, 1888-11-21
A CRYING CHILD.

wuz that when the war wuz over there
wuzn't anythink left Nv the HANDFUL nd
st. 10 but the rollin' stock nd the two
streaks Nv rails from one end Nv the road
to theo ther. In the spring NV 81 1 he'd
to go out into Kansas, and takin' the
Han'bu md st. 10 at Palmyry junction l
wuznt long in findin' out that the Ham
bull nd st. 10 railroad wuz jist about the
wust cast of rollin' prairer | ever struck.
There wuz one bunk left when boarded
the sleepin' car and l he'd presence Nv mind
huff to ketch on to 1t. 1t wuz then just
about dusk an the niger that sort Nv
run things in the car SEE to me: Boss"
SEE he, '1n have to get you to please not
to snore tonight, but to be uncommon
quiet"
What for2' SEE l. "Hain't 1 paid my
50 an hain't 1 entitled to all the l~uxuries
Nv the OUTFIT"
Then the niger leaned over an told me
that Col. Elijah Gates, one NV the direc-
tors Nv the road an the richest man in
Marion county, wuz aboard, an it wuz one
of the rules NV the company not to do any
think to bother him or get him to sell his
stock.
The niger pointed out Col. Gates, nd 1
took a look at him as he sot readin' The
Palmyry Spectator. He wuz one of our
kind Nv people-long, raw boned nd
husky. He looked to be about 60-may
be not quite on to go. He wuzn't bothered
with much hair onto his head, nd his
beard was shaved, all except two rims or
fringes Nv it that ran down the sides Nv
his face nd met underneath his shin.
This fringe filed up his neck so that he
didn't heY to wear no collar, nd he hadn't
no jewelry about him excep' a big carne-
liam bosom pin that had the picture Nv a
woman's head on it in white. His specs
sot well dow on his nose nd l could see
his blue eyes over EN-, small eyes, but
kin ur good natured. Between his read
in NV his paper md his eatin' plug ter
hacker he KEEP toler'bly busy till come bed
time. The rest on us KEEP as quiet as we
could, for we knew it wuz an honor to
ride in the same sleepin' car with the
richest man in Marion county nd a direc-
tor Nv the HANDFUL nd St. 10. to boot.
Along bout 8 O'Clock the colonel reck-
oned he'd tumble into bed; when ned
drawed his boots nd hung up his coat nd
laid in a fresh hunk NV pat'ral leaf he
crawled into the best BUM an presently
we heered him sleepin'. There wuz nuth-
i'll else for the rest nv us to do but to
foller suit, nd we die.
1t must nave been about an hour lates
say along about Prairer City-that u
woman come aboard with a baby. There
warn't no punk for her, but the niger
allowed that h might set back near the
stove, for the baby 'peared to DO kind of
sick like nd the woman looked like she had
been cryin. Whether it wuz the %jouncin'
NV the car or whether the young one wuz
hungry or he'd a collie into it 1 didn't
know, but anyhow the train hadn't pulled
out Nv Prairer City afore the baby began
to take on. The niger run back as fast
as he could nd told the young woman
that she'd nave to keep that baby quiet
because Col. Lily Gates, one NV the d1rec-
tors Nv the road, wuz in the car and wunt
be disturbed. The young woman caught
up the baby scarf like nd talked sooth!n'
to it nd covered its little face with her
shawl nd done all them things tibet
women do to make babies go to sleep.
But the baby would cry, and, in spite
of all the young woman NJ the niger
could do, Col. Elijah Gates heard the BABY
cryin'. nd so he walked up. First his two
blu yarn socks come through the cur
tains md then his long legs md long body
nd long face hove into sight. He come
down the car to the young woman nc
looked at her over his specs. Didn't seem
to be the least bit mad; jest solemn md
bizness like.
My dear madam" sez he to the young
woman, you must do sumpin' to keep
that child quiet. These people AVE all
paid for their hunks nd they are entitled
to a good nights sleep. Of course i know
how It's with young children-will cry
sometimes-have raised leven Nv EN- my
sell, nu KNOW I'LL aDOuU CHI. Dub Us o
director Nv the Han'bu nd st. 10 I've got
to perfect the rights of these other folks.
So iist keep the baby quiet as you kin" ~
Now, there warn't nothin' cross in the
c~olonel's tone; the colonel WIZ as kim nd
consid'rit as could be expected Nv a man
who had SO much responsibility a-restin'
onto him. But the young woman was
kind NV nervous nd after the colonel
went back nd got into his bunk the young
orp opifpa1 on1 woritaJ onJ caapoal
like she had lost her wits, nd the baby
KEEP cryin' jist as hard as ever. WAL,
there wuzn't much sleepin' to be lone in
that car, for what with the baby cryin'
md the young woman a-sayin': "Oh,
dear" md "Oh, my" mt the niger a
prancin' round like the wilder bewitched
with all this goin' on, sleep wuz out Nv
the question. Folks began to wake up
nd put their heads outern their hunks to
see what wuz the doggone matter. This
made things pleasanter for the young
woman. The colonel stood it as long as
he could and then he got up a second
time nd come down the car md looked at
the young woman over his specs.
Now, as l wu8 tellin' you afore," SEE
he, II hain't maxim no complaint NV nv
self, for I've. raised q family Of 1even
children nd I know all about 'em. But
these other folks here in the car have
paid for a good nights sleep nd it's my
duty as u director Nv the HANDFUL md st.
10 to see that they get it. Seems to me
like you ought to be able to keep that
child quiet-you can't make me believe
that there's any use for a child to be
carryin' on so. S%omepin's hurtin' til
know sumpin's hurtin' it by the way it
cries. Now, you look nd see if there
amt a pin stickin' into it somewhere; I've
raised 'leven children nd that's just the
way they used to cry when there wuz a
pip stickin' EN-"
BE reckoned he'd find things all right
this time md he went back to his bunk
feelin' toler'ble satisfied with himself, but
the young woman couldn't find no pin
stickin' the baby, nd, no matter how
much she stewed nd Worried, the baby