The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1891-01-21
IN General.
A Railroad Incident.

1t was late. The lamps of the car
burned dimly. In one seat were
happy COUPLE" who rejOiced in
carpet-bag, two band boxes, an UNI
brella, a basket, brown paper parcel,
and sleeping cherub." Suddenly
cherub-a girl of some three years. ex
perience in this strange wOrld--awoke
from one of those long, uudisturbed
slumbers that are among the inaienable
prerogalives of blameless childhood, and
climbed up so as to stand and look over
the back Of the seat. Two care-worn,
travel weary, and hali-awake men sat
directly in front of the innocent little
creature. They looked as If they had
been on board Of railway cars for
month, and had journeyed from the
regions around sunset. The great, Gu
rious eyes of the child fell upon them.
She scanned carefully the faces of
each, and one would have deemed
her to be an infantile physiognomisl.
Presently one of them looked at her.
It was evident that she liked him, of
the two, and had about made up her
mind to speak to him; for instantly her
little voice was heard, as she piped out
the query:
Does you love little girs?"
The man looked at her moment
rather gruffly, and then replied,
"No, don'L"
A shade of unutterable disappoint-
ment and surprise was instantly da-
guerreotypsd upon the sweet and
blooming countenance of the child, but
passed away when she replied,
Yes, you dol
The man reused himself and took
another look. He was evidently puz-
zled and interested, and he said:
" How do you know?'
And she replied
bCause you look as if you did"
This thawed him out some, and he
said:
" have got little girl at home"
The little questoner now felt that
she was on the right track" and after
a look that showed this intelligence
presented a new and unexpected view
of the affair, renewed the conversation
earnestly, and the following cOlloquy
ensued:
"Does you love your little girl?"
" Yes"
els she real good little girl?"
" Sometimes she is"
" Is she naughty sometimes?"
eyes"
"Does she go down in the kitchen
when she hadn't ought to?"
Yes, sometimes"
"Do you whip your little girl when
she is naughty"
Sometimes"
"Does she cry when you talk to her
and tell her she is naughty?"
YES"
Then do you whip her?"
Sometimes"
When she says she is sorry, do you
whip her then?'
mo, never"
The little creatures eyes danced and
sparkled at this, and drawing concu-
sons, no doubt from her own expert.
ence, she exclaimed:
rs real glad, isl"
Then looking at the other man, who
had refused to answer the question she
had put to him, she said to her newly
made friend with look of wonder:
THAT man won't speak to me. Does
he love little girls?'
That man had heart somewhere
and he thawed out. Rousing himself
he extended his brawny hand and said
" How do you do, sissy?'
And the little creature, not altogether
at her ease, replied:
rs pretty well; how is you?'
By this time all within hearing o.
the colloquy were moved to tears-th,
eyes of the parents of the little prattle1
tuli to oveltlOwing-and those whC
were nearest heard one of the men sh,
had questioned say to the other:
She's little witch"
And so she was. Her blOOmin!
beauty and her infantile arllessnes
were powerful enough to break through
the roughness, the WEAKNESS, the re
serve and the Indifference of thes,
| travel .Wnrn mon of The world and Il