The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1883-07-27

1t home, but one day he appeared on
his train looking pale, and the brake
man who had run with him for years
knew the conductors mind was away
at the bedside of his sick baby. With
punch in his hand and his heart in his
throat the conductor entered the smok-
ing-car and said Tickets" in voice
not at all like its usual sound. 1t was
more like an appeal to his Heavenly
Father to watch over the baby at home
Four drummers were sitting together in
two seats, all good friends of the con-
ductOr, and as he took their thousand
mile tickets to punch, one said: s.Old
man. You were up late last night. Be-
ware of the wine cup" and he laughed,
and the other boys laughed, and the
conductor tried to smile, but he couldn't.
Another drummer who had travelled
with the conductor for years, and loved
him as brother, thinking he was .
little or. said. 20, boys, wait till he
goes through the train and collects 3
few cash fares, and he will brighten up.
Then will tell him the last story" and
they all laughed at their old friend. and
he punched the last of their tickets aud
went on with q forced smile, and as
tear rolled down his dark cheek the
boys thought he had cinder in his eye.
The last drummer slapped him on the
arm and said: Come back soon to
your own chickabiddy, '"and as he went
out of the car laugh arose, and he
stood on the platform q minute, because
he felt faint, and then entered the other
car. He knew almost every passenger,
and on any other day he would have been
proud to have them speak to him as they
did, and chat and joke; but that day
every word seemed to be bullet. He was
presentin body, but his mind was far
away, and when he put a check in the
band of lady's turban hat. instead of
putting it on the window, and she
blushed, and the passengers laughed
they thought he did it for joke, but it
was because he did not know what he
was doing, his mind being with the sick
baby at home. He hurried along and a
lady with little three-year-old girl
was next, a child just the age of his sick
one. The mother thought it would
please the conductor to let the child
hand the ticket to him. and the little one
had the ticket in its fat hand, and was
striking back behind its mamma, trying
to muster up courage to hand the ticket
to the big conductor, who had often
held her in his lap when she was on his
train, when he would laugh so hearty
that the child would be surprised, and
he would tell her of his little baby at
home. The child peeked around man.
mas shoulder and saw the conductor
before he saw her and he looked so
changed and sad that the little one
opened her eyes in wonder, and handed
up the ticket carefully, as though he
would bite, and when he saw her he al
most tainted, and when she said,
where's 'oOr baby" he thought his
heart would jump out of his bre asst.
The tears ran down his face, and he
whispered, "she may be dying now,"
and as he went out on the platform at a
station he felt that it would almost be
mercy if the train would run over him.
He went in the car and finished his
work, and he returned to the smoker
and sat down in an end seat, then got
nervous and went in the baggage-car,
passing the large-hearted drummers,
who were full of fun and wanted him
to be, and they said, s'Come, old boy,
sit down here and have a smoke" but
he said, in husky voice. that he hadn't
time, and as he went out the door he
braced up enough to turn and smile at the
boy through the window and throw kiss
at them, for he didn't want them to
think he would go back entirely on old
friends; but when he got in the baggage
car and sat down in a chair he looked
like man that had lost every friend.
At the next station woman with
little girl was cross to the child, and
jerked it along by the arm. and he
snatched the little one from the mother
and tenderly lifted it on the car. and
the mother looked indignant, and she
got on the car and pushed the little one
along the aisle, and set it down in
seat as though she would like to break
its bones, and the conductor looked at
her as though if she were a man he
would everlastingly wipe the platform
with her. He got on the car in the
rear of the smoker that time because
his old friends, the drummers, were so
thoughtless of his feelings. He did not
realize that they were unaware of his
sorrow. Every kindly expression from
the passengers seemed to him like an
remark, and he would have
given month"; salary to have been at
home, or anywhere that every body felt
as bad as he did. At the next station
he got a dispatch, and his hand shook |
like leaf, and he dare not look at it |
out doors, but he went in the smoker |
and sat down in front of the drum
mers, and opened the dispatch, glanced |
1t it, 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 occurred |
more than the usual order to hold the |
rain for another to pass: '.Hello, the
Did man has got his discharge. o.
have been expecting it since he collected
hat twenty cents from that tramp
asst week and knocked it down."
Then they laughed, and one of the BOYS
.ouched the conductor on the shout
Ter and said: 'Never mind. old boy, us
fellows will see you through. We will
get sample case for you to carry"
The conductor reached the dispatch
over to the travelling man and said,
read it." and the friend read: your
,aby is dead. Come back on No. =.
live your train to your head brake
man," 1t was signed by the Division
The four pair of eyes
hat read the dispatch had tears in
hem and four throats choked up so it
vas q minute before anybody could
peak, and then one of the boys went
md sat down by the conductor, who
vas crying like child and said. "Old
riend, all of US have babies at home.