The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1885-12-12
FOR THE BABY'S SAKE.
New York Times.

!
''My story" said the New York drum
mer, isn't bit funny. Maybe some
of you know Hiram 3. Stebbins2 He's
in feathers, artificial flowers, ladies no
tions, hat trimmings and such. A mo-
rose, cross kind of man, that don t
make friends outside of the trade. They
do say that when he was young he was
a real nice fellow, but hothering with
men milliners and women in the bonnet
business, and trying to keep abreast of
the fashions soured a naturally good
temper WE'LL Hiram B. Stebbips is not
La tit sociable, and sort Of chap TO let
alone. Never understood a joke in his
| life.
'We often crossed one another on the
road, but after saying How dye, that S
all the words we exchanged. A year
ago I met him, going west from
| Dubuque, on a scalding hot day in July;
| thermometer away up in the nincties
and the car ust in blaze. The car
was full and great many women
aboard. Just back of me was nice
| looking Young women dressed III deep
mourning, and she held baby in her
arms, a wee, wee thing, and that child
was wailing pitifully, and the young
woman was crying. 1t was just mite
of child, puny-looking, and | should
| Judge barely six week old. Back Of her
sat Stebbins, looking as cross and surly
as a bear with sore head, apparently
annoyed by the cries of that baby. The
woman's back being turned to Hiram he
couldn't see she was crying. Off started
the train, and the dust and cinders sifted
through in showers Most everybody
seemed cross, and Hiram uncommonly
so. There was no smoker on the train,
and we had to stay in that car. That
baby's crying bothered me as it did
everybody else. Turning around saw
the young woman take a nursing bottle
out of a basket, then small earthen
ware Jug, and she uncorked it. 1t was
full of milk, and she began to fill the
nursing bottle A drop of milk fell on
her hand and she tasted it, then she
looked very much distressed. She put
back the nursing bottle ard the Jug
into the basket, and didn't feed the
baby.
"'What on earth shall do?' l heard
her say. The milk is as sour as vine
gar and will kill the child, and she be-
gan to cry again, not loud like the
baby, but the tears just streamed down
her pale cheeks Then Hiram B. Steb
bins shook himself up, and leaned for
ward and said to the young woman,
kind of cross-like:
"'Your infant, mann
"sOh, no, sir! 1t was my poor sis
ter's, and she died week ago-died of
broken heart, because her husband,
this little babys father, was killed on
railroad few days before baby was
torn. It's a delicate child and half
starved, and the hot weather has turned
the milk sour. What am to do2 l
am trying to carry the poor child some
hundreds of miles further on, to my
mother, and if / can't feed it it will die
before / get to the end of my Journey,
it's so feeble now. Then she sobbed
afresh, and tie baby sobbed, too.
"Hiram B. Stebbins didn't say any
thing for fully a minute; then he got
up and came to me, and said he, Fam
| lily man. / told him WASH t. Then
he sat down and fdgeted; then he got
up suddenly, looked around him and
went into the next car. He passed
through our car, and then through the
whole train By and by he came back,
and said ho: Not a darned one on the
| train.
"'Not whatr l inquired
"A woman nursing her baby. Gen
orally they are ever SO plenty, just when
you don't want 'em.'
"'And you would have asked a
strange woman you never saw before
to-to-nurse that childg / asked, as
tonished.
" why should notT said stebbins,
simply.
Then the conductor came, and Bill
went for him at once. When does the
train stop-the first place, / mean2'
asked Stebbins
'Thirty-eight miles from here.
"'What kind of a placer asked Steb-
bins Amy refreshmentsP
None; not a bar even. Wood and
water
No chance of mike
Nary chance.
"sAny milk cans on this trainr
"'Not one.
'"'But there's a baby on board this
train that wants milk
'ssThis amt no baby nor milk train as
| know Of, said the conductor in
differently.
"'You re blasted heather, anyhow
cried BILL This train has got to stop,
| for am bound to get some milk for that
baby.
Not much. Behind time now. and
hadn't you better keep civil tongue in
your iaws2 Otherwise you're likely to
1 get them jaws broke and likewise put
off the cars
The talk of the two was so loud and
threatening that some Of the passengers
heard it. Jumping upon one Of the
seats, Hiram addressed the passengers. .
Ladies and gentlemen, said he, but
most especially ladies, want your kind
attention. On this train in this car
there is a little baby whose mother is
just dead. That baby is going to perish
right before your eyes for the want of .
drop of milk. Here is a conductor that
won't stop this train so as to save the
life of that poor little child. put it to
! you-shall this train stop SO that ! can
4 get some milk, or are you willing that
4 the baby should die. all on account OF q
j lukehead of CONDUCTOR
BE jabersl Oiime Wild you and the
young woman livery tonne, said big
lrishman.
Dat is jous so, chiRed in Ger
man. Then al the women joined in a
chorus, and cried, sShamel shame.
But, said the conductor, somewhat
scared at the storm he had raised.
tThc--e :sn5t any rsilk af khn nnxf afnf,.