The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1897-07-31
tDaniel'S Leetle GAL" !
BY W. BERT FOSTER.


I'D DANIEL" tended the switch
half way up Big Iron mountain.
Dan'el's hair, which swept the
.sv collar of lis faded coat, had
since taken on that yellowish
!, hue which tells of the tiaxen
Of youth, and his blue eyes were
Cd and watery. Daniel had grown
IN the service of the Iron Mountain
and was only fit now for his
sent position. There was not much
Tho switchman to do. There was
side-track on the short level,
the wood road branched Off here
wound around the mountain
ouph the timber where the com
VS. choppers were at work the year
nj Two or three times week,
baps, freight train shunted few
off ON to the side-track, and every
or two a string of flats" piled high
n ties or timbers, crawled out of the
r.st behind the wheezy little yard
cine and slid down the main line to
arner's mills at the foot of the long
rline.
hes Daniel had almost outlived his
efulness. and had been shelyed in this
t-of-the-way place by a corporation
bich. although "soulless," still had
me lingering compunctions against
scbarpinc a man who had been in
employ so many years. There was
rough cabin beside the switch which
ID been built when the branch road
rs laid out. The company gave the
4 man the use of this, and his scanty
age supplied his simple needs and
hose of his granddaughter. Meg.
II was when he thought or spoke of
90 that Old Daniel became other than
e decrepit, dull-looking man he usual
oppeared. His cheeks would flush,
old ewes flash, and his broken ;oicc
ROW full and tender when he talked of
Fmy leetle gal" Whenever and wher-
syer he could gain an audience he would
bwell upon the projections of his grand
khild, till Daniels leetle gal'' became 4
Iy-word among the rough railroad
hen.
In Daniels eyes Meg was the fairest
Bower ever pIucked from Gods garden
Ind dropped upon earth to bless man
kind. His wife and children had all left
him, and the little girl, the orphan
laughter of his youngest child, was all
he had left to love and cherish.
From Old Daniels description, one
would expect to find little Meg vision
of loneliness; whereas, there was prob
ably no homelier young one in all the
Iron mountain district. Her hair was
red--not a pretty red. but deep brick
color-and she had freckles to match.
Her nose turned up, hermouth was wide,
md there was more than a suspicion of
3 squint in her eyes. But the eyes. if
one took the pains to look into them,
were deep and true; and when she
smiled, and she was nearly always smil-
ing two beautiful, even rows of teeth
were revealed, and there was the glow
Of BEAUTIFULLY flowing blood in the
freckled cheeks.
She was sunny-tempered, happy
little girl, despite her lack of beauty.
II was quite evident that it was the
chld's soul Old Daniel worshiped, and
her outward imperfections could not
hide its beauty from his old eyes.
The train hands laughed at her cloth
ing, and called her "Bricktop." She
didn't mind the last, but as she grew
cider she was ashamed of her frocks.
They were fashioned so crudely, and of
such coarse material. She had never
seen other little girls-that is, no closer
than the car windows as the passenger
coaches passed the junction, but she
knew she was dressed differently from
them. Bill Thomas, who braked on the
wood train. had little sister down at
the Mills, and once he bought frock
Tor her in Pittsburgh, and showed IL to
Meg while his train was waiting for
The down express to pass. Meg was
thirteen then, and out of the next bolt
of cheap calico that Old Daniel bought
Of travelling peddler, she tried to
fashion something that looked like the
rock Bill had shown her. But the re-
suit was sorry enough, and she had
never dared wear it before the train
men.
1t was only on Sunday that Meg felt
safe from the thoughtless
launts and jokes of the train hands.
Dn that day none but through trains
passed the little junction. But there
'ame time when even this weekly es-
ape from her tormentors was denied
Ter. The Iron Mountain road, in the
wisdom of new set of directors, re-
'lsed the running time of the trains so
Is to get an extra trip each week out Of
ne tie train. The flats were drawn up
Q the junction behind one of the Sum
lay morning passenger trains, and the
lrst train load of ties was sent down
Monday morning instead of Tuesday,
Is heretofore. 1t was saving of time
lad money to the corporation, hut it
'oooed the men who worked the flats
d their Sabbath rest.
The junction, which had always
'een quiet place on the Lords day,
'oon took on an entirely different APP
pearance. The long hours of the Sab
path hung idly on the. mems hands.
s~Aa 20