Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1895-10-20
TIE Journeys END.

I'LL UUUnlVLl U LHU.
Dragging itself westward across the
the dreary plains of Utah, the over
land train, from vantage point in the
sky, looked like a small horse hair
snake crawling over the earth's surface.
The earth-almost the air-was white
with the heat of the summer sun. All
this was vasness, Intensity, silence,
lonliness; above, the fiawless blue; be-
low, those seemingly illimitable plains
of reddish yellow, streaked with alkali
white. that swan back and forth before
the eyes in parallel lines until far off
they melted into a long, low stretch Of
shivering light, the hooking water mi
rage at the base of the mountain range,
hundred of miles away. Encompassed
within that horizon there was nothing
OF life except within that desultory
moving train.
Stocked in the immigrant or third
class car of the train was crowd of
tired, miserable and dirty people They
locked out listlessly at the passing
landscape, or stupidity at each other,
or twisted themselves into all sorts of
uncomfortable positions on the hard,
wooden seats in vain efforts TO secure
little sleep. Perhaps the most un-
progressing of them all was a dark
featured, roughly dressed man. Be
side him was a very little girl in blue
dress. His lowering, repellant face
had a scown upon it which suggested
the convict or the desperate, but he
was neither. The scowland the I'M
conscious sheer about his ugly mouth
were born simply of long and thor
Oughly fruitless struggle with misfor-
tune.
Although pretty, it was easily to be
seen that the little girl was his child.
She was the solitary ray of sunshine in
that railway steerage.
She was a momentous factor in a
mighty problem to the man whose arm
was about her, and whose knit brows
and troubled face showed how hard it
was he studied it, A crazy letter had
come to him across the continent, and
he had left the tenements of New York
to try and reach the golden land of Cal
ifornia. He had started with hardly
sufficient money to take himself, and
child more than half the distance, but
he had a confused sort of an idea that
he would in some way reach his desti-
nation. Better it was, at all events,
than to remain in the noisome Hester
street den, where without work or the
prospects of any his little sum OF money
would soon be gone.
The station to which his scanty purse
had enabled him to buy a ticket for
himself and child had been passed
hours before and he was wondering
how soon the conductor of the train
would discover the shameless imposi-
ton he was practising upon the rail
way company. He had not much lon
ger to wait. for presently the autocrat
of the train. in a hurried passage
through the car stopped suddenly be-
fore him and glanced at the check in
his hat
"Heuol Where are you going?"
The man looked up in what was in
tended as a humble, respectful and
piteous appeal but his lip curled up
over his teeth. like that of a harried
dog. He could not help it, His voice
was mild enough, as he said:
Il am going to California sir, with
my little girl"
The mans looks seemed to irritate
the not-too-even temper of the railway
officer.
'You are, Ell? Well, where's your
ticket for the rest of the way?"
IF you would please let me go
through the train with my little girl, "
replied the unfortunate one, faltering
Il think I could raise the money"
60 through the train? Not much.
Third class passengers stay in this car
You get off at the next station" said
the conductor in a voice of fierce warn
ing. as he passed on.
In about an hour the conductor came
into the car again and gave the bell
rope a vicious pull. The engine re-
sponded with two short whistles, and
gradually the train slackened its speed
and stopped.
Come. now, you get off here" said
the conductor, roughly; we're behind
time already, and you want to hurry up
about it,"
Again the mans lip curled in an ugly
way. but he made no answer, except to
gather up the few paper bundles of
bread and meat on the seat before him.
Then, taking his child in his arms, he
followed the conductor to the platform
and stepped off the train. Before it
was under way again, however, a hui
name brakeman on the last step called
out to him:
Say, partner, Their amt nothin' here.
This is only a flag station. The east
bound IL be along in a few hours. Stop
her and board her. The conductor on
that train II let YOU on. It's shame
to put that kid off in such a place"
In truth, little about the place indi-
Gated a railway station. There was a
little closed sentry-boX looking affair
beside the track, and fifty yards behind