The Durham daily globe. (Durham, N.C.) 1889-1894, 1893-03-30
4 BABY IN THE SNOW.
4 STRANGE CHRISTMAS EXPERT
EnCe OF A TRACkWALKER.


the Railroad Track-A Christmas Gift.
Every time 1 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 a good
long stretch Lots can happen to a man
In tw-nty years He could get rich and
spend It all and get rich again in that
spare of time and still have lots of time
TO 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 Vapdalia
line on a section between Terre Haute
and Farrington in the state of Indiana
That Christmas night was corker, Ill
tell you. heard at noon from the Sec
ton boss that the thermometer was 10
dogs. below zero. and as night came on
it seemed to ret colder and colder It
mad showed the day before-one of the
deepest in that year-and the engines
mad mad pretty tough time of it plow-
ing their way through in the morning.
After they did get by my section the
snow was banked uD 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
oite 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
the wind was in my face. It's durn
poor 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 any body
- say Merry Christmas to you" It's
pretttv tough. guess track walking
in just about the worst trade man who
loves company can adopt.
AS I was stamping along thinking
like this, away off ahead of me saw
sparkle. Its 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
nan. unless you like being ground into
little bits Boo! but that snow was
deep Way mp over my waist. But when
/ pot down off the track and snugly
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 roar, and her old yell
low headlight getting brighter and big
ger every second. 1t was train of six
or seven passenger coaches. All were lit
1p as bright as kerosene oil could make
eru One. two, three, four of the cars
whizzed past me. But the fifth seemed
to stop. 1t didn't, of course, but the
sight 1 saw seemed to nail it to my eye!
"A man and a woman. They stood at
the rear window 1t was open. l saw
the man with his arms put out, suppl
eating like. The woman had bundle
in Der arms. Then she didn't have it.
The man gave cry of horror that rang
out nigh 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 sncwdrift beside me. 1 shut my
Hves, ont still saw the woman with the
| bundle and the man with outstretched
pleading arms. When | opened my
eyes 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 | 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 looked
down In the drift and saw another hole
| %Io I of
| out q 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 a little bit. When
found him he was laughing contentedly
as you please and chewing a chunk of
| snow for sugar cake"
Who did he belong to?''
You tell. L can't. | never knew and
| uever expect to know He had good
clothes on, and the odd little collar of
lace he wore was marked with a pretty
silk T. He was fat as a 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
answer did | get to any of them. 1t
seems 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 to prevent its being killed Who
Knows? Perhaps he was glad to get nd
IF it, and when he saw that somebody
had it all right he was glad enough to
| leave it 70 its chance fate"
What became of the childy'
Named it Tom after myself Tom
Mccormack is a pretty good, solid sort
Of a name. you know. My family may
not be very stylish. but none of them
have been hanged anyway. And, you
nee. the kid's collar had r on It al
most mad to name him Tom"
Where is he now?'
"TrackwaRing on the Vandalia. not
mora than TWENTY-FIVE miles from the