Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1888-11-01

ular passengers had grown fond of kim,
while chance travellers were generally
ready to buy from his basket, and the
conductors and brakemen were always
willing TO do him kind turn if they
could.
While his mother was grieving be-
cause her son was only train boy. he
was qualifying himself by thorough.
ness and fidelity to DO a great deal
more by and by. And his sand wiches
were very good. Kate took care of
that.
Arriving at the station few min
utes before the train was ready. Rob
found Mrs. Mainwaring waiting for
him. She was sitting in her pretty
pheton, her cream colored ponies fret
ting to be off, and she beckoned in a
friendly way to Rob.
Dorothy is coming home on the
down train. Rob. Please have an eye
to her. and help her with her bundles.
You know it Will be dusk before the
tram arrives. but her father or l Will
be here to meet her, and We'll give
you n lift home"
In Rob's village the people were very
neighborly. and Judge Mainwaring' s
wife could be motherly even TO the son
| of her laundress. She had genuine
respect for Mrs Dayton, whose clear
starchng, fluting and ironing were
done MS only lady does her work.
with finish aud nicely worthy of an
artist. She had known DIR. Dayton
and had suggested long ago that she
| should take boarders. or teach a kim
d ergarten. but she had agreed with
II er husband, the Judge. that Mrs. Day
ton was very sensible to do the work
she knew best how to do, and in VIII ich
she could succeed. Far from looking
| down on her. she honored her for her
persevering independence.
Rob went up and down the cars, dis
posing of the goods in his basket. The
| interval between the morning and
evening trains was brief and when it
was time to return he looked for pref
ty Dorothy Mainwaring, found her a
seat, spread q rug over her lap because
it was growing chilly. and from time
to time SAID a pleasant word to her. as
he passed the place where she sat.
Dorothy had been away at school
for n month, and was gong home to-
day TO stay until Monday. Once a
month, on Friday afternoon. she had
that privilege. She was n pretty little
girl, plump and dimpled. with pink
tinted cheeks, yellow hair. and laugh
ing brown eyes. When Rob had sold
his last sandwich, and his last apple,
he put his basket away. came and sat
by her side, and the two children chat
tered precisely as il Rob had been Dol
ly's big brother, or rather Dolly chat
ted and Rob listened, now and then
gravely putting in a word.
She was telling him of Chico, her
pug, and how glad he always was to see
her coming home. of the gold medal
she hoped to win, and of the severity
of her music master. mixing one thing
and another in Dolly's own way. when
suddenly the gay little tongue was
arrested. Thump! Bang! Bounce!
Something was the matter. The train
veered and swerved from side to side
with a sudden sea-sick notion; ladies
screamed. gentlemen clutched the
backs of seats-the train was off the
track.
THE stove! The stove! The cars
will be on fret somebody shouted de-
spairingly; but even as the stove trem-
bled and shook, and the red-hot Goals,
glowing as in "a fiery furnace. threaten
ed to pour fourth stream of death
and destruction, that danger at least
was averted.
Bob Dayton had sprung to the res
cue. His strong hands were incase d
in leather mittens, but the mittens
were not strong enough to prevent the
brave hands from being desperately
burned, as the stove was steaded and
held in its place for the minute or two
during which he.train kept up its giddy
rocking and swaying. When present
ly the locomotive was stopped, and the
passengers. terribly frightened and
shaken, stepped out into the road. Bob,
great fellow as he was. and with the
pluck and nerve OF grown man, did
what he never had done before, sank
back in a dead faint on the floor.
Fortunately the accident was due to a
loosened tie, had occurred near home,
and, as alarm ng news travels fast, il
was not long before the news that
something had happened reached the
station, where the cream colored ponies
with Mrs. Mainwaring. were awaiting
Dorothy.
To put them TO their utmost speed
was the work of an instant; and as the
ph@ton drew up beside the way, and
the motherly arms EMBODIED the Sob
bing little girl, all trembling with ex.
element. the story of Rob's heroism
was speedily told He was carried
home in state, and there was no more
sandwich vending possible for many u
dav.
But while the poor burned hands
were slowly healing. Rob had time to
read and study; time to pore over the
beloved chemistry which had alway S
allured him; time to show Dorothy s
father and mother that there was a
good deal more in him than they had
ever supposed. Rob's opportunity had
come. II we do our duty in the place
where the Lord puts us. the opening to
something wider always comes in the
Lords time. If we are dilgent and
faithful in a lowly calling, we prove
our woEthiness of higher, and are
certain, when God thinks it best. to
find our niche.