The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-06-09

pushed me through the crowd around
the hali-entrance
81 was out of breath with nervous
ness and fast walking, SO we sat down
| in back seat. The room was full.
There were a great many ladies there,
and on the platform sat the Superinten-
dent and several of the Directors of the
road. Everybody seemed to be whisper
ing and smiling and looking backwards
towards the door, and 1 looked too.
though didn't know why.
''Then the door opened and Jack
came in with Tom. heard somebody
on the other side of me whisper. That's
hot and another and another, and a
rustic crept through the place, and then.
all at once, such cheer went up as.
can truly say, | never heard in all nv
life before-no, not even when the
troops came home from the war. The
people stood up, and the ladies waved
their white handkerchiefs.
''Ihe superintendent tried to speak,
and raped on his little table, but all in
vain, until the crowd had had their
three times three. And through it all
| watched my boy. He looked around
him, dazed at first, by all the tumult
and trying to know what it meant; but
wherever he might turn his ewes he met
a hundred others smiling on him. and a
score of hands stretched out to him as
he passed, and, all at once-he knew
80 sir, cannot tell you aboutit! How
they carried him up to the front. THOUGH
not on the platform there he would not
,go-how they found me out and made
l. - III pesfde nm; now tnefe were
speeches and hand-shakings and laugh
ing and crying.
''And, at last, the uperintendents said
that there was little child there, the
granddaughter of the President of the
road, who had been with her mother on
the train that day, and that she had
been selected by many grateful friends
0 present a little token to the man
those faithful courage had saved so
Many lives.
f"Then a beautiful lady, allin soft,
r(stling silk, came up the aisle, leading
tie loveliest child l ever saw, with
great glory of golden hair around her
head, like the picture of an angel I felt
jack start, for it was the very child
whose face had come to him in that
awful moment on the flying engine.
The little thing let 90 her mothers
hand as she came near, lookingup with
shy blue eyes, and in her small fingers
was purse of gold. You could see the
great coins shining through the silk net
ting. She held it up to him, and all the
roomwas still as death. Iheard one great
cnh wis in, 1o
lifted the child in his arms, and stood
up, holding her, straight and tall.
but he did not take the purse. No,
darlingn he said in low, tender voice,
so clear that everybody heard Then
he kissed her, and lifted one long curl
from her neck.
I" This is the only gold I WANT he
said, and looked at the child's mother
with question in his eyes.
THE lady nodded, and my boy took
out little pair of scissors from his
vest-pocket, and cut the curl off gently,
and put it carefully away.
'And, sir, if they had cheered before,
what was it now? The arched ceiling
rang, the gas-jets flared and flickered,
and the very pendants on the chande-
liers clashed together.
''But he would not take the money
then nor afterwards.
. 1T ia rot ours! What can we do
with 1t? We cannot throw it away!'
the Superintendent said.
IN tell you, then, sir!' said Jack,
at last. Brakeman Jim Flaherty was
killed last week. He left sick wife
and six little children. Give the money
to them!
"And so they did.
"Now you know, sir, what the scars
on my boys face mean to me. / read
in the red marks, Faithful and true =
and | would not have them changed for
the coat-of-arms of any king on any
throne YOUTHS Companion.