Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1883-01-03
The Baby's Bank.

one valve and opened another, al wasn't al
WAYS an engineer. | wasn't anything for a
long time. | had the knowledge in my head
all the while, but it was lost under a heap
of rubbish. What fools men are when
they're left to themselves sometimes Now,
look at me- Would you say | was ever a
tramp"
A tramp His white, muscular throat
white and wholesome under the coal dust
his strong, well-knitted frame, clear eye and
firm hand denoted a man of pluck and cour
age-a practical worker; not the idle, nerve
less, relaxed object which is denominated
tramp, and which is blight on the face
of nature. No; this man guiding the good
engine Mohawk was never tramp, and we
told him so.
But | was, gentlemen" he said, coolly
sighting long stretch of road over the back
bone of his engine, and letting her out little
for a dead-level heat. al was not only
tramp, but the meanest kind OF one, and |
worked harder and suffered more to get into
that position than ever did to reach this"
and he looked proudly at the polished trim
mngs of his flying steed
an tell you how it was" he said at last,
as he slowed up to round curve and then
went easily on past the fields clad in their
summer verdure, past woods that were pan.
oramic in flash of beauty and away into
the open country al was a tramp-no
matter how l came to be, or why, lost
home, friends, sef-respect, and all that
makes manhood-but didn't wear red
ribbon at my watch.chain then, and my
brain was muddled-there were many more
like me-and went from bad to worse, but
| had never broken the laws or wronged any
one but myself, when | fell in with some
fellows who thought they had found tool
and they had. They say every man has his
price, and they offered me mine it was the
price of my soul, too, and | agreed to take
the money and do the work.
alt was this-to sneak around and get
acquainted with the inside of a house-the
house of the richest man in the place, and
to show them the way; they said looked
the most respectable for the purpose Cen
tlemen, you wouldn't have trusted one of the
gang with ten cent bit, least of all me as
I looked then, but felt almost proud of the
compliment and that afternoon / was to 60
up to the house to look for work or to ask
for food, just as it happened to strike me
when there was no one home but the women
folks, and look around to see how we would
get in that night for robbing, and perhaps
murder was what they meant
at was just such pleasant peaceful
afternoon as this, and all the doors and win
dows open and not soul saw me as |
lounged in through the garden and up to
the veranda. The gang had fallen in with
had made one mistake-they had kept me
sober for the work, not clear-headed, but
sober enough to make me feel that was
doing mean, dastardly trick, TO make me
for the first time in many day ashamed of
m Rnt IA Co.
must go on. / had walked up the steps and
into the house without seeing soul, and ]
stepped into long, cool room, and there
saw on the mantel, in great gold-framed
glass, white face and two red, blood-shot
eyes-my own; but what fright they gave
me and then | saw something else, a small
iron bank, such as children keep pennies in
1t was made Of latticed bars Of wrought
iron, and between every bar was the CLEAN
of quarters and half dollars, and smaller
gold coin. | hadn't penny to my name
was hungry, tired, footsore, and disguised
with what | had undertaken. IL came over
me like flash that | could take this money
and get out of the gang; it would be dis
honesty, but not such as this they had
planned. | reached out, my hand stopped
There at my very feet, on white lace pil.
low, and all white and fluffy like an angel
lay the loveliest baby ever saw in all my
life She was asleep, but as looked at her
in startled wonder, she opened her eyes as
wide and as bright as daisies, held up both
pretty hands, laughed like bird singing,
and said Joe, joe" which wasn't my name
at all. didn't touch the baby's hand, and
didn't touch the baby. While stood there
little pale woman came out of her room
and nearly tainted when she saw me, and
sat down there and told the whole story,
and asked her to have me sent to Jail for
protection for myself and others she sent
for her husband, and all the time we were
talking the baby laughed and cooed, and
called me by the name she gave me, " joe
and the rest of the gang were waiting al
the turn of the road for me to come back Il
them.
81 didn't give them up--it wasn't worth
while, when | had to put the people they
had designed on their guard, and lift the
town that night; | didn't go to Jail; the
man whose house was to be robbed gave
me some work, but didn't reform all in a
minute, and he never could have reformed
me at all. 1t was the baby that did it..
She trusted me; when felt the old boy
getting the better of me | went to the baby
and she smiled at me and grew strong
right off-it made man of me. | never
could tell what that baby saw in my face to
make her help me in that way, but it
wasn't of this world. She knew she could
save me, and she did it. That was ten
years ago, gentlemen, and | am more of a
man than | ever was, and it's her doing"
"She must be quite large girl now" we
said, inquiringly.
May be sol don't know how that is
some folks say they don't reckon them by
months and years I'd like to feel she's the
same sweet smiling baby, holding out her
hands in that confiding way and call me that
same name-but never wanted anyone else
TO use the name since she said it the last
time. She was going 10 sleep never to wake
up, the doctor said they told me she wouldn't
know me, that | would disturb her. | went
in on my knees, | crawled up to the bed and
looked at her; dear saint, she was az white
as the sheets, and pretty curls never stirred
a hair, and her sweet eyes closed and |
groaned in my heart, for thought she was
gone, and then she opened her eyes and
there came great struggle for breath and
oh, my God, I'd have died to help her, and
she looked at me and put one hand up-I
fancied she pointed up there-and she smiled
on me, and says she, all at once Joe Joe T
and then she made her mother understand
Sa.S ""heSN ~ WAS lUo III
tie bank, and she wanted me to have it. |
took it to humor her and thought I'd give it
back to her when she got well. And then
she smiled again, and listened to hear her
say Joe and all was still. You see |
never would go wrong now; but how did
she know about that little bank and nv
wicked thoughts 7 And she forgave me and
loved me, too, pretty dear. The smoke
makes me cry. There's our depot at the
next station, and we're running on schedule
time, as you see, gentlemen. London Times
EDWARDS county, ILL.,, was settled in 1915
mostly by Englishmen accustomed to drink
Now no wine or beer is used there as a bev.
erage on any occasion. ave have" saws a
writer, Every little litigation. We were for
thirty years without a lawyer living in the
county, and | have known three terms OF
our circuit court where there was no Jury
trial. At first we were troubled by adioin
lug counties which sold liquors, but they
have now fallen into line, so that eight oui
OF the eleven county-seats give no license tc
sell liquors"