The Newtown bee., 1888-11-16
Toby's Mice.

Toby's Mice.
 It was quite good many years ago | hat was the youthful telegraph opera tor in the night yardmaster's office at the | of one of the great railroads. Mir Toby was the night yardmaster's name and he had worked for the railroad since he was little boy and once, when he was coupling some cars, his arm was caught between the bump CTS and crushed so badly that the doc tors had to cut it off. Then the railroad company made him night yardmaster-a very responsible but not very laborious position.
 Mir Toby had been on duty every night for great many years when I came to do his telegraphing for him and never was man more faithful or more highly esteemed by his associates than the old one-armed yardmaster.
 Mir Toby was very kind and tender hearted man. I remember one night when some of the men opened a freight car, they found a poor, starved kitten, which had been locked in at Baltimore and had come all the way through with out anything to eat or drink for ten days and nights. Poor Tabby! She was ter ribly poor and thin and so weak that she could hardly stand alone and who was it but MT Toby that walked away home, about mile distant and brought bot tie of milk to warm and feed kitty, after he fixed her up a nice bed of cotton sswaste" back of the stove? And then he nursed her back to health day by day, or rather, night by night and adopted her. But it was about Mir Toby's mice 1 was going to tell you. The yardmaster's of flee was not very gorgeous place and about all there was in it besides chair, an old table in one corner where Mir Toby sat and wrote, or sat and ate his mid | night lunch, or just sat and did nothing. Away back in the corner was little hole on level with the table and there lived three little mice; and sometimes, after Mir Toby had eaten his lunch, they would creep out cautiously on the top of the table and gather up the crumbs and, by and by, after they must have seen what kind, gentle man the old yardmastel was, they would venture out a little way while he was eating, pick up little nor sels which he would put close to the holt | far finally the little creatures became st brave that they would come out every night and help the old man eat his luncl and allow him to handle them withou exhibiting the least signs of fear. It was funny to see the three brigh eyed little fellows sitting on the table il :. a row, waiting patiently for the old mal to throw them their share of the lunch il small installments.
 He taught them a number of littl tricks and named them Shem, Ham an' Japhet, though never thought they an swered to their names very readily. is only when Mir Toby was alone that hi little pets seemed very tame and it wa : only by our sitting in a farther cOrne and keeping very quiet that he was abl to entice them out to perform for ou
 benefit.
 One night carried up an order froI . the train-dispatcher to the yardmaste : which read as follows:
 DIsPATCHER's OFFICE, II P p m.-
 Toby: Sd. Hold No. 60 for orders. r H. G. B.
 No. 60 was a through freight whic
 left at midnight or shortly after and tf
 dispatcher wished to run special as f; 2 as he could and to inform No. 60 at u
 last moment at what station to wait u til it passed. MT Toby signed the ord'
 and I went back into my own little offic The engine had not yet come from u
 round-house, the train was not qui
 still in the passenger yard, half mi
 away, so the old yardmaster sat down :. the table to wait.
 It had been hard day for him. H : little daughter had been sick and all da,
 when night-workers rest, he had n,
 closed his eyes in sleep and the old ma
 was almost worn out. It was warm aI > quiet in the little office. Only the so ! emn ticking of the big regulator on u :. wall broke the stiffness. The old ma
 laid his head upon his arm on the tab
 to rest it a little, it ached SO. He felt
 drowsy. He shook himself and looke
 at the regulator.
 d No. 60 would not be ready in 30 mil e utes. There was no hurry.
 He laid his head on the table again all 70 almost in second he had dropped aslee] The solemn regulator ticked off mi
 ute. Ten minutes. Twenty minutes
 and still the old yardmaster slumbers ,fI on. The engine from the round hou h changed noiselessly by. He must awal r en now, but he only stirs uneasily al Y ' does not rouse.
 No. 60 has the right of way and tl
 conductor, ready to go promptly
 schedule time, comes up the platforl
 sees through the window the old mar
 bowed head, smiles good naturedly ,tuc
 his train report under the door and 10 E away to his caboose without dlstnzhll
 him. s K z-