Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-09-25
A LITTLE OLD LADY.
A Grandmother Aboard the Traip--.
Her Old Eyes Full of Child
like Wonder.
"Observern in Peck's Sun.

"Observer' in Pecl's Sun.
We stop at quiet country side that has
recently achieved station-for only one
other building is visible-and a little old
grandmother comes among us. A farm wa
gon is at respectful distance with q careful
old man holding the bits of the fat and
sleepy horses, who do not even dream of be-
ing frightened The little old lady calls out
something to the distant old man who smiles
In the doubtful way of one who doesn't I'M
derstand word, and she would like to linger
on the platform and say more parting
words to the elderly daughter who has come
to see her off, but the brakeman gently as
sists her within and slams the door. She
gives little stagger as the train moves on,
sinks into the first vacant seat, and turning
to the window mods to her daughter, who
smiles back reassuringly. A kindly gentle
man leans forward and tells her of better
seat farther down, and carries her large COW
cred basket for her, and partly lowers the
blind where the sun is streaming in. People
are always kind to the very old and the very
young; it is the forlorn middle-aged who are
permitted to care for themselves.
Our grandmother sits down with a chirp-
ing ''thank ye"-she is not of the age that
says ''thanks"-and looks curiously about
her. Possibly she had never rode in the cars,
for her old eyes are full of childlike wonder
and surprise; and she has quite long expla-
nation from the conductor before she yields
her ticket to him, and she watches him tear
off part of it as if he were doing a great
mischief. She even appeals to fellow
passenger-after the smiling official had
20 ,;,-l,&
and Gained by his cheerful assurance, sh.
smiles too and admits that she "aint much
used to travelin.n
Aquaint picture she is!-her shirred black
silk bonnet is twenty years old if day, but
it has fresh ruche inside and glossy new
strings; the black silk shawl, pinned across
her breast with a round gold brooch is of the
kind you remember seeing in your childhood
and her dress is soft siliken alpaca that can
be an old lady's best dress for many years
and give little sign of wear. People sitting
near her, if given to noticing trifles, can de-
tect faint, homely, clean odor as of dried
mint and lavender. She looks at the in
geniously hung lamps, the pretty Transparent
cies in the upper windows, and passes her
hand gently over the velvet upholstery
smiling little retrospective sort of SMILE
Perhaps she is thinking of the old stage days,
or of the time years and years ago when she
and her husband Travelled by canal and lake
and river and possibly by ox-cart into these
far western wilds and set up their humble
new home with little capital but strong
hands and brave hearts.
Against the Establishments Of the fruit and
vegetable-ivory boy she sets mild but firm
face-fgs and novels, bananas and late
papers, oranges and railway guides, all are
waved politely aside. 1t is only before the
basket of pears, yellow and sweet as Jumps of
summer sunshine. that she waivers for a
moment, but the old pears are waved on also.
buy of them and presently extend couple
to her with my sweetest smile-which per-
haps is never very sweet. She receives them
first with surprise and then the same chirp-
ing "thank vel" and regards them fondly.
They're the first pears I've seen in more
than forty years" she explains.
Retiring into my newspaper I see her
fondling and smelling them in mild sort of
ecstacy and for a moment she meditates
actually eating one, but controls herself and
puts them carefully away in the great
basket. They are too precious to her to be
eaten in this public glare.