The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-06-26
THE HELPFUL WOMAN.
Her Excessive Zeal in Putting a Satchel
 Off a Train for a Blind Man.


 Her Excessive Zeal in Putting a Satche
 Off Train for a Blind Man.
 knew good woman once--God nev
 CT made a better-who on her journey
 through life was always trying to bt
 helpful; always looking out to lend z
 hand to her fellow wayfarers and tc
 make the rough paths smoother and
 easier for them, She was never so hap py as when she was making some sac rifice or serving some other person sharing her strength with the weak or her plenty with the poor, and sometimes she overdid it. For the purpose of iden- tification will call her Mrs Jones. | While travelling between Utica and Albany one day blind man was led into the car and placed in the seat behind her. Here was chance for a good Sa- l maritan, and she seized it before any btdy else got ahead of her. She saw that he was comfortably seated, she opened her lunch basket and offered him something to eat; she looked at his tick ct to see that it was right and did eve- rythlng else she could think of to show her interest in fellow being so afflicted He 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 eve ry question and assured him that she would see to his perfect safety. She urged him to be comfortable and con- tented, and promised to let him know when his journey was ended
 When the train slowed up and brake man yelled Little Falls!" she pushed aside several officious persons who of fered 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 station to meet him. After she had bade him goodbye and returned to the car she mo- ticed in the seat he had occupied we'll worn satchel. She seized it instantly, rushed to the door and threw it off to- ward her blind friend on the platform with as much force as she could exert, screaming at the top of her voice:
 You forgot your satcllel."
 Then she returned and took her seat in the car with the consciousness of hav- ing performed Christian duty.
 Pretty soon a rather rough looking person. who had neglected to shave that 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 l was left in that seat?"
 Yes" she replied promptly. Tt be- | longed to blind man, and I threw it | out to him at Little Falls''
 "The l1-l you did!" exclaimed the un- shaven citizen. Whereupon Mrs. Jones, that her friendly interest in | the blind man had possibly caused some | inconvenience to one who had two large, l blazing eyes and was addicted to the to- oacco habit, began to apologize. The stranger listened with an expression on 1is face as if he regretted that murder vas out of style, and when Mrs. Jones
 
 he remarked:
 Madam, permit me to advise you to mind your own blank busi- less, and let blind men and other folks ;ripsacks alone. I am going to Utica O attend court to-day. and that satchel all the documentary evidence n @ case that involves many thousands f dollars. I have got it continued vice on various pretexts, but if l go nto court to-day and tell the judge that
 can't go on because a lunatic has brown my grip at a blind man, he'll i've me the laugh and my clients will be ; obbed. And you are to blame for it." Mrs. Jones protested, apologized and { he'd tears, and when the conductor anne back and sent telegram to the tation agent at Little Falls to find the az and send it to Utica by the next { rain she took out her pocketbook and fered to pay all the expenses. She | I ven offered to leave the train and go | f ack to Little Falls herself and bring ] le bag to Utica. She was eager, anx- z us to do something to repair the dam t ge and aid the lawyer in saving his t ase He settled down in his seat, a 1ewed his tobacco calmly and let her do 2 I the fidgeting. When she reached S 1me and told the story to her daughter a le solemnly promised that she would s ever try to help blind man again. o hicago Record. t