New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1886-03-03
THE BABY ON THE CARS.
Touching Incident which Occurred on q
Limited Express.

the wind blew a gale. Hal and /
boarded the limited express for New
York at Chicago and were enjoying a
cigar in the smoker: He had fallen
asleep and | was busly absorbed in
my own reflections. / glanced caus-
ually and with little interest at the
scenes through which I was being
rapidly whirled. It was only when
twilight shut out visible objects and
| the lowering clouds grew black awak-
ened to the consciousness that it was
night and that Hal had been sleeping
an hour.
"Come, old fellow" / said, shaking
him, awake upY"
| "Hellop' he exclaimed, rousing him
self and looking a little stupid.
'Nice, sociable chap for a. compan-
ion, Unjust say"
GLOW long have + been asleep?,
sitting upright and locking around
him.
"About an hour, should Judge"
sWell, between you and me, Will,
needed it. Ididn't go to bed at all
last night; SO much to be done, all at
the last moment"
''That's a fine excuse for you to
give" | said. dryly Hal laughed.
He was the best natured chap in the
world. A big, strapping fellow, stand
SIX feet high, with merry blue eyes,
clear cut features and fair almost to
womanliness. He was a great swell,
too, and a universal favorite:.
Accountable night he muttered, "a
little irritably for him, "and am con-
fcundedly cold, too. had just about
hall enough sleep, Will, and if you
don't mind I'll go to bed.''
'"That suits me- | replied, II am
with you
We crossed the platform and step
ped into the other car A gust OF
wind and snow whizzed past as we
opened the door, which called forth
another grumbling imprecation from
Hal relative to the weather. Decid-
edly he was sleepy. There was not
ma-,y passengers on board, and these
were the invariable travellers one is
sure to encounter. First came q gar
rulous old gentleman, very thin, with
white hair, who occupied four seats
and essayed TO read by the uncertain
light OF the railway lamp, which was
Of no more use than those lamps US
ually are, and quite as ornamental.
Then came the commercial traveller
who was disposed to take things as he
found them and wore an expression
rather bland than otherwise.
A portly old lady with bird cage
and several band boxes next attract
ed my attention. A spinster who sat
up in a most rigid position, and an in
sipld miss Of seventeen or there
abouts travelling in care Of the con-
ductor, together with a short stout,
thickset man ofuncertain age and oc-
cupation, made up the list Of passen-
gers. No.. there was another; [ had
quite overlooked him. He came on
the trainwhile we were in the smoker
A tall, dark man of about forty years,
with a pale, haggard face and hollow,
sunken eyes. His berth had been
made up and he was seated on one
side OF it, his head resting on his hand,
| when Hal and | entered the car. A
shrIl little voice which echoed through
the silent car caused every one to turn
around in the direction whence it
came.
"By all that's lucky" groaned Hal,
"a baby"
''Not a doubt of it," I agreed.
'tAnd good lungs it has, too," he
went on pettishly II wish it would
be quiet.
But the baby had not the slightest
notion OF doing this. To speak the
truth, it had not begun yet. The shrill
cry continued growing louder; thep pas
sengers commenced staring hard at
the berth and harder at one another.
The garrulous old gentlemanla laid aside
his magazine and remarked sarcasti-
cally: t'This is pleasant
The portly lady opened her watery
eyes as loud as she could and exclaim-
ed, ssDear me-
The spinster wore an air ofvirtuous
triumph and said nothing. l dare say
she congratulated herself upon her
lucky escape. The commercial trav-
eler looked wicked. Hal I am sorry to
say, swore and tumbled into bed in
no very env1able frame Of mind
/ Presently every one sought his or
her resting place, the lamps were low
cred and the porter made himself as
comfortable as the rules Of the COM
pany would permit. But through it
all that baby cried. The storm rag
ing without was mild in comparison
with the storm raging within.
'sBy jove!" exclaimed Hal, "bed is a
mockery. Of all the nuisances Lever
came in contact with this takes the
palm. What do the parents. mean
by letting 1t scream like that? Why
don't they attend properly to, their
business?''
At this he opened the curtain, looked
outand, calling to me, said:
"Will, the father has it, and he's
holding it upside down.
The tall, dark man was striding up
and down, carrying, and most clumsily
at that, the child, who appeared to be
about two years old, and who beat
him with her little fists, and struggled
to get on the floor, all the while Giving