CanÌƒon City record. [volume] (CanÌƒon City, Colo.) 1883-192?, 1909-02-18
A CORPORATIONS SOUL
(By EBERT HUBBARD)

Riding on the Grand Trunk railway
a few weeks ago, from Suspension
Bridge to Chocago, saw a sight so
trivial that it seems unworthy of
mention. And yet l have remembered
it for three weeks. and SO I'll relate
it in order to get rid of it. And possib-
ly these little incidents of life are
the items that make or mar existance.
But here is what 1 saw on that
railway train: Five children, the
Oldest a girl of ten. and the youngest
baby boy of three. They were
travelling alone and had come from
Germany. duly tagged, ticketed and
certified. They were going to their
Grandmother at Waukegan. Illinois.
The old lady was to meet them in
Chicago.
The children spoke not a word of
English, but there is universal lam
guage Of the heart that speaks and is
understood. So the train men and the
children were on very chummy terms
Now, at London, onterio. our train
waited an hour for the Toronto and
we reached London saw the conduct
or take the three smallest little pas
sengers to the wash room at the end
of the rear car, roll up their sleeves,
turn their collars in and duly wash
their hands and faces. Then he
combed their hair. They accepted
the situation as IL they belonged to
the conductors family, as of course
they did for the time being. 1t was
a domestic scene that caused the
whole car to smile, and made every
body know everybody else. A touch
of nature makes a whole coach akin.
The children had bushel basket
full of eatables, but at London that
conductor took the whole brood over
Ito the dining hall for supper and I
saw two fat men scrap as to who
should have the privilege of paying for
the kiddies' suppers. The children
munched and smiled and said little
things to each other in tutonic whis-
pers.
After our train left London and the
train had taken up his tickets, he
came back. turned over two seats
and placed the cushions lengthwise.
One of the train men borrowed one
of the blankets from the sleeping
cars, and with the help of three vol
unteered overcoats, the babies were
all put to bed, and duly tucked in.
1 went back to my pullman and
went ITO bed. And as / dozed of
kept wondering whether the Grand
mother would be there in the morning
to meet the little travellers. What
sort of disaster had deprived them
of parents, l did not know, nor did
I care to ask. The children were alone
but among friends. They were strong
and we'll. but they kept very close
together and looked to the Oldest
girl as mother.
But to be alone in Chicago would
be terrible! Would she come?
And so I slept. In the morning
there was another conductor in
charge. man had not before seen.
1 went into the day coach, thinking
that the man might not know about
the babies, and that / might possib-
ly help the emigrants. But my SER
vices were not needed. The ten-year-
old little other mother, had fresh
ened up her family. and the conduct
or was assuring them, in awfully bad
German, that their Grandmother
would be there,-altho, of course.
he didn't know anything about 1t.
When the train pulled into the long
depot and stopped, the conductor took
the baby boy in one arm and little
girl in the other. A porter carried
the big lunch basket and the little
other mother led little toddler on
each side, lodging the hurrying pes
sengers.
Evidently / was the only spectator
to the play.
"Will she be there will she be
there?" / asked myself nervously.
She was there alright, there at the
gate. The conductor was seemingly
as gratified as I. He turned his
charges over to the old woman, who
was weeping for Joy and hugging the
children between bursts OF lavish,
loving Dutsch.
climbed into a Parmelee bus and
said, Auditorium Annex, please"
And as sat there In the bus. while
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