The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-07-07

9cTkSd 1T along Dy the arm, and he
snaicted the little one from the mother
and ;epierb lifted it on the 4.r. aud
the mother looked indignant, aud she
got on the ear and pushed the little one
along the aisle, and set it down in the
seal as though she would like to break
its bones, and the conductor looked al
her as though, if she were man, ht
would everlastingly wipe tho platform
with her
He got on the car in the rear of the
smoker that time, because his old
friends, the drummers, were so thought
less of his feelings. He did not realize
that they were unaware of his sorrow.
Every kindly expression from the pas
sengers seemed TO him like an unfeeline
remark, and he would have given a.
month salary to have been at home,
or anywhere that everybody felt as bad
as he did.
At the next station he got dispatch,
and his hand shook like a leaf, and he
dare not look at it out doors, but he
went in the smoker and sat down in
front of the drummers, and opened the
dispatch, glanced at it and put his head
on his hand and leaned his elbow on the
window.
The boys looked at him and one said,
not thinking that anything had oc.
Cured more than the usual order tC
hold the train for another to pass, Hell
10, the old man has got his discharge.
o, have been eXpectingit since he
collected that twenty cents from the
tramp last week and knockedit down "
Then they laughed, and one of the
boys touched the conductor on the
shoulder and said. Never mind, old
boy, us fellows will see YOU through.
we viii get a sample case for you to
carry
The conductor reached the dispatch
over to the travelling man, and said,
'sread it, y and the friend read, ''yoal
baby is dead, come back on No. Give
your train to your head brakeman"
1t was signed BY the division superin-
tendent. The four pair of eyes that
read the dispatch had tears in them,
and four threats choked up so it was a
minute before anybody could speak. and
then one of the boys went and sat down
by the conductor, who was crying like
a child, and said, 'Old friend, all of us
have babies at home, and not one OF
us would have joked you had we known
of your sorrow. Forgive us, old rard "
The conductor said it was, all right,
and he knew they pitied him, but it had
almost broken his heart to have them
talk so, and he went in the baggage cal
to prepare to leave the train at the next
station.
As he left the train four large hearted
drummers, who looked as though they.
too, had been bereaved, shook hands
tenderly with the conductor, and bid
him good bye. and then went in the cal
and agreed that they couldn't be too
careful about their levity, and THEN
thoughts We're all the afternoon with the
stricken conductor and his dead baby.
When the brakeman went through
the train with his pale face and took
tickets, the passengers knew something
had happened, and to every question he
said, The conductor baby is dead,
and he has gone back" and then every
passenger looked as though it was a
funeral train, and a hundred hearts felt
sorry for their old friend, and none
more 50 than the hearts of the drum
mers.
At the funeral there was a bank OF
flowers that almost covered the little cot
tin,whlch come by express from 200 miles
away, and the conductor will always
believe. the flowers came from the drum,
mers and he was right. -Peck'S San.