The Pacific commercial advertiser., 1893-02-13
i BABY IN THE SNOW.
A STRANGE CHRISTMAS EXPERT
ENCE Of RACkWALKER.

A Railroad Mans Story OF Cold, Stormy
Night Over Twenty Years Ago. when
the Snow Was Piled In Banks 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 it? Twenty years is good
long stretch. Lots can happen to man
In twenty years. He could get rich and
spend IL all and get rich again in that
space of time and still have lots of time
TO spare. But haven't. I've just staid
poor right along.
But IS 1 was saying, speaking of
Christmas always reminds me of 1872. /
was trackwalking then for the Vandalia
iine on section between Terre Haute
and Harrington. in the state of Indiana.
That Christmas night was a corker, III
tell you heard at noon from the sec
ton boss that the thermometer was 10
degs, below zero. and as night came on
It seemed to Cet colder and colder. 1t
mad showed the day before-one of the
deepest in that year-and the engines
mad 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
uite. You bet hated to start out, but
did muster mp the courage after
awhile. 1t was about 9 o'clock when
started to 60 back to Harrington, and
the wind was in my face. It's durn
Door Christmas for me- | 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
to say Merry Christmas to YOU" It's
pretty tough | guess track walking
10 just about the worst trade man who
loves company can adopt
AS was stamping along thinking
like this. away off ahead of me saw
suarkle. It's the st. Louis express !
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
nan. unless you like being ground into
little bits Boo! but that snow was
deep Way up over my waist But when
! cot down Off the track and snugly
fncked away in the drift | was heap
warmer. because the wind couldn't reach
ne, And the old train came right ahead
with buzz and roar. and her old yel-
low headlight getting brighter and big
ger every second. 1t was train of six
or seven passenger coaches. All were lit
M as bright as kerosene oil could make
era. One. two. three. four of the cars
whizZed past me. But the fifth seemed
to stop. 1t didn't, of course, but the
sight saw seemed to nail it to my eyei
"a man and woman. They stood at
the rear window. 1t was open. saw
the man with his arms put out, suppl
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. | shut my
ewes, but still saw the woman with the
bundle and the man with outstretched,
Needing arms When l opened my
eyes again the train was quarter of
mile away, with her rear green light
sirking swiftly into dot and then dis
appearing. The wind cut me sharp on
the rneek, 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. exclaimed. lnvoluntarily l looked
down in the drift and saw another hole
in 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 90
pound kid Dis ! want to look upon. Hurt?
Well | guess not a little bit. When ]
found him he WAS laughing contentedly
So you please and chewing chunk of
snow for Il sugar cake.
Who did he belong to?''
'Yon tell cant never knew and
Gever expect TO know He had good
clothes on and the odd little collar of
lace he wore was marked with a pretty
silR y Ee was fat as Christmas tur-
key and the 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
snswer did get to any of them. 1t
seems 10 me that the man ought to have
come aud 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 to prevent its being killed Who
knows! Perhaps he was glad to get rid
nj it, and when he saw that somebody
oad it all right he was glad enough to
leave 1t to its chance fate"
"What became of the childT'
Named It Tom after myself. Tom
IcCorrrack is pretty good, solid sort
OF name. you know My family may
not be very stylish, but none of them
nave be:n hanged anyway. And, you
see. the Kids collar had It on it. al
most had to name him Tom"
where is he now?"
'Trackwalking on the Vandalia, not
more than twenty-five miles from the
very spot where his little baby head
dumped into that snowbank Christmas
night. 1872" st Louis Globe-D Demo
crat.