The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1912-01-03

holding between his fingers I'VE
yeilow-backed billsl
Il am going to put these bills In
to my hat" he continued. "and then
am going to walk from here to my
seat near the rear Of the car. l
shall not ask any one of you to give
anything, for I do not feel that
have right to do that. But as
pass down this aisle. II any of you
feel that you would like to add
something to the child's little store,
Just speak to me. or touch my arm
and you shall have the chance"
Speak to him? Touch his arm?
They fairly mobbed him! The
whole car was on its feet to a man,
to a woman. Every man with his
wallet, every woman with her purse,
crowding past each other to get to
the car aislel He could hardly
make his way to the cars end and
when he did get there, ne mad both
hands under that soft black Stetson
hat-for it was overlooking with
notes and coin.
And just then the conductor
swung open the rear door and
stepped in.
"Hullo! What's up?"
In a modest WORD or two the old
man told him what he had tried to
do. And now comes another tnlIg
that | can never forget it is that
conductors answer.
Listen! have always despised
slang; and few words have seemed
more hateful to me than the word
kid" when applied to child. But
for once in my life at least slang
was good, magnificent; and the
word kid" beautiful. 1t was when
that big conductor, with tears
streaming down his face, thrust his
hand in his pocket, and cried out:
Hold on. here! You must let me
chip in | have got n few Kids
myself"
After that I closed my ewes the
better to think and dream, and must
have fallen asleep, for | remembered
no more until startled by the big
conductors voice shouting, Ever
green'" .-..-......
was on my feet in a moment,
and saw him coming down the aisle,
the child in one arm and his little
belongings in the other: and behind
him the dear old man, his face shin
ing like the sunrise, and a big fat
railroad envelope clutched in both
hands.
In a moment the car was empty.
Every man of us was on the plat
form with the child. And there was
the good superintendent insisting on
giving a receipt for the fat envel-
ope. And there were the women,
some laughing and some crying and
kissing the child goodbye And
there, too, were the men, patting
him on the back, and not knowing
quite what to do next.
And the child-what OF him?
why, his eyes were misty, and he
seemed a little bewildered withal,
but smiling for the first time that
day. And in his eyes, despite the
tears, there was a light that was
good to see, for it was tire daybreak
of a new home and a new opportu-
nifty.
"AlT aboard" And we we're soon
back in our seats; and it was once
more only a common railway coach
racing southwark.
No; it was no longer common,
and could never be. 1t was like a
temple. A strange hush fell upon
us ALL And through the stiffness I
could once more hear the dear and
ancient words; once more their mu-
sick wreatched itself with the throb
of the racing wheels; music sad
enough. but Infinitely sweet and
triumphant: "Inasmuch-as We
did it-unto one of the least-of
these-ye did it-unto Mel"
And | thought: So it might be
always and everywhere. Had we
only eyes to see and hearts to feel
there need no longer be any COM
mon thing or place. All would be
sacred-every roof temple room,
and every acre a Gods acre
+ Western Christian Advocate.