The Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1893-1901, 1893-05-18
BABY IL THE SNOW.
STRANGE CHRISTMAS EXPERT
EA,Ct 0e a rRackWAt-kER.

EV"fy time tnlnK OF ChrlStflaS
mn OF ;ne v"af 1872. said an old track
walker That : more than twenty year.
sxo ,sp It, twenty years Is a good
mi stretch Lots can happen to IA man
IN twanty r"ars He could get rich and
'pend II N and get rich again in tina
snare OF time M still have lots OF time
u" spare ,suf | ven I've Just staid
poot along
But ~ I was saying. speaking OF
t ihr1st,nas always reminds me OF 1872. !
was rae walking then tor the Vardalia
OF a section between Terre Haute
and Harrington IN the state of Indiana.
That Christmas night was a corker, I'll
.eil von heard al noon from the sec
o DOSE that the thermometer was 10
legs. below zero, and as night came or
I scanned 10 ret colder and colder. It
\ snowest the dav befora-one of the
ieepest IN that year-and the engines
nsd mad a pretty tough time of it pillow
ing tneir wav through in the morning.
After they did get by my section the
sncw wae banked m sew m or eight feet
deep IN sosle places BY the side Of the
TRACK. II was so cold that | wrapped
coffee sacks around my feet before STAR.
ing ont. 1ust to keep then, from a frost
osta You oct J mated to start out. but
: did muster mp the courage after
awnile. II was about Q o'clock when J
starred to 90 back to Harrington, and
tire wind was in my face. It's a durn
occ~ Christmas for me. | thought to
mvsel: "a the wind caught ME a belt in
the s1he nj the head. Here I'm fated to
walk this cold track until midnight
~7tbout even a Kind word from anybody
r say Merry Christmas to you" It's
nretrtv tough. | guess track walking
10 1ust about the worst trade a man who
loves company can adopt.
As ! was stamping along thinking
IKE this, away OF ahead of me | saw Q
sparkle It's the St. Louis express. |
said to myself and she'll be rumblino
nvev the at about SIXTY miles an hour.
fnu nad Dertel go ont in the snow, old
a unless vou like being ground into
rite OTIS Boo put that snow WI.
ieeD w av 1p over my waist. But when
cM down of! the track and snugiy
'ncFed away IT the ,!rltt | was Il neal
warmer tpttanse the wind couIdnt reach
ma. And tue old train came right ahead
WITH a Duzz ana ii oar and her old vel
'rw headlight getting brighter and big
or seven passenger coaches All were lit
~ as nr1gtt as Kerosene oil could make
e'n One two three. tour CT the cars
vnlzzed rast me But the fifth seemed
r. stop u fldn I. of course but the
signt saw seemed to nail It to my eye
A'uaE and ii woman They stood at
the rear w,ndow 1t was open saw
me man with his arms mt out, suppl
rar1ne like The woman mad Il bundle
n ner arms Then she didn't have it
the man gave "A cry of horror thai rang
and the rattle OF the rails and the creak.
ING II the coaches Something sh,t
down Just past my head and landed in
the sncwdrtt beside me | shut INV
evee. ONT still saw the woman with the
oundle n the man with outstretched
pleading arln> When opened nv
eyes again the train was a quarter OF q
mile away with Ger rear green light
sirkIng swiftly into a dot and then dis
.snpear1no The wind cut me sharp Oh
the cheek. nd five miles of | heard the
snnrcn chime IN Harrington tolllng the
quarter nour That sight was IA dream
old man | said to myself as | pulled
nv legs out OF the drift. But the bun.
die ! exclaimed lnvoluntarlly | looked
down IN the DRIFT and saw another hole
In the SNOW not the | came out of
y smaller one.
Maybe YOU We goessed the thing by
this time q maybe you haven t. Well
nr that bundle was Just as cute a %
pound Kid as | want to look upon. Hurt
Well ] Ruess not a little bit. When !
found n.In he was laughing contentedly
q o please and chewing a chunk Of
for u sugar cake.
W no dc ne belong to-
You tell cant. ! never knew and
never expect TO know BE had good
clothes on and the odd little cola, Of
Ace ne wore was marked with a prett,
uls De was tai a. d Lhrsrlnas ,uY.
eey and the biggest eater you ever saw
W az cidn / o hnd his parentss
Didn't try INV ourudest. Dldu,
epend nall my wages for the next mont
advertising In the aewsrapers, But nc
'nswef dfd ! get 10 any Of them II
seems 70 Inc that the man ought TO have
coiDe and got the enid, tor he evidently
al wan, 10 rte II tired on, like that
His 'ntstretcned s~uppdcatlng arrus
that But perhaps ne only
wanted 70 prevent lie being killed vi,
vnows. Perhaps he was glad To get rid
II II. and when LIZ Saw that sorusD,dy
no II ali rlsnt ne wae glad enough 70
II &c iLs ehancs fate /
a ue.auIe Of the cnIide
Named 81 lom after myself Ton
McLorinacs u q pretty good. solid Bort
y q uame YOU kuo. Ny family ulas
sos h very stylish buf nole u ,nesu
ave De=I nauged anyway Ard you
TIE I'D = SoiIaf mad d 1 Oh II a.
nost DAD ~ naine uiM Iom
b ~ ns uows
aixilg on tls taaGaIIa. uot
1n1rs thar fugApfyZfyS .aYIZG t.., i