Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1899-09-04
THE HELPFUL WOMAN
SHE WAS TOO ANXIOUS TO ASSIST
HER FELLOW MORTALS.
Her Excessive Zeal In Looking After
the Welfare of blind Man on q
Train Got Her Into Trouble with
the clustering Man.

| Her EXCESSIVE Zeal In Looking After
| the Welfare of Blind Man on n
Train Got Her Into Trouble with
| the clustering Man.
l knew n good woman once-God
| never made n better-who on her Jour
/ ney through lie was always trying TO
| be helpful: always looking out To lend
a hand t0 her fellow wayfarers and to
| make the rough paths smoother and
| easier for them. She was never SO
| happy as when she was making some
| sacrifice or serving some other person
| sharing her strength with the weak or
her plenty with the poor. and some
| times she overdid it. For the purpose
| of Identification | will call her rIrs
Jones.
While travelling between Utica and
| Albany one day. n blind man was led
into the car and placed in the seat be-
| hind her. Here was a chance for a
| good samaritan. and she seized IL be-
| fore anybody else got ahead of her. She
| saw that he was comfortably seated;
| she opened her lunch basket and Of
| fered him something to eat: she looked
at his ticket to see that il was right
| and did everything else she could think
| of to show her interest IN a fellow be-
| ing so afflicted.
The blind man was going to Little
| Falls, and every time the train stopped
| he would inquire In an anxious way If
he had reached his destination and
whenever he heard somebody passing
| through the aisle he would ask how far
| 1t was to Little Falls.
Mrs. Jones was alert and answered
every question and assured him that
she would see to his perfect safety
She urged him to be comfortable and
contented and promised to let him
know when his journey was ended
When the train slowed up and n
brakeman yelled. Little Fallsv' she
pushed aside several officiouS persons
/ who offered to assist her and taking
the blind man by the hand. led him out
to the platform and delivered him to
some friends who had come to the sta
ton to meet him. After she had hidden
him goodby and returned to the car she
noticed in the seat he had occupied n
! well worn satcheL She seized it in
stantly, rushed to the door and threw
1t off toward her blind friend on the
platform with as much force as she
could exert. screaming AT the top of her
voice:
You forgot your satchel."
Then she returned and took her seat
in the car with the consciousness of
having performed n Christian duty.
Pretty soon a rather rough looking
person, who had neglected to shave
that morning and chewed tobacco,
came back from the smoking car and
began to look around curiously and In
an anxious way. Noticing that Mrs.
Jones was watching him. he looked at
her inquiringly and then said:
Madam, have you seen a satchel
that was left in that seatT'
Yes" she replied promptly. "It be-
longed to a blind man. and threw 1t
out to him at Little Falls"
The blank you did, exclaimed the
unshaven citizen, whereupon Mrs.
Jones. perceiving that her friendly In
terest in the blind man had possibly
caused some Inconvenience to one who
had two large. blazing eyes and was
addicted to the tobacco habit. began to
apologize. The stranger listened with
an expression on his face as if he re-
GREETED that murder was out of style,
and when Mrs. Jones had completed
her somewhat incoherent explanation
he remarked:
Madam. permit me to advise you
hereafter to mind your own blank
business, and let blind men and other
folks gripsacks alone. | am going to
Utica to attend court today, and that
satchel contained all the documentary
evidence in n case that involves many
thousands of dollars. have got 1t
continued twice on various pPetexts,
but If go into court today and tell the
judge that | can't go on because
lunatic has thrown my grip at n blind
man, he'll give me the laugh and my
clients will be robbed. And you are to
blame for it,
Mrs. Jones protested. apologized and
shed tears. and when the conductor
came back and sent n telegram to the
station agent at Little Falls to find the
bag and send ii to Utica by the next
train she took out her pocketbook and
offered to pay all the expenses. She
even offered to leave the train and go
back to Little Falls herself and bring
ious to do something to repair the
and aid the lawyer in saving
his case. He settled down in his seat,
chewed his tobacco calmly and let her
do all the fidgeting.
When she reached home and told the
story to her daughter, she solemnly
promised that she would never try to
help blind man again.-Chicago Rec
ord.