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

even a trail showed where it was that
any human being had visited the spot.
And round was the dreary waste of
billowy plains and the burning sun
overhead.
In the rear of the sentry box its pro-
jecting roof had cast little shade, and
here the man sat down upon the ground
with his child in his arms. Strange
things, for him, came to his eyes
tears. The little one looked at him in
a puzzled way, and he hastily brushed
his hand across his face and left a
broad smudge of railway SCOT upon his
cheek. She clapped her hands and
laughed with glee at his funny face.
Then thirst came to them-that aw-
full, torturing, unreasoning thirst which
the desert alone can give. The child
cried for water, and the father left her
in the scanty shade and stepped out
into the glaring sun. Neither in the
sky nor. in the parched ground was
there a drop of moisture, and he knew
title returned and tried to comfort her
and then sat down again, buried his
face in his hands and tried to think.
The evening was coming on when he
arose to his feet with a new resolve.
Away far off in the West a thin, al
most imperceptible streak Of smoke
told him that the east bound train was
approaching. Near the track he found
dirty shred of a flag hanging to
stick, and he placed in the socket of the
upright post standing in front of the
house. Nervously his fingers fumbled
in his pockets until he produced the
stump of a lead pencil. Picking up
piece OF pasteboard, he wrote upon it,
in great rough letters:
SOME ONE TAKE THIS CHILD
SHE HAS NO PARENTS.
With string he placed the placard
around the neck of the little girl. This
done he took her in his arms, and kiss
ed her again and again, pointed to the
smoke that was becoming blacker and
longer, and told her that water was
coming. When the rails began to sing
of the approach of the coming train, he
placed her near the track and then ran
and hid himself behind the dugout.
From his hiding place he looked out
and eagerly watched the child, while
the rattle and clamOr and thunder Of
the train grew louder in his ears. On
it came with a rush and a roar, and
flew past the station in a gale of wind
and dust. The mans heart died with
in him, and then it beat wildly again.
The train had stopped several hundred
yards past the station and was coming
back to the sentry box The engineer
had seen the tattered flag.
As the long train rolled slowly back
ward, curious and inquiring heads pro-
truded from the car windows. The
gold emblazoned conductor stepped off
and looked about him in wonder. Not
for several moments did he discover
the child Immediately there was a
crowd about, and the placard was pass
ed from hand to hand. A white jack
eted porter came out of a Pullman car
and placed wooden step on the ground
before it, He was followed by lady
in black, who descended from the car
and joined the throng.
A pair of yearnig, eager, beseeching
eyes watched it all from the dugout.
To the man in hiding it seemed that
the determination Of the child's fate
never would be reached. Finally he
saw the lady in black take the child in
her arms kiss it, and re-enter the car
with it. The passengers scrambled
back into the cars, the conductor waved
his hand and the train moved on.
Then the father came forth and
gazed longingly at the departing train
-gazed at it until it became smaller
and smaller-until it became a dot in
the plains until it yanished-and he
knew he was alone.
He stretched himself on the baked
ground that night to sleep, but could
not. Two little stars very near to-
gether-reminded him of the eyes OF
his child. and he tried to fix his
thoughts on them and of her, but it was
vain-he could not forget his thirst.
The terri @ sun rose the next day
and looked GOWN upon him as its vic
tim. He endeavored to eat some OF
the bread he had saved, but the dry
crumbs were torture to his throat. One
thing only was there to do-to follow
the track until an inhabited station
was reached. 1t might be fifty miles
! it might be more-but there was no
salvation away from the railroad.
At noon, while resting for awhlle' ne
heard the rattle of an approaching
freight train. Hope swelled up within
him as he stood on the track and made
frantic motions to stop the train. The
trainmen merely laughed at him. lie
did not know he had employed the Ia
vorite ruse for tramps.
After this his progress was very SLOW:
IN the third day he came to the end OF
his Journey. He may have been delerl-
ons or he may have been quite sane.
A train stopped for him and rook him
on hoard. This they always do when
tboy kin a man.-San Francisco Argo-
naut.
TOO MANY CHANGES.