Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1890-07-31
THAT BABY.

Orphans Friend, House of Angel Guardian.
There was a baby in the railway car
the other day. 1t was not an unusual
child, but it had decidedly bright face
and pretty ways. For the first few miles
she was very quiet, and her bule eyes
looked around in wonderment, for evil
IDENTIFY it was the little ones first ride on
the cars. Then as she became used to
the roar and rumble, the baby prOclivi-
ties asserted themselves, and she began
to play with her fathers mustache. At
first the father and mother were the only
parties interested, but soon young lady
in an adjacent seat nudged her escort and
directed his attention to the laughing
child. He looked up, remarked that it
was pretty baby, and tried to look un-
concerned; but it was noticed that his
eyes wandered back to the spot occupied
by the happy family, and he commenced
to smile. The baby pulled the hair of
an old lady in front, who turned round
savagely and glared at the father with a
look that plainly said, ''Nuisances should
be left at home" But she caught sight
of the laughing eyes of the baby, and
when she turned back she seemed pleas
ed about something. Several others had
become interested in the child by this
Robustness men and young clerks,
old ladies and girls, when the baby
hands claSped the large silk hat of her
father and placed it on her own head, it
made such comical picture that an old
gentleman across the way, unable to re-
strain himself, burst out into a loud
guffaw, and then looked sheepishly out
of the window, as if ashamed to be
caught doing such an unmanly thing
Before another five minutes he was play
ing peek a-boO across the aisle with the
baby, and every one was envying him.
The ubiquitous young man, ever on
the move, passed through, and was at a
loss to account for the frowns of every
body. He had failed to notice the baby.
The brakeman looked in from his post
on the platform and smiled. The paper
boy found no custom till he had spoken
to the baby and jingled his pocket of
change for her edificatiOn. The con-
ductor caught the fever and chucked the
little one under the chin, while the old |
pass up his ticket, so interested was he
playing peek-a- boo. The old lady in
front relaxed, and diving into her reti-
cule unearthed brilliant red pippin and
presented it bashfully to the little one,
who, in response, put her chubby arms
around the donors neck and pressed her
rosy little mouth to the old lady's cheek.
1t brought back flood of remembrances
to that withered heart, and a handker-
chief was seen to brush first this way and
then that, rs if to catch falling tear.
The train sped on and pulled into the
station where the baby, with her parents,
was to leave the car. A look of regret
came over every face. The old gentle
man asked if he could MT kiss it just
once; the old lady had returned the
:aress- she had received, and the baby
moved toward the door, shaking by-by
over the shoulder of her papa, to which
every one responded, including the news
BOY, who emphasized his farewell with
/ wave of his hat. The passengers
'ushed to the side where the baby got
)ff and watched till she turned out of
sight at the other end of the station,
shaking by-bys all the time. Then they
apsed into silence. They missed that
)aby, and not one of them would be
willing to acknowledge it. The little
,ne's presence had let rift of sunshine
nto every heart, warm or cold, in that
,ar