The Mineral argus., 1885-10-08

Now, when the day wa> far spent. girl
al up my l"ins and ga' ne '" 'he 'ia'h'
And i: was NJ - mail express. g''ng east
IN fourteens time. for the sn"" Was deep.
TWENTY-FIVE was tire. hour late, ana i"lir-
teen was abandoned. Dimiy hghteh was
she car. End cold Men cured NJ III their
s,yercoa,s. hated one another. and no man
snake to his neighbor by reason Of the
cold and the delay.
Twinkling past went the station iSh'.'
white and cold lay the drified fields, and
with rattle aud jar the train sped along
Two seats ahead, a seedy looking man. oe-
ref Of his .,,ercoai, aud not 'as'id'ous as
IN collar. began To whistle. Usually the
uo,c of the railroad warbler waSens our
ire: hut we all listened TO this uan.
Mellow as flute notes rose his many
puckered whistle of Home, sweet h"i.e
AT the ,irst line surly looking y EN- sat up
10 hear mid pleasures and palaces Not
often did the seedy whistler roam amid
very gorgeous palaces We wat scaht' IN
deed must be the pleasures al man with
out am overcoat on a stormy night III MITCH
ssRe IL ever 50 hnmble'--we followed the
air with the words. a. we listened, and the
stranger seemed to be breathing his very
soul into the song All yes. humble his
home uiight be- as ,owly, indeed, rs was
his state, but welcome, and warm love
light from watching eyes aud the home
light from the ruddy hearth. the clinging
aims of little ones waited tor him. and We
we're glad of il.
The very ear grew warmer as lac whis-
tied Into the distant corner, away down
by the wood box, the mellow notes drfted,
a dreamy current of melody There's
no place like home;' why, it swelled out
into the very storm, with its passionate
longing II made those of us who were
not going home, home-sick down to tn"
soul "A wand'rer from honie'-there
were tears in the melody M alien sPlend-
or could dazzle a heart so home loving.
''Oh give me the lowly matched cottage
again." came fairly sobbing in the lender.
bird like notes, and then again the Home.
sweet Home refrain. sympathetic, rich,
plantiye, yearning.
Tie train slowed M. stopped. and the
conductor came in abruptly, and the mel
low whistle died away in a scarcely au-
hible sigh.
Come" said the conductor, ~ can't
carry you any further"
The whistler arose, aud as he vainly fun
bled for a button ON his buttonless coat.
started for the rear door.
This way ~ shouted the conductor, and
the whistler meekly turned and walked
out Of the forward door. A lantern swings
nut from the step. the train moves on. and
the homeless whistler is shivering ont in
,he snow.
what station is this, Conluctor?"
mo regular station. Its a crossing"
The station is two miles farther down.
Don't stop there"
Where did that fellow get on
"Climed on at the tank when we took
water. about twenty miles back"
Came from Nowhere, got off at Nowhere,
). and had nowhere to go. and whistle,l
Home. Sweet Home" till he made us all
cry. All, me. ! wish | had given HIM
u quarter. but that's always my case. My
good impulses are always slow. ! never
think OF the quarter in time, unless | am
on the sleeping Car. And then the porter,
who is believer in practical benevolence
always helps me to think OF it But the
tattered whistler, whose lips dropped
music like the singing OF birds when the
vines with the tender grapes give Il good
smell. why should he be bounced out into
the night and the storm, when fare for his
ride and food for his mouth were right here
in dozen pockets? Then saw that the
race Is not to the swift, nor the battle 10
the strong, neither yet bread to the wise.
nor vet riches to men of understanding.
nor yet favor to men of skill but time
and chance happcneth to them all.-Rob-
ert Burdette.