The Monmouth inquirer., 1889-01-10
A CRYING CHILD.

up most Nv the cypress ties an used 'em
for kindlin' an stove wood, an the result
wuz that when the war wuz over there
wuzn't anythink left NV the HANDFUL md
st. 10 but the rollin' stock nd the two
streaks NV rails from one end Nv the road
to the other. In the spring Nv '67 he'd
to go out into Kansas, and takin' the
Han 'bul nd st. 10 at Palmyry junction !
wuzn't long in fndin' out that the Ham
bul nd st. 10 railroad wuz jist about the
wust cast Of rollin' prairer I ever struck.
There wuz one bunk left when I boarded
the sleepin' car and he'd presence Nv mind
,nuff to ketch on to it. It wuz then just
about dusk an the niger that sort Nv
run things In the car seq to me: Boss"
sez he, "Tll have to get you to please not
to snore tonight, but to be uncommon
quiet"
"What forg" seq I. "Hain't paid my
So an hain't entitled to all the luxuries
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 nigger pointed out Col. Gates, md I
took 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 md met underneath his chin.
This fringe filed up his neck so that he
didn't hev to wear no collar, nd he hadn't
no jewelry about him excep big carne-
lan bosom pin that had the picture Nv a
womap's head on it in white. His specs
sot well down on his nose nd could see
his blue eyes over 'em, small eyes, but
kind ur good natured. Between his read
in Nv his paper nd 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 1t whz ali honor to
ride In the same sleepin' car with the
richest man in Marion county nd direc-
tor Nv the Han bul nd St. 10. to boot
Along bout 8 o'clock the colonel reck-
oned he'd tumble into bed; when he'd
drawed his boots nd hung up his coat nd
laid In fresh hunk Nv nat'ral leaf he
crawled into the best bunk an presently
we heered him sleepin'. There wuz nuth-
in else for the rest Nv us to do but to
foller suit, md we did.
1t must have been about an hour later
say along about Prairer City-that a
woman come aboard with baby. There
warnt no bunk for her, but the nigger
allowed that she might set back near the
stove, for the baby 'peared to be 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
hflngry or he'd collie into It didn't
know, but anyhow the train hadn't pulled
out NV Prairer City afore the baby began
to take on. The nigger run back as fast
as he could nd told the young woman
that she'd have to keep that baby quiet
because Col. Lily Gates, one Nv the direc-
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 md done all them things thet
women do to make babies go to sleep.
But the baby would cry, and, in spite
Of all the young woman nd the nigger
could do, Col Elijah Gates heard the baby
cryin', nd SO he walked up. First his two
blue yarn socks come through the cur
tains md then his long legs md long body
md long face hove into sight. He como
down the car to the young woman nd
looked at her over his specs. Didn't seem
to be the least bit mad; jest solemn nd
bizness like.
my dear madam" sez he to the young
woman, "you must do sumpin' to keep
that child quiet. These people have all
paid for their hunks md they are entitled
to good nights sleep. Of course know
how tits with young children-will cry
sometimes-have raised 1even Nv EN- my
self, md know all about 'em. But as
director NV the HANDFUL nd st. Jo I've got
to perfect the rights of these other folks.
So jist keep the baby quiet as you kin"
Now, there warnt nothin' cross in the
colonel's tone; the colonel wuz as kind md
consid'rit as could be expected Nv man
who had so much responsibility a-restin'
onto him. But the young woman was
kind NV nervous md after the colonel
went back md got into his bunk the young
woman sniff1ed and worried and seemed
like she had lost her wits, nd 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 tho young woman a-sayin': "Oh,
dear" md "Oh, N.Y." and the nigger a.
prancin' round like the widder 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 second
time nd come down the car nd looked at
the young woman over his-specs.
s'Now, as wuz tellin' you afore, sez
he, II haint maxim no complaint nv my
self, for I've raised family of 1even
children nd know all about 'em. But
these other folks hero in the car have
paid for good nights sleep nd it's my
duty as director Nv the HANDFUL nd 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 child to be
carryin' on SO. Somepin's hurtin' i'll
know sumpin's hurtin' it by the way II
cries. Now, you look nd SEQ If there
amt pin stickin' into it somewhere; I've
raised 1even children nd that's just the
way they used to cry when there wuz
pin stickin' 'em."
He reckoned he'd find things all right
this time md he went back to his bunk
feelin' toler'ble satisfied with himself, but