The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1893-01-20
A BABY In THE SNOW.
\ STRANGE CHRISTMAS EXPERT
ENCE OF A TRACkWAlkER.

the Snow Was Piled in Banks Along
tire Railroad Track--A Christmas GIFT.
''Every time l think of Christmas |
think of the year 1872, =" said an old track
walker. That's more than twenty years
sgo, isn't it? Twenty years is good
long stretch. Lots can happen to man
IN twenty years He could get rich and
spend it all and get rich again in that
space of time and still have lots of time
10 spare. But haven't. I've Just staid
poor right along
But as l 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 corker, I'll
tell you. heard at noon from the sec.
ton boss that the thermometer was 10
degs. below zero, and as night came on
1t seemed to ge: colder and colder. 1t
had showed the day before-one of the
deepest in that year-and the engines
had had pretty tough time of it plow-
ing their way through in the morning.
After they did get by my section the
snow was banked up seven or eight feet
deep in some places by the side Of the
track. 1t was so cold that wrapped
coffee sacks around my feet before start
ing out, just to keep them from frost
bite. You bet hated to start out, but
i did muster up the courage after
awhile. 1t was about o'clock when |
started to go back to harrington, and
tho wind was in my face. It's durn
poor Christmas for me, l thought to
myself as 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
10 say, Merry Christmas to you." It's
PRETTY tough. l guess track walking
IN just about the worst trade man who
loves company can adopt
LAS l was stamping along thinking
Ike this, away off ahead of me / saw
sparkle. It's the st. Louis express l
said to myself, and she'll be rumbling
over me at about sixty miles an hour.
You had better go out in the snow, old
man, unless you like being ground into
little bits. Boo! but that snow was
deep. Way up over my waist. But when
l got down off the track and snugly
tucked away in the drift l was a heap
warmer, because the wind couldn't reach
ne. And the old train came right ahead
with buzz and roar, and her old vel
low headlight getting brighter and big
ger every second. 1t was train of six
or seven passenger coaches. All were lit
up as bright as kerosene oil could make
EN-. One, two, three, four of the cars
whizzed past me. But the fifth seemed
to stop. 1t didn't, of course, but the
sight l saw seemed to nail it to my eye!
"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 bundle
in her arms. Then she didn't have it.
The man gave 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. l shut nv
eyes, but still saw the woman with the
bundle and the man with outstretched,
pleading arms. When | opened my
syes again the train was quarter of a
mile away with her rear green light
sinking swiftly into dot and then dis
appearing. The wind cut me sharp on
the cheek, and five miles off l heard the
church chime in Harrington tolling the
quarter hour. That sight was dream,
old man. said to myself as | pulled
my legs out of the drift. But the bun
die. l exclaimed. Involuntarily looked
down in the drift and saw another hole
N the snow, not the one l came out of.
3ut smaller one.
Maybe you've guessed the thing by
this time and maybe you haven't Well,
sir. that bundle was just as cute 20
pound kid as want to look upon. Hurt?
Well. guess not little bit. When /
found him he was laughing contentedly
- you please and chewing chunk of
NOW for sugar cake"
who did he belong tor
lyon tell. L 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
,ilk i. He was fat as Christmas tur-
xey and the biggest eater you ever saw"
W ny Niuii you hii'i ulS IJdTtHlS!
Didn't try my durndest? Didn't l
spend half my wages for the next month
advertising in the newspapers? But no
answer did | get to any of them. 1t
+eems to me that the man ought to have
come and got the child, for he evidently
lidn't want to see it fired out like that.
His outstretched, s1pplicating arms
showed that. But perhaps he only
wanted to prevent its being killed Who
Knows? Perhaps he was glad to get rid
# it, and when he saw that somebody
oad it all right he was glad enough to
cave it to its chance fate"
what became Of the childy"
Named it Tom after myself. Tom
Mccormack is a pretty good, solid sort
of IL name, you know. My family may
rot be very stylish, but none of them
ave ben hanged anyway And, you
zee, the kids collar had Il on it. al
saost had to name him Tom"
s.Where is be now"