The Republican journal., 1883-10-11
"Much ADO" Etc.
A TRUE STORY.

"Papa, l want TO 90 TO Hartford With
you" called out little Lottie Park, as
she saw her father open the door to go
down stairs, for it was almost train time
and Mr.. Park was station agent at West
Waring.
"Not to-day, Lottie. can't go till to-
morrow you may come along then if
mamma says So"
The next morning, Lottie was duly
dressed in her prettiest clothes, and look
ing like dolly, only far sweeter and
prettier than the best of dolles, she
went down to the platform, for Mr.. Park s
house was the upper story Of the pictur-
esque passenger depot.
Before long the train came screaming
ald kissing in from the West, and Mr.
Park locked up the office and came out
where Lottle stood. Tom Scott the bag
gagemaster on the train, looked out of
the sliding door to see Lottie, for whom
he was always prepared with flowers, an
apple, bit Of candy, or some other
dainty, for he loved the rosy little thing
dearly, and all the more that his own
little girl lay asleep in the Sharon grave
yard.
Mr.. Park swung Lottie up into Tom
Scots arms. "Here y said he; 'check
this bit of baggage through to Hart
ford"
Catching her, with laugh and kiss,
he sat her down on a big trunk and
gave her a cooky out Of his dinner pail.
just then Mr.. Park caught sight of the
very man on whose account he was go
ing in to Hartford. Mr.. Coe was man
utacturer in Waring, and there had been
trouble about the freight rates, which
Mr.. Park had to 90 in to the office of the
road to see about he had not got all the
information he wanted, for Mr.. Coe had
been West, but here he was just come
back, on his way to Waring station, half a
mile below West Waring
SO Mr. Park talked to him all the time
the engine was taking water, and then
got into the ear and sat beside him, still
talking SO earnestly that he got off at
Naring station, quite forgetful of Lotto,
Hartford and everything else, and follow
ed Mr.. COe to the wagon which was wait
ing for him, in his earnestnesS to inform
himself about the matter
The clatter OF the ear wheels called
HIM back III moment the train was off,
off beyond his reach, but it would 90 easi-
ly down to the Tuck junction a few
rods off, and stop there according to law,
to cross the other track. Mr.. Park tore
after it like a crazy man, caught his foot
in a rail, fell, scrambled up and rushed
on, but all too late.
The train hissed away far ahead of its
frantic follower; there was but one thing
to do: telegraph to the next station,
East Hartland, to have her put off there,
and sent back by the next train.
He ran back to the Waring station but
the telegraph operator had gone home to
dinner, and he had to hunt him up and
get the key but now the train was over
due at East Iiartland, he must signal to
Parsonsyille
This village happened to be mile
from its station, and before the operator
could send uD message the train had
gone Mr.. Park could have cried if he
had been woman; being man he ex-
pressed his distress otherwise, but quite
as forclbly. The next thing was to sig
nal Hampton.
''Ask conductor Cone to stop train at
b. Brook siding; fetch girl Tom Scott
has along"
The train from Warner went on to a
siding just before you reached Hampton,
and waited for the Hartland train ten min
utes. AT Hampton the telegraph oper-
ator was also gone to dinner.
No answer came back TIL Mr.. Park
was ready todespair; then it said, "Both
trains gone before your message came"
There was bur one thing left to do now !;
he must telegraph to Hartford, and an
other message spun along the wires:
ask Cone to fetch the little girl Tom
Scott took in on the evening train"
The answer that came back was dread
fu to the anxious father.
"Tom Scott left train at Wintonbury
No child on board"
To be sure; Tom Scott's old mother
lived at Wintonbury. Once week he
stopped off the train at this last station
to see her, and took the return train
there, for she was very old and infrm,
and lately had been dangerously i'll.
But, "No child on board !" What
could this mean? Had Lottie run into
the next car to find her father, and Slip
ped unseen between the cars, while care
less Tom stepped off at Wintonbury, and
thought no more about her? Oh, poor
Lottie! was she lying on that ghastly
track that had slaughtered so many be-
fore herr MI Park shuddered and hid
his head in his hands he was not an
imaginative man, but everything that
could possibly happen to his darling ran
through his mind now, maybe she had
fallen from the door of the baggage car
and been lost in the woods, if she had
escaped uninjured. Perhaps she lay in
that cold, black river the train crosses SO
many times, which only few months
ago had engulfed score Of others, each
perhaps dear to some one as Lottie to
him and all because of his own careless
ness How could he have forgotten her :?
What was business of any sort compared
with Lottie?
He was not habtually a praying man,
but with the instinct that drives many of
us-most of us-to an Almighty power
for help when trouble and danger press,
he lifted up a fervent prayer to God to
help him; to bring back his lost Lottie.
Poor man he dared not go home and
face his wife, who was feeble always, and
now worn out with the care of a sick
baby. He could not bear to think of 60
ing to her with the truth of the case
which he could not know himself till the
evening train brought out Tom Scott !;
and he would not 60 to her with a dread
ful uncertainty.
There was nothing for him but to wait
at the station till the train came in.
His brother George was in the ticket
office at West Waring filling his Dlace
on the supposltion that he and Iottie
had gone to Hartford, so he need not go
back there.
1t was 2 o'clock by this time in fifteen
minutes the milk would come along.
There was just chance Lottie might
have been put on to the milk k-train from