The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1885-12-11
HE GOT THE MILK.
How p Rough" Drummer Game
Out Strong"

any oVOAJ3 odllu VIC NGW DIX
drummer, ''isn't bit funny, May be
some Of you know Hiram r, Stebbins?
He's in feathers, artificial flowers,
ladies notions, hat trimmings and
such. A morose, cross kind
of man, that don't make friends
outside of the trade. They do say that
when he was young he was real nice
fellow, but bothering with men MILL
ners and women in the bonnet bust
ness, and trying to keep abreast of the
fashions, soured naturally good tenn
per. Well, Hiram B. Stebbins is not q
bit soclable, and sort of chap to be
let alone. Never understood Joke in
his lite.
1--WE often crossed one another on
the road, but after saying How d'ye,'
that's all the words we exchanged. A
year ago | met him, going west from
Dubuque, on scalding hot day in
July; thermometer way up in the nine
ties and the car just in blaze. The
car was full and q great many women
aboard. just back of me was nice
looking young woman dressed in deep
mourning, and she held q baby in her
arms, a wee, wee thing, and that child
was wailing pitifully, and the young
woman was crying. TWAS just a mite
OF a child, puny-looking, and l should
Judge barely six weeks old. Back of
her sat Stebbins, looking as cross and
surly as bear with a 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 uncommonlv 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 nursing-bot-
tie out of q basket, then small earth
enware jug, and she uncorked it, It
was full of milk, and she began to fill
the nursingbottle. A drop of milk
fell ON her hand and she tasted it, then
looked very much distressed. She put
back the nurSing-bottle and the Jug
into the basket and didn't feed the
baby.
"'What on earth shall dop' heard
her say. The milk is as sour as vine
gar and win 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, ma amp
"'Oh, no, sir, 1t was my poor Sis
ter's, and she died week ago-died of
broken heart, because her husband.
this little baby's father, was killed on a
railroad few days before baby was
born It's delicate child and half
starved, and the hot weather has turned
the milk sour. What am to dop
am trying to carry the poor little child
some hundreds of miles further on. to
my mother, and if l can't feed it, it
will die before get to the end of nv
Journey, it's so feeble now.' Then she
sobhed afresh, and the baby sobbed,
TOO.
Hiram B. Stebbins didn't saw any,
thing for fully a minute; then he rot
up and came to me, and said he, Fam
lily mang told him | wasn't. Then
he sat down and fidgeted; then he cot
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 he: Not q darned one on the
train.
" Not what?' l inquired.
"A woman nursing her baby Gen
orally they are ever so plenty, Just
when You don't want EN-
( ~ And you would have asked a
strange woman you never saw before
to-to-nurse that child?' l asked as
toniShed,
A." Why should 1 not?' said Stebbins,
simply.
/ Then the conductor came, and Bill
went for him at once. When does the
train Stop-the first place | meanp'
asked Stebbins.
" 'Thirty-eight miles from here
" What kind of a placer asked Steb-
bins. Any refreshmentsP
" None, not bar even. Wood and
water
u" No chance of mike
Nary chance
Any milk cans on this tramp
Not one
g But there's a baby on board this
train that wants milk
This amt no baby nor milk train
rs | knows Of, said that conductor. in
differently.
You're a blasted heather. any
how cried Bill. This train has cot
to stop, for am bound to get some
milk for that baby
a. Not much. Behind time now. and
hadn't you better keep civil tongue
in your Jaws? Otherwise you're likely
to get them jaws broke and likewise
put off the cars
The talk of the two was so loud
and threatening that some of the pas
sengers heard it. Jumping upon one
of the seats, Hiram addressed the pas
sengers: Ladies and gentlemen said
he, but most especially ladies, want
your kind attention. On this train
in this car-there is little baby whose
mother is just dead. That baby is 60
ing to perish right before your eyes Tor
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 it to you-shall this train
stop 50 that | can get some milk, or are
you willing that the baby should die,
all on account of a lunkhead of a con-
ductorP'
." BY jabers! Dime wild V and the
young woman livery tonne, said big
Irishman.
-" Dat is jous So, chimed in Ger
man. Then all the women joined in a
chorus, and cried Shame! shamer
/" But, said the conductor, some
what scared at the storm he had raised.