The evening times., 1895-10-28

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 it. He returned and
tried to comfort her, and then he tat down
again, buried his face in his hands and
tried to think. The evening was coming
on when he arose TO his feet with new
resolve
Away far off In the West thin. almost
imperceptible streak OF smoke told him
that the east bound train was approach
ing. Near the track he found dirty shred
of flag hanging to a stick, and he placed
it 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 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 kissed her again
and again, pointed to the smoke that was
becoming blacker and longer, and told her
that water was coming. When the rails be
gan to sing of the approach of the coming
train, he placed her near the track and
then ran and hid himself bettnd the dugout.
From his hiding place he looked out an1
eagerly watched the child, while the rattle
and clam0r and thunder OF the train grew
louder in his ears. On it came with a rush
and roar, and flew past the station in a gale
of wind and dust. The mans heart died
within 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 crowd about IL,
and the placard was passed from hand to
hand. A white !acketed porter came out
of a Pullman car and placed a 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 yearning, eager, beseeching
ewes watched 1t all from the dugout. To
the man In hiding it seemed that the deter
mination 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-enterthe car withtt. 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 1t became smaller and smaller
until il became dot In the plains-untn
it vanished-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 together re-
minded him of the eyes of his child, and Ia
tried to fix his thoughts on them and nf
her, hut IL was vain-he could not forget
his thirst.
The terrible sun rose the next day and
looked down upon him as Its victim Ht
endeavored to eat tome OF the bread he
had saved, but the dry crumbs were tor
ture to hi: 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, when resting for awhile. hs
heard the rattle of an approaching freight
train. Hope swelled up within him as he
stood on the track and made frantic mo-
tions to stop the train. The trainmen merely
laughed at him. He did not know he had
employed the favorite ruse for tramps-
After this his progress was very slow
On the third day he came to the end of his
Journey He may have been deiiriOus OF
he may have been quite zane. train
stopped for him and took him on board.
This they always do when they kill .
man.-San Francis CO Argunaut.
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