The record-union., 1895-07-06
TIE WOMAN OF IT.

desert of ours? on do not unless you
have been there when everything is IN the
somi-fused condition which it reaches III
july. Then the sky is SO hot that 1t drlps
meited COPPER instead of sunshine, and
the plains fairly boil and quake, while
the air auivers so that all vision Is blurred
as though one were looking through
curtain Of steam.
There is q railroad. however. running
through that branch office of perdition;
and il does have some patrons even IN
snmmer But they are of only two
classes-those who do not know any bet
ter and those who cannot help 1t. 1t does
not make any difference TO you to wnlch
class / belonged but the woman OF whom
I shall tell you was OF those who could
not help taking that route. She was GO
ing TO Mojave, Cal. and that was the
quickest way and the cheapest.
first saw her the morning alter we iefs
Kansas City, at little lunch station,
where we of the Pullman "Medusa"
made an exploring expedition through
the "tourist'' car. We all came out de-
claring that that was no place 1or Inc
little woman in black"
| could see her face through the window
as we were speaking, plnched, WaAen
lace around which fine rays OF falr halr
were blowing In the hot WIND. Dlack
walking hat, very old but neatly DrusheQ,
presented sharp contrast to the head
gear of most OF the other women In Tie
ear. who had none too immaculate hand
kerchiefs Tied over their froWsy locks.
Her eyes were bent down, the eyelashes
showing light against the intense purple
of the shadows beneath them. Now and
again she bent forward little, and we
knew it was TO watch more closely the
face of little child that lay, pale and
passive, IN her arms. l recalled how she
had shrunk as If from a blow and pressed
the baby closer when, while we were IN
the car, The unceaSlng alterations OF Ine
uumberless children had eliminated IN
open war and one OF the unSavory look
ing urchins had been pitched headlong
into the aisle by more muscular BROTH
er. But there mad been no appeal in the
gray eyes when she lifted them to US as
we passed. only proud endurance that
was well-nigh defiant.
We questioned the tourist agent: "She
was from Maine; the baby had been sick
when she took his train at Chicago and
ever since. The woman was sick, too.
and poorer than poverty it seemed from
the way she treated herself; she was to
get off at Molave If the heat we were just
beginning to come didn't Kill her first; it
was the noisest trip, too, in years; of
course he tried to keep 1t quiet, but there
were thirteen children under on board
that one car. There was good deal of
domestic trouble, too; the night before
there had been a row that ended in fight
before he could prevent it,"
We shuddered and looked up at the
little woman in the car window.
I'VE must help her in some way" de-
clared girl from our car.
81 am afraid you will find it rather hard
to manage. I have seen that sort of a face
before" said the father.
But we women turned instinctively to
Mrs. Moss. whose big heart had gone out
to all the troubled ones on the Journey
from the starved little prairie dog that
died forgotten in box to the childish old
German who was looking for his boy
And her ready tact had won all mem
bers of our little commonwealth from
morose silence TO sociability. We were
sure that she could manage it, and we
planned that the little woman and her
baby should be brought into the ME
dusa," and henceforth. Oh that journey at
least. he cared for.
glanced up at the window and saw the
subject of our sympathy look at US mar
rowly. This l spoke of to the group,
prefacing a remark with an Injunction
not to look round. However, they did
look round, she saw them, and Mrs.
Moss case was prejudiced from the very
first We saw even then that finesse was
necessary, and we had passed Trinidad
before she made any overtures.
It was then early evening; the lamps
in the tourist had just been lighted,
and from the platform of the station as
we walked about we could see Mrs. Moss
standing beside the little woman's seat in
conversation. The light was wretchedly
poor, but there was visible faint, we'll
agent bent over the baby. But there had
evidently been no invitation given to sit
down. We did not feel comfortable nor
successful. The conductor shouted, "All
aboardn We went back into our car and
left affairs still uncertain.
When Mrs. Moss did come in, it was
with discouraged air.
II simply can't say one word to her
about herself" she declared, and help
lessly sat down. Tho conductor says
she has not bought one thing for herself
since she left Chicago, except two cups of
tea, and she is living on some perfectly
dry sandwiches from box she had when
she got on his car. He says she buys
milk regularly for the baby, but that is
at this time of year. And that car is SIM
ply horrible"
She paused and sighed.
but what did the woman herself say?n
asked the girls father.
''She discussed the artistic value of the
colorIng OF these plains we passed to-
dayp'
1t WAS evident that our envoy was dis
concerted, and, if she had failed, further
effort was useless.
Ibid you speak of the child?" some
one asked.
''Yes, and she hardly answered me, but
went on with her color"
ON OFT tod
and we were forcibly returned to an at
tendance on our affairs.
NeXt morning the great number of our
party were gone, having left the train at
Albuquerque, and we had plunged out of
the mountains into the awful plains
sgaln. 1t seemed fitting condition of
the abominable journey that we should
reach the cooler regions Just as the relief
OF night was coming any way, and should
be forced to traverse the glaring plains
under the full sun. Only Mrs. Moss and
myself were in the car now, and together
We planned fresh attack on the little
woman. Mrs. Moss tried again. but
came back declaring that she felt abso-
lutely rude.
And know she needs help bitterly"
she said; 'She is actually suffering for
food. And yet a moment ago, when I
most casually offered her some fruit, she
said quietly: No, thank you, l do not
care for any, and looked straight into my
eyes in way that said: You see / will
not let you help meiU
Il do not know much of such things,"
l said. "but il appears to me that the boy
is fearfully sick. She does not seem 10
know or realize IL. Do you suppose if
she did that she would accept help?'
perhaps, but she is insanely proud.
And as long as he is quiet she seems to
think him all right. and since we can do
almost nothing for the child, even if she
would come in here. it is almost brutal to
frighten her. l wonder why she was let
come that Yay. She has carad- for look