Evening journal., 1893-01-30
A BABY IN THE SNOW.
a STRANGE CHRISTMAS EXPERT
ENCE or a TRAcKNALKER.

N-+N t-"NW NNo AANA IA AlAAAe along
the Railroad Track-A Christmas Gift.
Every time | think Of Christmas /
think Of the year 1872, said an old track
walker. That's more than twenty years
ago. isn't itr Twenty years is good
long stretch. Lots can happen to a man
IN twenty years He could get rich and
spend 1t 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 / was saying. speaking Of
Christmas always reminds me Of 1872. !
was trackwalking then for the Vandalia
line on a section between Terre Haute
and Harrington, in the state of Indiana
That Christmas night was a corker, I'll
tell you. heard at noon from the sec
tion boss that the Thermometer was 10
degs. below zero, and as night came on
IT seemed to get colder and colder. 1t
had showed the day before-one Of the
deepest in that year-and the engines
mad had pretty tough tine Of it plow-
ing their way through in the morning.
After they did get by my section the
snow was banked MP 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 a frost
bite You bet l hated to start out, but
l did muster mp the courage after
awhile. 1t was about o'clock when /
started to go back to Harrington, and
the wind was in my face. It's durn
poor Christmas for me- l thought to
myself as the wind caught me a belt in
the side Of the head. Here Pm 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 lust about the worst trade man who
loves company can adopt.
As 1 was stamping along thinking
hike this. away off ahead of me / saw a
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 ont in the snow, old
man. unless you like being ground into
little bits Boo! but that snow was
deep. Way mp over my waist. But when
got down off the track and snuplv
tucked away in the drift l was a heap
warmer, because the wind couldn't reach
me, And the old train came right ahead
with buzz and a roar. and her old vel
low headlight getting brighter and big
ger every second. 1t was a train Of six
or seven passenger coaches. All were lit
NJ as bright rs kerosene oil could make
em. One, two. three, four of the cars
whi2zed past me, But the fifth seemed
TO stop. 1t didn't, of course, but the
sight saw seemed to nail it to my eyel
y man and woman. They stood at
the rear window It was open. 1 saw
the man with his arms put out, suppli-
eataa lie. The woman had 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 creal-
ing OF the coaches. Something shot
down just past my head and landed in
the snowdrift beside me, l shut my
ewes, but still saw the woman with the
bundle and the man with outstretched.
nleading arms. When l opened nv
eyes again the train was a quarter Of a
mile away with her rear green light
sinking swiftly into a dot and then dis
appearing The wind cut me sharp on
the cheek, and five miles Off / heard the
church chime in Farrington tolling the
quarter hour. That sight was a dream
old man, ! said to myself as l pulled
my legs ont of the drift But the bun
die / czclained. Invountarily / looked
down in the drift and saw another hole
ia the snow. not the one ! came out of, |
but smaller one
Maybe you've guessed the thing by
this time and maybe You haven't. Well.
sir that bundle was just as cute a 20
pound kid as | want TO look upon. Hurt?
Wel, 1 guess not little bit. When I
found him he was laughing contentedly
as You please and chewing a chunk Of
snow for "a sugar cake"
Who did he belong to?"
you tell 1 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 pretty
silk T. He was fat as "a Christmas tur-
key and tho biggest eater you ever saw"
why didn't you find his parents."
Didn't / try my durndest? Didn't
spend half my wages for the next month
advertising In the newspapers? But no
answer did 1 get to any of them. 1t
seems 20 mo that the man ought 70 have
come and got the child, for he evidently
didn't want 70 see it fired ont like that.
His outstretched, supplicating arms
showed that. But perhaps he only
wanted TO prevent its being killed. Who
knows? Perhaps he was glad to get rid |
of It. and when he saw that somebody
7ad it all right he was glad enough to
leave it TO its chance fate"
What became Of the childg"
Named it Tom after myself Tom
Mccormack is pretty good, solid sort /
Of q name, you know. My family may
not bo very stylish. but none of them
have ben hanged anyway And, you
see the kids collai had q il on it. al !
most had 70 name him Tom"
Where is he nowi'
"Irackwalking on the Vandalia, not |
more than twenty-five miles from the |
very spot where his little baby head |
Dluinna1 into THAT snow nh C1,,-iet4,,ao !