The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-02-24
SHE WON ALL HEARTS.
THE Cross AND NAUGHTY LITTLE
GIRL ON THE TRAIN.

At First She Hadn't a Friead ON the Car
and Made Life Miserable, bat After .
Sleep All Hands Agreed She Wa the
Loveliest Child Alive.
She was just little girl, and her mother
sat down in seat near the door Of the car,
and put her parcels around where they
would lie without falling, and then loosen
ed the strings of her bonnet.
81 don't want my bonnet of. !" said the
little girl, and all the passengers heard her
They had not yet left the depot in the great
city, and most Of the people had children
of their own at home, so they did NOT mind
her.
'Iwant drink of water" said the little
girl moment later. The. people could
hear her mother saying something in q low
tone, and they all knew the water tank
was at the farther end of the car, but that
didn't make any difference. II want a
drink of water" repeated the little girl,
growing louder and louder each time, till
her mother got up and led her down the
long aisle past people who were just dis
posing their luggage, crowding around
other people who were just disposing them
selves, and SO on 10 the tank. When they
came back young man had taken their
seat. and the mother had 20 move up lit
tie way.
why don't he let us sit theret" de-
manded the little girl, with an accent on
the relative pronoun which became a gen.
eral arraignment of the cuiprit.
Il don't want to look out of the window"
she continued. There isn't anything 10
see. Why don't the train go on?"
Her tones were so shrill and penetrating
that no one could forget her even for q
moment.
''There is man with apples. want an
apple"
They could hear the mother talking again
in that same soft tone. but the little girl
was relentless. '.iwant some of his apples"
She was so persistent about it that the
mother bought basket of fruit Of the sta
ton boy who passed through the train just
before it started, and sold at crushing
price whatever he had to offer.
THE LITTLE DEAR WAS TIRED, THAT'S ALL,
When the train was under way they
hoped they had heard the last of her, but
all of a sudden she declared her intention
of sitting on the other side of the car.
There was no vacant seat there. but that
made no difference, and she kept up the
complaining till a young man got up and
went forward, giving her the vacant seat
and wishing she might fall out of the
window.
But even this surrender did not satisfy
her long She wanted the blind down and
the curtain up; she wanted her mother TO
buy a book when the train fiend came
around; she wanted more fruit from the
basket and she wanted another drink. She
was so constant that every one in the car
hated the very sound of her voice, and said.
''Drat the young one, anyway" When
she went up for third drink of water she
stumbled and fell 1t couldn't have hurt
her much, but she screamed and cried, and
got up cropping her way back TO the seat.
her yellow hair tangled and her face all
smeared with orange juice and candy and
dust. her clothing rumpled and her pima
fore soiled, and her mouth wide open un-
der the streaming eyes.
And she hadn't friend in the car
But after that she went to sleep. The
nervous woman at the front of the car
gasped her relief, and the heavy man who
had two seats grunted his satisfaction and
plared around as If words were useless in
the face of such freedom from annoyance.
The young man who sat by the young wo-
man in the middle of the car said Thank
Godr' and hoped the child might never
wake up. And the poor tired mother
smoothed the pillow and sat in the littlest
bit of the end of the seat, and tucked the
cloak about her darling. and kept very still
lest she should be disturbed.
AWAKENED HERSELF AND LOVE TOGETHER.
II was nearly two hours after when she
walked up. At first no one knew her sleep
! had ended. Then they began TO be aware
OF a silvery little voice. of waking but
| com orting presence, and they found it was
| that same little girl The nervous woman
! looked around and saw her cooling TO
mother, and patting her face and nesting
/ close against her
Deep where the heart throbs sink and swell.
And she murmured, The dear little
: thing"
The large man watched her for quite a
/ while. and wondered if she would come
and ride with him. The trip was growing
very tedious The young man sitting with
| the young woman reached over the back OF
his seat and handed her a vegetable ivory
toy. with red and blue bangles, the last
one left in the train fend's box.
She got up AIJeI d iilhe anu "eht i"i
ward falteringly, clinging 20 the ends OF
J the seats and smiling in every ones face,
her cheeks bright with some mysterious
washing, her eyes alight with restfuiness
/ and health. her apron spick and span, and
/ her yellow hair falling in the sweetest OF
waves, and her pleasant voice telling them
/ her name was Nina, and she was going TO
! gran mas.
| And every one in the car was her friend
| Chicago Herald.