, 1885-12-13
FOR THE BABY'S SAKE.


mer, '.isn { a Lit funny. Maybe somo
OF you know Hiram Is. Stebbinsl He's
in feathers, artificial flowers, ladies' no
tons, hat trimmings and such. A mo
rose, cross kind of a man, that don
make friends outside of the trade. They
do say that when he was young hs was
n real nice fellow, hut bothering with
men milliners and women in the bonnet
business. and trying to keep abreast of
the fashions. soured a naturally good
temper Well, Hiram B. Stebbins is not
a it sociable, and a sort Of chap to let
alone. Never understood n joke in his
life.
1--WE often crossed one another on the
road, but after saying How dye, that S
all the words we exchanged. a year
ago | met him, going west from
/ ubuque, on a scalding hot day in July;
thermometer away up in the nlnoties
and the car lust in a blaze. The car
was full and a great many women
aboard. Just back of me was n nice
looking young women dress, d in deep
mourning, and she held a baby in her
arms, a wee, wee thing, and that child
was wailing pitifully, and the young
woman vas crying. II vas just u mite
OF a child, p~uny-looking. and J should
judge barely ST. week old. Back of her
sat Stebbins, looking as cross and surly
as a bear with a sore head, apparently
annoyed by the cries OF that baDy. The
woman's back being turned to Hiram he
couldn't see she was crying. OF started
the train, and the dust and cinders sifted
thro igh in showers. Most Everybody
seemed cross and Hiram uncommonly
30. There was no smoker on the tram,
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 a small earthen-
ware Jug, and she uncorked it. 1t wa
full of milk. and she began to hll the
nursing bottle. A drop of milk fell on
her hand and she tasted it, then she
loo ed very much distressed. She put
back the nursing bottle and the Jug
into the basket, and didn t feed the
baby.
"tWhat on earth shall l dor I 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 streame1 down
her pale cheeks. Then Hiram d. Steb-
bins shook himself up, and leaned for
ward and said to the young woman,
kind of cross.like:
"'lour infant, mann
ooh. no, sir 1t was my poor Sis
ter's, and she died q week ago-died OF
a broken heart, because her husband,
this little baby 5 father, was killed On a
railroad a few days before baby wa
born. It's a delicate child and half
starved, and the hot weather HIS turned
the milk sour. What am / to dol |
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 l get to the end of my Quincy,
it's so feeble now Then she sobbed
airesh, 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 dgeted; then he got
up suddenly, looked around him and
went into the next tar. lie passed
through our car, and then through the
whole train. By and by he came back,
md said no: Not a darned one on the
train
"'Not a whatl' I inquired.
IA oma nursing her baby. Gen
orally they are ever so plenty, Just when
Jou don't want 'em.'
land you would have asked q
strange woman you never saw before
to-to-nurse that child | asked, as
tonished.
'wh by should I notP said stebbins,
simply.
Then the conductor came, and Pill
went ior him at once. When does the
train stop-the first place, 1 mean
asked Stebbins.
'Thirty-ei miles from here.
What kind OF a place. asked Steb-
bins. Amy refreshmentsf
water
mo chance of milk
Mary chance
ANY milk cans on this tfsilf
"'Not one
but there's a baby on board this
train that wan milk
This amt no baby nor milk train as
/ know Of, said the conductor in
differently,
"'l GU re a blasted heather, anyhow
cried ill. This train has got to stop,
for am bound to get some milk for that
baby
mot much. Behind time now and
hadn I you better keep a civil tongue in
your Jaws Otherwise you're likely to
get them jaws broke and likewise put
of the cars
1.-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', | rant 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. l put il to
you-shall this train stop so that | can
get some milk. OF are you willing that
the baby should die. all on account of a
lukehead Of a conductor
BE iabersl q ime wild you and the
young woman livery tonne, said n big
lrishman.
Dat is jous So chimed in a Ger
m-n. Then all the women joined in 4
chorus, and cried, 'shamel shame
But, said tho conductor. somewhat
scared at the storm he had raised.
There isn't any milk at the next stop
ping place, nor at the next station,
neither
Cant you stop at some farmhouse,
thenf asked Hiram.
There isn't a house along the lineSt
road for the next twenty-five miles
There must be- cows somewhere
in tina pastures, insisted Hiram b. Steb-
bins.
And who's to milk them, providing
We see any rs ed the conductor,
scratching his head.
Els there any lady in this car that
a milk a cow inquired Hiram. No
one responding, 1t seemed likely that no
Happiness anu Health.
Are important problems. the former de-