Santa Fe daily New Mexican., 1896-03-24
SIDE TRACKED.

W 1l0 uCI6 uuy Ill anu uttS ottt, 1911 ava
Never mind, when buy out tho road you
can have your own private car to go where
you ploaso!" He ran his hand along the
rusty old lounge upon which lay the poor
little cripple, and they both laughed rath-
er pathetically over tho idea of his ever
buying out the road, when he could scarce
ly keep himself and the little woman from
starvation.
Jack Bunting was o strong, sturdy, iron
muscled son Of toll, tender hearted as a
woman. His hands were rough and black
ened with labor, but as gentle and kind
as mother in the care of the wife de-
pendent upon him. He was stokcr on a
freight train running out Of Lewiston and
was compelled by his duties to be much
away from the woman whose protector he
had been for II little over a year.
The first year of their married life had
not been lucky one for Jack had been
out Of work q great part of the time, and
when they had been married but a few
months Molly, the girl wife, had received
injuries in fall which made her a help
less cripple, and day after day she lay upon
her back watching the little streak of sum
light creep slowly up the wall and across
the room, until at last 1t disappeared in
the evening. She had grown to know it
so well that she could tell the time of day
by Its position, but somo time it grew
very, very tiresome watching 1t move, oh,
SO slowly, down and out!
',That's the way I'm going!" she said
one day to Jack. "Just SO slowly and
easily you will hardly notice it, but some
day you will como to look for Molly and
find her gone!"
Poor Jack bowed his head on her breast
and wept bitter tears, for he knew ii was
true. He knew she might be saved; but,
alas, be made barely enough to feed them.
The money which might pay the great
specialist to save his little wife was lying
in the heaped up Golfers of some multimil-
lionaire, and though poor Jack loved his
wife as well, aye, even better, than many
of his luckier fellow men loved their wives
he must stand by and see her suffer and
sink and die because, though he wear his
fingers to the bone battling for her daily
bread, he cannot earn enough to provide
the means to save her life.
1t is hard, God knows that 1t is hard,
that here in our dear country, which we
love to call "the land of the Free" human
hearts and human lives are placed at so
low value that one man may buy anoth-
or for mere pittance and work him until
he drops dead in his tracks like weary
pack horse.
Some thirty odd years ago our country
was thrown into the awful throes of war
for the abolishment Of slavery, but today
she is in the bondage Of d slavery ten thou
sand times worse, for in those days the
slaves were wcll fed, clothed and housed,
and the objects Of their masters care and
love, but the white slave of today-the
poor man who wears his life out laboring
to fill the Golfers of the rieh-recoiyes in
return barely enough to buy him crust
of bread to keep body and soul together.
If he refuse, his alternative is to starve
and to 500 wife and children cast into the
street like rats to die.
Jack" Molly said, 1T wouldn't be SO
hard il you weren't gone so much. l lie
here and think of you. so far away and
think Of what might happen, and my
heart grows cold with fear until you re-
turn
Poor little woman!" he replied. "You
are nervous. You mustn't think of those
things. Old 46 mover had an accident,
and guess the worst that is likely to hap
pen is to be side tracked in some lonesome
place for few hours while the express
passes by, and that Doesn't happen often.
You know we run pretty close, and sell
dom have to wait long at siding"
Yes, Jack, you run close, as you call
III hut lar M Nv 1ttt1a too
'close' Such things are happening every
day. We'll, I'll try not to think" Molly
said. You'll be back soon, won't your"
She invariably asked that question, and
Jack us invariably answered Eyes
''We come in Wednesday night, and
nothing but death can keep me from you,
dear!'
She lifted her thin, transparent hands
and clasped them around his neck.
Don't, Jack-don't speak of dcathr'
"There, dear, don't mind it love you
so much cannot help saying those things
sometimes"
She smiled a pathetic little smile through
her tears and lifted her lips for his kiss.
As Jack went away from the door he
brushed something from his cheek that
AVOhOu cuoplClOunHy AAhO - UCuts
.'God bless her reckon she would
starve for sure If anything was to happen
to me, but there, I'm a fool! Nothing's
going to happen. don't know what's
got into me that feel SO babyish and blue
Old 46 never had scratch, and reckon
she won't get any now!"
He Jumped aboard the engine and shov-
eled In the coal as If preparing for race
He was Obliged to do something to keep
the tears from coming at the thought Of
the little wife at home, SO frail and help
less.
The train vas heavy one, and they
pulled slowly out Of the station, with
many creak and groan, but at last they
were we'll ON their way ut good speed,
and night was fast settling over the great
line.
On they rushed through the twilight,
past undulating fields of corn Haunting Its
proud, curling tassels In the breeze, over
streams that gurgled and sang In the twi.