The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1907-11-10

petted me while they dressed my eye
and | never was SO happy in my life.
Poor little fellow, Is the pain dread
full she asked. ana the doctors and
the nurses All laughed when replied:
Yes. it hurts. but don't care I've
got YOU
well. when they'd got me comfort
able and the old lady had found ont
all she could about me ana had praised
me over and over for what she called
my self sacrificing bravery She start
ed t. 20 saying she would come back
to see mo next day. But. no. | held
on To her hand with all my might
had found Il good thing. ana | wouldn't
give it VI. They couIe,,'t coax or hirc
ne 70 let her 60. It sncllcd her ten
| der heart anl after She found | dilnt
! belong {" anybody She began to ion'-
| thoughtful. She wasn't very well
| dressed. | could sec She wasn't Il
! rich lady. After bordering a minute
| she said that if | wanted to come
| and live with her she would take rly
| home with her after | got well. she
! said: i thought had rather seam
| support for one. but | will try to man
age some way. | can't leave thi
noble little boy without a home
| almost spran@ out Of bed in my joy
and declared that | would work ana
support us both if she would let me
live with her.
And what mother she was 70 me,
| She clothed and fed me and sent nle
to school. She gave me a name ard
civilized me. She entered into all my
boyish interests ana my boyish fur.
and we We're Just the ioIlicSt comrades,
And she gave me just what | WAS
starving for, love and petting. which
many a boy that has q real mother
fails to get. and she made me love he's
as | never expected to love anything
In fact. | didn't know what love was
till that fortunate Thanksgiving dag
when | fell into her arms because her
runaway horse. had hurt me. DO YOU
wonder that | count the loss of that
eye as one of my blessings?
"And | kept my word. | picked VI
all the odd jobs to help support III
both, and somehow everybody was
willing to give me a job. Mother has
said many a time that she has never
Jared any the worse for having taken
me- | always found plenty to do, and
as | grew older and was able to earn
more it was my greatest pleasure T.
give her little luxuries that she had al
WAYS felt that she could not afford.
e ,l,,.,., J,,,rr- ,.tt
always had it when was only little
homeless kid. | tried for some time to
get the position of brakeman. but my
lack of an eye seemed to stand III the
way, till one Thanksgiving day just
three years ago | had a chance to
prove to them that could see better
with one eye than some of them die
with two. and | got the position ana
have held it ever since. Another fortu
nate Thanksgiving. you see. But the
best one is yet to be told.
at was two years ago today that |
was coming into Chicago with heavy
train, and q woman with baby got OF
at a station little way out and took u
seat In the very rear of the coach. she
had on a large cape, and when she got
off in the station at Chicago she car
ried bundle under her cape which !
supposed was the baby. | helped he
off. and | observed she appeared I" /"
i'm the greatest haste.
After the passengers were all OF
when | went through the train to look
for any parcels left what should
find but that woman's baby on the
back seat. 1t was evident the womht
had deserted it Intentionally. The con
ductor called council, and it was &c
cided TO put the kid in q founding a$T
lum until some information could ne
obtained about the woman. ! Wen
back and looked ut the baby hgaii
while they were consulting about it
, and just then it walked up and smilet
at me- Well. if you had seen that baby
smile you could not have resisted i
either just reached oft and tool
her right up and told them | was 20
: ing to take her myself. as it was plain
nobody else wanted her. and she jus