The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-02-16

boon safely in their own widely scattered
homos-nll but little Dickoy Culver, alono
III tho Inst sleeper. He smoked his cigar
and looked out into tho darkness
overcome presently by nervousness, he
arose from his lounging chair in tho
smoker and walked to tho rear door of tho
CIR. Lilo could see no moro than from the
window of tho smoker, bu5 it rested him
to got now aspect of tho darkness The
wind was wailing hero, too, and tho rattle
of tho leo against tho glass was oven moro
startling. 1t seemed almost to strike him
in tho face.
AS ho stood there ho CHANGED to glance
down ut tho snow drifted into tho rear
Vestibule of tho car, and then, with IN OK
clamation, he threw open the door 1t
was rs though hundreds of little knives
were cutting tho flesh of his face, but no
had seen that in his downward glance
which made him caroloss of bodily pain.
Tho little curly head of child was thoro.
buried in tho snow, and he could SEQ even
through the fierce blast of tho wind n rag
gcd form huddled close against tho door.
Tho form almost fell into his arms, but
there was tearing of the frozen garments
loose from tho floor of tho platform as no
drew tho child in and quickly shut tho
door. He lifted tho child in his arms
stepped back into the smoking compart-
mcnt and rang tho bell for tho porter.
The form was that of q little GIRL possibly
years old, with tear drops frozen upon
her face, and 1t was so still and white that,
as tho light fell upon it, Dickcy thought
Inc had taken it out of the blizzard only to
give it into tho hands of an undertaken ut
tho next station.
He rang tho bell repeatedly, and the
porter came. Perhaps no thought it was
time Ibis gentleman" was going to bed,
Or possibly tho other porters were too busy
putting their gentlemen to bod for further
gossip. At oil events, he came, and there
was series of sharp orders given, and
presently Dickey had plenty of company.
There was even physician on tho train
there usually Is, as you will find out If
you tako tho trouble to ascertain the next
tlmo you happen to travel-and tho physi-
clan, having no office hours while he was
travelling, came along, with the con-
ductor, and tho brakeman, and o few ouri-
GUS and fewer merciful passengers, to give
what help he could. The PHYSICIANS prac-
tice lying In cold country, no knew pre-
oisely what to do In this emergency, and
Dickey gladly released the principal re-
sponsibility to his more experienced hands,
while no told over and over again for tho
benefit of the curious passengers how he
chanced to SEQ the little ono lying on the
rear platform.
The physician worked steadily over the
child for 10 or. perhaps 90 minutes.
"She'll do now he said at last. "Let
her Sleep"
The porter, under Dickey's direction,
and with his dusky palm crossed with sill
yor, made up On extra berth in the car, in
which the child was laid. She was Sleep
Ing tho warm sleep of childhood, wrapped
In blankets and with Dickey's heavy over
coat thrown across her feet. The doctor
and tho curious passengers had returned
to their own berths, and tho conductor
and his mon had gone back to their work
OF seeing to the safety of tho train. after
assuring the porter of tho last car that he
would DO held to no responsibility for tho
passenger ho carried without ticket or
berth check
In the last sleeper littlo Dickey Culver
sat and smoked, while tho child slept
peacefully in tho luxury of a double lower
berth, and from tho statcroom came tho
steady snoro of tho porter
Dickey did not oven doze in the night,
for that was his day. and no was puzzling
over how that child came to be upon tho
platform. Certainly sho had not been
there whom tho train loft Medicine Bow,
for he had stood upon that platform him
solf and watched tho station out of sight,
and it had been broad day then The train
had stopped nowhere, and yet how absurd
1t was to suppose that the child had been
put there while tho cars wero in motion.
How could sho have becn-and who could
have done it? Even Wyoming blizzard
strong as it was. did not boar little girls