Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1892-02-24
A ACONDUCTOR's STORY.
TRAGEDIES IN EVERY DAY LIFE THAT
ARE SELDOM SEEN


As | sprang on the rear platform of
my regular evening car few evenings
ago and took up my station against the
tail board, for all possibility of getting
seat was out of the question, the con
ductor greeted me with a cherry good
evening, sir
Good evening" l replied, for he was
a good fellow whom | had met so often
only on my daily trips that we always
indulged in a little friendly conversa
ton. After collecting the fares he took
up his position beside me.
| Missed you for a few evenings, hope
you haven't been sick he said. with
kindly interest.
| No. | replied, laughing, nothing so
| serious as that, only a new baby.
Is that So sir? Well, lin glad to hear
it. | was afraid it might be the grip.
Terrible thing that grip. Boy, sir?
Yes, little boy. l now have gen
tleman's wish, boy and girl
Here we reached the railroad cross
| ing and he jumped down to pilot us
safely across When he again return
| ed he rather startled me by saving
abruptly:
"A man never appreciates home un-
| til he loses it.
That's So | replied, rather astonish
! ed at his earnestness.
You'll excuse me, won't you, if first
tell you about what came right under
my notice and makes me feel as if |
must preach it right out as warning
like. Us conductors see sight of hu-
man life in one way or another, and if
it amt the passengers, why then it is
the peeps we get into peoples homes
when the shades is up and them new
| tangled lamps show off everything in
the room. I've been on this route GO
ing on two years, and could tell you
many thing that's happened to the
| families living along my line, but life's
too short, and I'm just going to tell you
one, and that beats the whole lot, 1t
broke me up for a week, it did for a
| fact. You see, | was a married man
once myself, and | had as good wo-
man as ever lived for my wife. Yes,
she is dead as he noted the question
in my eyes.
BE careful, madam; that step is very
| slippery. Yes, B street is one square
west, and he turns from his duties to
pick up the thread af his story, which,
as the car gradually thinned out, he
could tell without SO many Interrupt
| tiOns.
My girls name was Jane, and she
was one of those rosy-cheeked, sleek
| haired girls that know just how to
twine themselves all around mans
heart-strings. We were only sparkling
three months when | brought her
home, and if she and me didn't just
kneel right down and thank God for
our happiness. | warn't much of
prayin' man, but when she looked up
at me with her dear face all shining
with joy just knelt right by her and
my heart echoed every word she said.
We hadn't much money, but she
made every burden light with her
cheering ways and when the baby
came we wouldn't have exchanged
places with the president of the road.
You remember, sir, that terrible
| tryin' summer five years ago. Little
Joe was teethin' and worryin' like
from the heat, we thought, but one
night when | thought I'd take Jane
and him out to the Park for an airin' |
| found him stretched out cold in death
in his mothers arms. She never said
a word when | come in, but looked so
still and white for minute | thought
she had gone too.
That was a terrible time, sir, and
after the funeral | noticed Jane looked
so thin and pale. You see we both
| had been so taken up with baby that
we'd never thought of ourselves. |
felt pretty peaked myself, but l could
see that pining for Joey and the heat
was killing my girl. We went back to
her fathers for a spell, but she did
nothing but sit in the churchyard and
cry, and finally she just gave out en-
tirely and | buried her alongside the
| baby.
If I'd ever been unkind to her |
could never look a man in the face, but,
thank God, she and me and little Joey
will meet some day, and she will look
right into my heart with her smiling
eyes and she won't find no deception
there. You see, once having baby of
my own, it kinder made me take an
interest in 'em all for his sake, and one
day, about a year ago, | noticed that
on this trip there would always be a
young woman and baby in the parlor
window of that house over there. We
are just coming to it now. Every day
there they'd be, the woman very girl
ish looking, and somehow reminding
me of Jane about the eyes.
The baby was a chubby little chap
and he used to clap his hands when
he'd hear the bells, and jump almost
out of his mothers arms when the
horses came in sight. After a while l
kinder thought he grew to know me,
and his mother would give me nice
little smile when | waved to the baby
They were waiting for the baby's IA
ther and somehow without knowing
him took dislike to him, and when
| saw him felt like cowhiding him.
He was one of them handsome fel-
lows, the kind women spoil with wait
in on and maxim 'em think they're the
lords of creation. Sometimes he'd
come up on this trip, but not so often
as on the last one. How glad the little
woman would be when he came at
o'clock, but | noticed the baby sOrte1
acted as if he were stranger like, and
kept right on looking at the horses
and thought of little Joe how he'd
squeal and jump with delight when
come home and | didn't envy that
young fellow his patent leather shoes
or his diamond stud or nothin' he had
except his wifes love.
Many times, I've helped him out o1
this car so full he couldn't see, and
never looked toward the parlOr win
dow, for | knew even though it was
midnight she was waiting. She never
seemed to have no company, and my
: heart used to ache when I'd see thai
, lonely figger, and he down town ca
l rousing.
, We'll, the climax come last month
We was coming up along here ON oul
l last trip, and it was awful still anG
quiet like. The stars looked very colo
and far away and / was thinkin' O
! how different it used to be, coming
home to the neat, pretty room and my
lOvin wife, to what it was now when
: turned in all alone, the things all GOV
! cred with dust and my clothes lyine
just where I'd left 'em. Kinder as if
couldn't help it, | just looked up a
the baby's house expecting it to be al
dark.
. You can imagine how | was took b,
surprise when | saw a great sheet o
flame burst out of the second stor,
window and a moment later woman
cry for help rang out on the quie
d street. Well, sir, just hustled off tha
J. car, and before YOU could saw Jacl