Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1888-10-25


young woman was kind NV nervous md
after the Colonel went back nd got
into his bunk the young woman SMILED
and worited and seemed like she. had
lost her wits, md the baby KEEP cryin'
jist as hard as ever. Waal, there
wuzn't much sleepin' to be done in
that car, for what with the baby cryin'
md the young woman a-sayin' "Oh,
DEAR" nd 'Oh, N.Y." and the nigger
a-prancin' round like the widder be-
witched-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 dog
gone matter. This made things pleas
anter for the young woman. The
Colonel stood it as long as he could
and then he got up second time nd
come down the car md looked at the
young woman over his3specs.
"Now, as wuz tellin' you afore,"
sez he, Il hain't maxim no complaint
Nv myself, for I've raised a family of
'leven children md know all about
em. But these other folks here in
the car have paid for good nights
sleep md it's my duty as director NV
the Han bul nd st. Joe to see that
they get it. Seems to me like you
ought to be able to keep that child
quiet can't make me believe that
there's any use fora child to be carry
in on So Somepin's hurtin' it--I
know sumpin'sshurtin' it by the way
it cries Now, you look nd see if
there amt pin stickin' into it some
where; I've raised 'leven. children nd
that's jist the way they used to cry
when there WIZ a pin stickin' EN-
He 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,
md, no matter how much she stewed
and Worried, the baby KEEP right on
cryin', jest the same. Holy smoke!
but how that baby did cry.
Now, reckoned that the Colonel
would be gettin' almighty mad if this
thing KEEP up much longer. A man
may raise 'leven children as easy as
rollin' off'n a log, nd yet the twelfth
one, that isn't his at all, may break
him. There is ginerally a last straw,
even when it comes to the matter NV
children.
So when the Colonel riz feet FORE
most for the third time outern his
bunk that night--or, | should say,
mornin, for it was mighty near
mornin' now-we looked for hail Co.
lumby.
Look a-here, my good woman y
sez he to the young woman with the
baby, ''as | wuz tellin' you afore you
} must do somepin to keep that child
quiet. It'll never do to keep all these
folks awake like this. They've paid
: for a good nights sleep md it's my
} duty as a director NV the HANDFUL nc
St 10 to pertest agin this disturbance
I've raised a family NV 'leven children
J nd | know, as well as | know any.
: think, that that child is hungry. Nc
child ever cries like that when it ISM
hungry, so insist on your nursin' i
md givin us peace nd quiet"
Then the young woman began tC
sniffle. ''s'e-
Law me, sir" sez the young
woman. 81 amt the baby's mother =
I'm only just tendin' it!'
The Colonel got pretty mad then
, his face got red nd his voice kind o,
; trembled-he wuz so mad,
"Where is it's mother? sez tn,
Colonel. "Why isn't she here takin
care of this hungry md cryin' child
II like she ought to bep"
: " She's in the front car, sir" Sc,
the young woman, chokin' up. "She'
in the front car--in a box, dead, we'rt
takin' the body nd the baby bacl
home" 3 49,
/ Now what would you or me hav,
done-what would aag man have don,
t then md there? Jest what the Colone
done. ~
, The Colonel didn't wait for no sec
ond thought; he jest. reached out hi
. big bony hands md he sez: "Youn,
woman, gi' me that baby '-sez
{ so quiet nd so gentle-like that SCENE,
{ like it wuz the baby's mother that WI
. a-speakin. 49,
r The Colonel took the baby and
| now, may be you won't believe me-
the Colonel held that baby nd rookie,
| it in his arms md talked to it like i
Q had been his own child. And tn
: baby seemed to know that it lay agin
D lovin' heart, for, when it heerd tn
: oil mans kind voice nd saw his smilir
face nd felt the soothin' rockin' NV hi
s arms, the baby stopped its grieyin' m
o cryin' md cuddled up close to tn
Coloners breast md begun to COO n
n laff.
e The Colonel called the nigger
$ "Jim," sez he, "you go ahead nd tel
e the conductor to stop the train at tn
n first farmhouse. We've got to hav
a some milk for the child-some war;
d milk with sugar into it: hain't raise
e family Nv 'leven children for notl
a in"
t The baby didn't cry no more ths
It night; leastwise we didn't hear it if
did cry. And what If we had heard il
q Blessed if don't think every last on
! of us would have got up to help ten
y that lonesome little thing.
d That wuz more'n twenty years ag,
8 but | kin remember the last words
h heerd the Colonel say: mo matte
= if it does cry" sez he. 1T don
a make no more noise than a cricke