The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1885-01-16


Try in the middle of the night! Tho
General and the Baroness have axak.
ened very anxious, the lord:in.#Aitine
has let down, the glass and is leaning
out into tho darkness, and suddenly The
Euar,l who is r1nning along in the
snow beside the carriage, stops and
raises his lantern. lighting up the brist.
ling white mustaches and fur can ef ths
General.
"whas is The faatters Why are w
stopptng?h asks old Horschowitz.
"The matter is that we shall have Il
stop here for al hour al least. The
Parisisns will have to do without Their
cafe at lait Tomorrow"
"What wait here an hour in thil
weather? You know the foot-warmers
are cold"
What can I do? They have tele.
graphed to Tonnerre for sweepers but
as / said, we must wait ct least or
hour"
And the man moved away with hi.
lantern in the direction of the engine.
Ut IL too bad! Your Majesty will
catch cold!" crooked the Baroness.
"Yes, I am very cold" said the
Queen shivering.
Now was the time for the General Ia
show his heroism. He jumped down
on to the rails, sinking up to his knees
in snow, caught hold of the man with
the lantern, and spoke to him id low
voice.
If il was theafsat Mogul himself !
could do nothing" answered the man.
The signal mans house Is just in front
OF Us; he may have fire. and If the
lady likes to get down? Hi! Sabstier |"
A second lantern approached them.
Go and see if the signal man has . fire
in hin house.
Fortunately he had. Tho General
was as proud as if he had gained bat.
tie or finished the last stripe of knitting
in his famous counterpane. He went
back to the Queens carriage 4, tell her
the results of his efforts, and 4 moment
after the three travellers were in i low
foofed room of the little house, stamp
their feet on the floor to get rid of the
show on their shoes, while the signal
man, who had brought them in and who
still wore his sheepskin, knelt down be.
fore the fire and threw some dead wood
upon the dogs.
The Queen threw her cloak on the
back of her straw-bottomed chair and
sat down before the CHEEKY blaze. She
took off her long, Swedish kid gloves
and began to look about her.
Il was peasants room. There Wa
. dry, uneven, earthen floor: strings of
onions hung from the earthen rafters;
an old poacher's gun was fastened over
the chimney-peice by q couple of nails.
and there were fe " lowered plates on
the dresser. The General made grim
ace ct two cheap pictures that were
pinned on the wall; one, the portrait Of
N. Theirs wearing the ribbon of the
Legion of Honor, the other Garibaldi
in his red shirt. But what attracted
the young Queens attention was wick
or cradle, by the side of the large bed,
half hidden by striped chintz curtains,
from whence there came the murmur.
ings of child awakened from its sleep.
As soon as he heard it the signal man
left the fire, went to the cradle and
rocked it gently.
"By-bye, chickie, bye.bye! It il
nothing-only friends of daddv's."
He seemed kind father, this man in
his goatskin, with his bald head, his
rough old soldiers mustache, and those
two deep sad lines around his mouth.
els that your little girl? the queen
asked with interest.
eyes, ma'am; it is my Cecile. She
will be three years old next month"
"But-her mother?" inquired Hel
Majesty, hesitatingly. And as the mar
shook his head, sYou are widower p
But he shook his head again. Their
the queen, touched, got up and went K
the cradle, and looked at Cecile who
had gone to sleep again hugging card.
board dog tenderly to her breast.
"Poor child!" she murmured,
"Wasnt it heartless thing to DE-
for mother to abandon q child Of that
age?" said the signal man in smoth.
cred voice. "That she should have
left me after all was my own fault.
ought not to have married woman tot
young for mel ought not to have LEI
her go to town where she picked NJ
evil acquaintance. But to abandon
this darling! Wasn't it infamous? Ant
now I have to bring up the poor NIT.
myself! And I can tell you it is no
easy with all the work I have to do
In the evening I ON very often obliget
to leave her there screaming and cryinl
when I hear the whistle Of the train
In the daytime, though. I take her Will
me, and she is quite used to it already
the darling! She is not afraid Of tn,
railway now. Only yesterday Twas hold
ing her in my left arm, while I wavet
my flag with my right. Well, she neve
even trembled as the express train wen
by. But, you see, what troubles m,
most is having to make her frocks an,
caps. Fortunately, I was sergeant il
the Zouaves once and know how to ~,
my needle"
"But. my poor FRIEND" began th,
Queen. lit is . very difficult task TO
you. should like to help you. I sup
pose there is village near here, an,
there must be some good people in tn,
village who would take charge of you
little girl: If it is only question o
money"
But the signal man shook his head.
mo. good ladv. no. am mt nrond