The Portland daily press., 1889-01-02
Toby's Mice.
rDrake's Magazine.

1t was quite good many years ago that
was youthful telegraph operator in the
night yardmaster's Office at the terminus of
one of the great railroads.
Mr.. Toby was the night yardmaster's name
and he had worked for the railroad company
since he was little boy, and once, when he
was coupling some cars, his arm was caught
between the bumpers and crushed SO badly
that the doctors had to cut it Off Then the
railroad company made him night yardmaster
"a very responsible but not very laborious
position.
Mr. Toby had been on duty every night
for great many years when / came to do his
telegraphing for him, and never was a man
more faithful or more highly esteemed by his
associates than the old one-armed yardmas-
ter.
Mr.. Toby was a very kind and lender
hearted man. l remember one night when
some of the men opened freight car they
found poor starved kitten, which had been
locked In at Baltimore, and had come all the
way through without anything to eat or
drink for ten days and nights. Poor Tabby
She was terribly poor and thin and so weak
that she cnula hardly stand alone, and who
was it but Mr.. Toby that walked away home
about mile distant. and brought a bottle of
milk to warm and feed kitty, after he had
nxed her a nice bed If cntton ''waste" back
Of the stove? And then he nursed her back
to health day by day or rather night by night.
But it was about Mr.. Toby's mice ] was
going to tell you. The yardmaster's Office
was not very gorgeous place, and about all
there was in it besides chair, clock,
stove and a bulletin board was an old table
| in one corner where Mr.. Toby sat and wrote
| or sat and ate his midnight lunch or just sat
| aud did nothing. Away back in the corner
was a little hole on level with the table,
and there lived three little mice; and some
| times, afterMr 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 yardmaster was,
they would venture out little way while he
was eating. pick up the little morsels which
he would put close to the hole for them, and
then scamper back, until finally the little
| creatures became so brave that they would
| come uutevery night aud help the old man
eat his lunch, and allow him to handle them
without exhibiting the least sign of fear.
| 1t was funny TO see the bright-eyed little
| fellows sitting on the table in row, waiting
| patiently for the old man to throw them
| their share of the lunch in small installments
He taught them number OF little tricks,
and named them Shem, Ham and Japhet,
though never thought they answered to
| their names very readily. 1t was only when
| MIR. Toby was alone tnat his little pets
| seemed very tame, and 1t was only by our
| sitting in farther corner and keeping very
| quiet that he was able to entice them to per-
| form for our benefit.
One night carried up an order from the
| train-di>natcher to the yardmaster which
read as follows:
| nisPATcHER's OFFICE, 1l.22 p. m.-Toby; Sd.
HOLD No. go for orders. IL III. G. Is.
No. 60 was through freight which left at
midnight or shortly after, and the dispatcher
| wished to run special as far as he could.
| and to inform No. 60 at the lastmoment what
station to wait until it passed. Mr..
| Toby signed the order and l went back into
The engine had not yet come from the
round-house, the train was not quite made
| up, and the conductors car was still in the
| passenger yard, half a mile away, SO the old
| yardmaster sat down by the table to wait
1t had been hard day for him. His little
daughter had been sick, and all day, when
| night workers rest, he had not closed his eyes
in sleep, and the old man was almost worn
out. 1t was warm and quiet in the little
office. Only the so lemn ticking of the big
regulator on the wall broke the stiffness,
The old man laid his head upon his arm on
the table to rest It little, it ached SO. he
felt $50 drowsy. He shook himself and looked
| at the regulator
No. 60 would not be ready in thirty nin-
utes. There was no hurry.
He laid his head on the table again and
almost in second he had dropped asleep.
The solemn regulator licked off a minute
Ten minutes. Twenty minutes-and still
the old yardmaster slumbered on. The en-
CINE from the round-house changed noiseless.
| ly by He must awaken now, but he only
stirs uneasily and does not rouse.
No. 60 has the right of way and the conduc.
tor, ready to go promptly on schedule time
comes up the platform. sees through the win
| dow the old mans bowed head, smiles good.
naturedly, tucks his train report under the
door and goes away to his caboose without
disturbing him.
It's 11.5S. In two short minutes the heavy
train, If not warned, will rush away and a
terrible disaster must certainly ensue But
| the old yardmuster does not move
Suddenly there is an impatient little squeak
In the corner, and tiny Shem pokes his ner-
yous little nose out of the hole in the wall
IL Is supper time and their landlord seems ia
be little negligent. Shem and Ham Green
steathily out upon the table to reconnoiter
There is not single crumb anywhere. 1t is
shameful. Japhet joins his brothers. Still
| Mr.. Toby makes no move. The three hung
~ little creatures put their noses together
for consultation.
Would it not be advisable to give their kind
master little hint?
1t would.
They creep noiselessly up to the bowed
gray head, Shem and Ham on the right side
and Japhet on the left. By rising on his
launches Japhet can just reach the tip OF
the old mans ear, Shem and Ham take
stations close by his nose and chin and at q
signal from Japhet they each give a Quick
nip with their sharp little teeth.
Inc Old man moves. Three little tails
fairly snap as they disappear in the hole at
the corner of the table. The yardmaster
raises his head and yawns. His mind is q
little hazy. What are those freight cars
moving slowly by the Window
He yawns again. There is a piece of paper
under his hand. He picks it up mechani.
cally-
Hold No. 60.
With wild shout the old yardmaster
seizes his lantern, throws open the door, and
bounds out up the platform. The caboose /,
just drawing slowly by. He shouts and
waves his lantern frantically. The conduc
tor sees him. Other lanterns are waved
There Is shrek from the engine and the
long train comes to standstlll.
The dispatcher has some orders for you,
was all that Mr.. Toby said, and after | had
received and delivered the warning MESA
ges, and the train had gone, found the ole
nan In his office alone, crying like a child
And then he told the story have told you
but no one besides Mr.. Toby and myself, ex
cepting, perhaps, Shem, Ham, and Japhet
ever knew how near the old yardmaster came
to fatally neglecting his duty