and the
brakeman who had run with him for
wears, knew the conductors mind was
away at the bedside 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 ut all like its usuai sound. 1t
was more like an appeal to his Heaven
" Father TO watch over the baby at
home Four drummers were sitting to-
pether in two seats, all good friends OF
the conductor, and as he took their
thousand mile tickets to punch, one
said, "0ld man you were up late last
night. Beware of the wine cup, ana
he laughed, and the conductor tried to
smile but he couldn't.
Another drummer who had travelled
with the conductor for years, and loved
him as brother, thinking he was lit
tie of, said, 20, boys, wait till he goes
through the train and collects few
cash fares, and he will brighten up.
Then | 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 forced smile, and as
tear drop rolled down his dark cheek
the boys thought he had a cinder 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 laugh arose, and he stood
on the platform minute because ne
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 chat 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 lady's turban hat, in
stead of putting it on the window, and
she blushed, and the passengers laugh
ed, they thought he did it for a joke, but
i, 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 il would please the
conductor to let the child hand the tick
ct TO him, and the little one had the
ticket in its fat hand, and was shrink.
ing back behind the mamma, trying to
muster up courage to hand the ticket to
the big conductor, who had often held
her in his lap when she was on his train,
when he would laugh so hearty that the
child would be surprised, and he would
tell her Of his little baby at home.
The child peeked around mammals
shouldsS and saw the conductor before
be saw her and he looked so changed
and sad that the little one opened her
eyes in wonder, and handed up the tick
ct carefully rs though he would bite,
and when he saw her he almost tainted,
and when she said, where DOR baby
he thought his heart would jump out OF
his breast. The tears run down his
face and he whispered, 'she may bedy-
ing now and as be 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 ner-
vous and went in the baggage car, pas
sing the large-hearted drummers, who
were full of fun and wanted him to be,
and they said, "come, old boy, sit down
here and have smoke" but he said in
husky voice that he hadn't time, and
as he went out the door he braced VI
enough TO turn and smile at the boy:
through the window and throw kiss al
them, because be didn't want them tc
think he would 60 back entirely on old
friends, but when he got in the baggage
car and sat down in a chair, he looked
like man that had lost every friend
AT the next station woman with a
little girl was cross 70 the child, and
terked il along by the arm, and he
snatcbed the liule one from the mother
Nnd tenderly lifted 1t on tho car, and
the mother looked indignant, and she
got on the car and pushed the little one
along the aisle, and set il down in the
seat as though she would like to break
Its bones, and the conductor looked a,
her as though If she were man. hc
would everlastingly wipe the platform
with her
He got on the car in the rear Of the
smoker, that time, because his ole
friends, the drummers. were so thought
less Of his feelings. He did not realiz,
that they were unaware OF his sorrow
Every kindly expression from the pas
sengers-seemed 10 him like an unfeelin,
remark, and he would have given
months salary to have been al home
or anywhere that everybody felt as ba
as he did
At the next station he got dispatch
and his hand shook like leaf, and Il
dare not look at it out doors, but b
went in the smoker and sat down
front of the drummers, and opened th
dispatch, glanced at it and put his haa
ON his hand and leaned his elbow on Il
window.
The boys looked at him and one sale
not thinking that anything had o,
Cured more than the usual order I
hold the train for another to pass, "He
10, the old man has got his discharg,
y. | have been expectingit since b
collected that twenty cents from th
tramp last week and Knocked il down