The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1899-07-26
THE HELPFUL WOMAN
SHE WAS TOO ANXIOUS TO ASSIST
HER FELLOW MORTAlS.


HER FELLOW MORTAlS.
the Welfare of Blind Man on n
Train Got Her Into Trouble With
the clustering Man.
l knew q good woman once-God
never made better-who on her jour-
ney through life was always trying to
be helpful; always looking out to lend
q hand to her fellow wayfarers and to
make the rough paths smoother and
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 I 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 be-
hind her. Here was q chance for q
good Samaritan, and she seized it 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 it was right
and did everything else she could think
of to show her interest in q 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 a
brakeman yelled, Little Fallsw she
pushed aside several off1cious 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 bidden
him goodby and returned to the car she
noticed in the seat he had occupied o
we'll worn satchel. She seized it in
stantly, rushed to the door and threw
it 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 Christian duty.
Pretty oon q rather rough looking
pers 10 had neglected to shave
thar rning 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 satchel
that was left in that seat?'
yes" she replied promptly. ut be-
longed to blind man, and | threw it
out to him at Little Falls
"The blank you did" exclaimed the
unshayen citizen, whe--AAnDon Mrs.
Jones, perceiving that he friendly in
terest in the blind man mad 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-
gretted 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. I am going to
Utica to attend court today, and that
satchel contained all the documentary
/ evidence in q case that involves many
thousands CT dollars. I have got it
continued twice on various pretexts,
but if go into court today and tell the
judge that I can't go on because a
lunatic has thrown my grip at q 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 a telegram 10 the
station agent at Little Falls to find the
bag and send it 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 so
back to Little Falls herself and bring
the bag to Utica. She was eager, anA-
ious to do something to repair the
damage and aid the lawyer in saving
his case. He settled down IN his seat
chevcd his tobacco calmly and let her
do all the tidgeting.
M