The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1883-12-06
"'To the meeting! Hurry, or we shall

TO the meeting Hurry, or we shall
be Iate!'
....She was tying my bonnet strings
yhnde- my chin. as she spoke; and she
had the house-door locked, and me down
the garden path and out OF the back gate,
fairly without my will. She hurried me
across the square, and pushed me
through the crowd around the hall
entrance.
II was ont of breath with nervousness
and fast walking, so We sat down in q
back seat. The room was full. There
were a great many ladies' there, and on
the platform sat the superintendent and
several of the directors OF the road.
Everybody seemed to be whispering and
smiling and looking backward toward
the door, and I looked too, though l
didn't know why.
Then the door opened and Jack came
in with Tom. / heard somebody on the
other side of me whisper, THAT is he!''
and another. and another. and rustic
crept through the place; and then, all at
once such a cheer went up as, can truly
say, I never heard in all my life before,
no, not even when the troops came back
from the war. The people stood up and
the ladies waved their white handker
chiefs.
"The 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, I
watched my boy He looked around him.
dazed at first by all the tumult, and try
ing to know what it meant. But wher-
ever he might turn his eyes he met
hundred others smiling on him, and
more than score of hands outstretched
to him as he passed, and all a: once he
knew!
%, sir; can not tell you all about it;
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 me sit beside him; how ther-
we're speeches and hand shaklnss Snd
laughing and CRYING.
And at last the superintendent said
that there was little child there, the
granddaughter of the president OF the
road, who had beeu with her mother on
the train that Gay, and that she had been
selected by many grateful friends to
present q little token to the man whose
faithful courage had saved SO many
lives.
Then, beautiful lady, all in soft,
rustling silk, came up the aisle, leading
the loveliest child ever saw, with Il
great glory of golden hair around her
head like the picture OF an angel. 1 felt
Jack start, for it was the very child
whose face had come to him in that aw
full moment on the flying engine.
1.-THE little thing let go her mothers
nbnd as she came near, looking up with
shy blue eyes, and in her small fingers
was purse OF gold. You could see the
great coins shining through the netting.
She held 1t up to him, and all the room
Was still as death. heard one great sob
in my boys throat; and then, he lifted
the child in his arms, and stood up,
holding her, straight and tall.
"But he did not take the purse. NO,
darling he said, in low, tender voice,
so clear that everybody heard. Then he
kissed her and lifted one long curl from
her neck.
"'This is the only gold I want" he
said, and he looked at the child's mother
with q question in his eyes.
1.-THE lady nodded, and my boy took
out little pair of scissors from his vest
pocket and cut the curl of gently and
put it carefully away.
"And, sir, if they had cheered before,
what was it now? The arched ceiling
rang, the gas jets Jared and fickered,
and the very pendonts on the chsnde-
Tiers clashed together.
but he would not take the money
then, nor afterwards.
",.t is not ours. What can we d. with
it, We can not throw it away the super
iptendent said.
"'I'll 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 they did so.
snow, you know, sir. what the scars
on my boys face mean to me. I read in
the red marks, faithful and true. and
would not have them changed for the
coat. Of arms of any king on the throne.