Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-11-23
DAILY. STORY.
THE DOG NURSE.
IOriginal.1


the engineer of train l was about tC
take oil his engine when a dog appear
ed carrying in his mouth tin dinner
pail. The engineer took the pail, put II
in his cab, and the dog trotted away.
IAN intelligent dog that l remark
ed.
You bet" replied the engineer HE
brings me my dinner every day. But
he did Il bigger thing than that once"
What was it?"
Il haven't time to tell you now. Get
into the cab and ride with me-there's
long straight stretch about ten miles
out, with no stops-and III tell you.
It's against the rules. | know. for any
one to ride on the engine, but they let
me do pretty much as l please. I've
been OH this road long while"
Glad to accept the invitation, 1 got up
into the cab. sat on the left seat and
the engineer told his story:
Il was driving the Lightning express
over the road one day and was moving
along at a steady gait. We'd come to
this part of the road. where there are
few houses and the cattle guards are
all in order. It's the only part on the
line where | let up in keeping my eye
on the rails every second. At least It
was then, but it isn't now and hasn't
been since that day. I'll talk going
over it, but l won't take my eye from
the front
well. as said. was running along
pretty glib when L wanted some tobac-
co out of the box on the side you're oc-
cupying and concluded to go over and get
it. / glanced up the track. and it was
clear of everything for Il mile unless it
might be in the shade of tree about a
mile ahead in front of farmhouse. 1
left my post and. going over. opened
the box. The tobacco was in q vest
pocket and the vest had got mixed up
with some of those things. so couldn't
find IT right off, but | couldn't have
been hunting more than n minute. At
any rate l soon got back to my place,
and it seemed to me that something's
dog. suspected-was on the right rail
under the big tree that was casting the
shadow.
Il went ON. The thing didn't move.
and it kept getting palmer and palmer
till l saw 1t wasn't dog, but what 1t
was couldn't tell. 1t wasn't as big as
a big dog. and it was bigger than lit
tie one. If the sun had been shining on
it l could have seen what it was at
once, but the branches of the tree
above were thick, and the leaves were
thick. and the shadow was thick.
''All of a sudden l saw what it was
Il child sitting on the rail, a very small
child, not much more than old enough
to walk. For a few seconds l stopped
what it was to shut off and
reverse. Then my eyesight came back
to me, and there sat little girl
1T all depended on whether she was
old enough to see her danger and get
up. / knew the train would come to Il
stop just about where she was; but,
great Scott. if it didn't stop before it
reached her, it didn't matter how slow
it was going it would crush her. The
picture before me then is before me
now, and for months after I'd wake UP
toward morning to see II again, the
child's figure becoming more and more
distinct and her features gradually re-
vealing themselves. She had set her
doll on the tie and leaned it up against
the rail opposite. There sat the doll.
and there sat the girl, and l wished
there were a thousand dolls and no
girl.
The train moved slower and slower
till it got within, say, hundred feet
Of the child. She didn't seem to care
any more about it than for the breeze
that rustled the leaves about her. She
didn't even look at us. / think she
was talking to her doll. Here was 1 |
on to kill her without any pow
er to keep from doing so. Every sec |
md the great mass of iron was getting |
loser.
Just as got within about forty feet |
IF her she turned and looked at me. |
And what do you think she did? Just |
sat there and-smiled.
There was the baby figure, lot of |
lax hair tossed over her forehead, Il
pair of blue eyes, chubby cheeks, a |
limple in each, smiling at me. jerk
ID on the lever. l prayed and cursed.
stamped like mailman.
suddenly there was a streak of
darting from the house In q
straight line for the child. l was too
aiken up with her and the thing was
,oing too fast for me to see what 1t
vas. But it wasn't a man nor woDl-
IN nor boy nor girl. IL wasn't any
hing human. The first knew what 1t
vas was seeing a dog seize the child's
lress in its teeth and give her pull.
Then the engine went past where she
vas. / looked out of the window and
aw a mass of child's clothing, hair
nd shoes right under the cab. 1 jump
d out and picked her up.
"She smiled at me.
''Then came her mother tearing out
# the house like mad after her dog
urse had saved her child, snatched the
title thing out of my arms and took
N like as IL she was beside herself.
aboard, but / had to let my
reman take the engine for a spell.
Ill t. Il /