Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1893-01-27
A BABY IN THE SNOW.
A STRANGE CHRISTMAS ExPERl-
ENcE or A TRAcKwALKER.

a Railroad Mans story Of q Cold. stormy
Sight over twenty Years Ago. when
the SNOW Was piled ~ Ranks Along
the Railroad Track--A Christmas Gin.
Every time / think OF Christmas
mink Of the year 1872. said an old track
wniker That's more than twenty years
ago isut ~ Twenty years is a good
/ long stretch Lots can happen 10 "A man
in twenty years He could get rich and
spend II all and get rich again in that
sfa,e Of time and still have lots Of time
to spare l3ut haven't. I've just staid
poor right along
But a. ! was saying. speaking Of
Christmas always reminds me OF 1872
was trackwalking then for.the Vandalia
line on section between Terre Haute
and Harrington. In the state Of Indiana.
That Christmas night was n corSer. I'll
tell you heard at noon from the sec
tiOu boss that the thermometer was 10
degs neiow zero and as night came on
" seemed TO gef colder and colder. il
mad showed the day before-one Of the
deepest in that year-and the engines
mad had a pretty tough time Of IT plow-
Jug their WAY through in the morning.
After they did get by my section the
snow WA banked uD seven or eight feet
deep in some places by the side Of the
track II was so cold that wrapped
coffee sacks around my feet before start
ing out. Just 20 keep them from frost
Dite You bet ! hated 10 start out. but
I did muster mp the courage after
awhile IL was about o'clock when ]
started 20 20 back 10 Harrington. and
the wind was in my face. It's a dufn
poor Christmas for me- | thought %
myself ~ the wind caught me belt in
the side Of the head. Here I'm fated to
walk this cold track until midnight
without even kind word from anybody
~ say Merry Christmas to You" It's
PRETTY tough. guess track walking
IN 1ust about the worst trade man who
loves company can adopt!
AS ! WIS stamping along thinking
like this away off ahead Of me ! saw a
sparkle. It's the ST. LOUIS express I
said 10 myself and she'll be rumbling
over me at about sixty miles an hour.
You had better 90 out in the snow, old
'nan unless you like being ground into
I
deep. Way np over my waist. But when
! rot down of the track and snugly
tucked away ir the drift | was "a heap
warmer. Decause the wind couldn't reach
me. And the old train came right ahead
with buzz and roar. and her old gel
low headlight getting brighter and big
ger every second II was train Of six
or seven passenger coaches. All were lit
M as bright as kerosene oil could make
eru. one two. three. four Of the cars
whlzzed past tne But the fifth seemed
~ stop II didn't. Of course, bat the
sight ! saw seemed to nail it 20 my eyel
A man and woman. They stood at
the rear window. 1t was open. saw
the man with his arms put out, suppli-
eating like. The woman had a bundle
in her arms Then she didn't have it.
/ The man gave a cry Of horror that rang
out high above the clamor Of the wheels
and the rattle Of the rails and the creak-
ing Of the coaches Something shot
down Just past my head and landed in
the snowdrift beside me. shut my
ewes, but still saw the woman with the
bundle and the man with outstretched
rieading arms When I opened my
eyes again the train was a quarter Of a
mile away with her rear green light
/ sinking swiftly into dot and then dis
appearing The wind cut me sharp on
I the check. and five miles off I heard the
church chime In Harrington tolling the
quarter hour That sight was a dream,
old man. ! said to myself as / pulled
I my legs out Of the drift But the bun
die ! exclaimed. Involuntarily looked
down IN the drift and saw another hole
In the snow not the one came ont Of.
buf Il smaller one.
Maybe you've guessed the thing by
tins time and maybe you haven't. Well.
sir that. bundle was just as cute 20
/ pound kid as want to look upon. Hurt
I Well | guess not little bit. When !
found him he was laughing conteutedly
rs You please and chewing chunk Of
snow for sugar cake"
Who did be belong tor
/ You tell. | can't. l never knew and
never expect to know. He had good
clothes on and the odd little collar Of
lace he wore was marked with a pretty
silk r He was fat as Christmas tur-
key and the biggest eater you ever saw
Why didn't you find his parents?7
Didn't ! try my durndestS Didn't ]
spend half my wages for the next month
advertising IN the newspapers But no
answer did get to any of them It
seeIns to me that the man ought to have
come and got the child. for he evidently
didn't want to see it fired out like that
His outstretched. supplicating arms
showed that But perhaps he only
wanted 10 prevent its being killed Who
knows Perhaps he was glad to get rid
IT It. and when he saw that somebody
lad II all right he was glad enongh to
leave u 10 Its chance fate"
What became Of the childy-
Named It Tom after myself. Tom
Mccormack Is a pretty good, solid sort
Of a nane. you know. Ny family may
not ne very stylish. but none of them
have bel hanged anyway. And. yon
see. the kids collar had T on it. Ial-
most had 70 name him Tom"
Where Is he now
'Trackwalking on the Yandalia. not
more than twenty-five miles from the
very spot where his little baby head
sxe4rs