Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1885-12-24
HE GOT THE MILK.
How a Rough" Drummer Game
Out Strong"

'My story said the New York
drummer, isn't a 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 a 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 a naturally good tenn
per. Well, Hiram B. Stebbins is not
bit soclable, and sort of chap to be
let alone. Never understood joke in
his lite.
''We often crossed one another on
the road, but after saying How dye
that's all the words We exchanged. A
year ago l 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 great many women
aboard. just back of me was nice
looking young woman dressed 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 was crying. Itwas 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 4 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 l saw
the young woman take a nurSing-bot-
tie out Of basket. then small earth
enware Jug. and she uncorked it. 1t
was full of milk, and she began to fill
the nuIsing-bottle. 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 do9' 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-
l.:
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
a broken heart, because her husband,
this little baby's father, was killed on
railroad a few days before baby was
born. It's delicate child and half
starved. and the hot weather has turned
the milk sour. What am l to do2
am trying to carry the poor little child
some hundreds of miles further on. to
nv mother, and if l 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 the baby sobbed,
too.
Hiram B. Stebbins didn't say any
thing for fully minute; then he got
up and came to me. and said he, Fam
lily man?' l told him l wasn't Then
he sat down and tidgeted; 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 he: Not darned one on the
train
g Not a what?' 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?' I asked as
tonished.
why should 1 not?' said Stebbins,
simply.
went for him at once. When does the
train stop-the first place I mean?
asked Stebbins.
.Thirty-eight mi1es from here
What kind of plste?' asked Steb-
bins ANY refreshments?'
None, not bar even. Wood and
water
No chance of milk?'
Nary chance
ANY milk cans on this trains?
Not one.'
{. But there's a baby on board this
train that wants milk
This amt no baby nor milk train
As knows Of said that conductor. in
differently