Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1914-03-07
We All Need the Milk
Of Human Kindness

Good morning, Sand Farmer"
called one Of the "heavy sitters," as
the Sand Farmer entered the store
where the postmaster presided over
ahe cracker barrel, as well as the let
kerS, papers and postal cards, which
happened to land at Smithville.
Good morning" responded the
Sand Farmer, 81 hope you are useful
this morning"
Useful" laughed another holding
down a chair, "he is about as useful
As a bump on a log. Sam, are you
what the Sand Farmer calls useful q"
Well" said Sam, 81 amt exactly
sseful perhaps, but / don't know as |
take up much more room on this ere
earth than you do, and if you could
Keep that mouth of your'n closed long
enough, the Sand Farmer might tell
uS the story he told them fellers up to
the church last night. From the way
Jim Brown was ataIkin' j should think
every man up there was going TO raise
mOtherless babies for a livingp
Tell us the story" shouted the
whole chorus of heavy sitters, and the
boys" as he always thinks of a
bunch" of men, and began his story:
at was this way. l was coming
"a from Frisco, on the Senta Fe, be-
cause | had little business that way,
and had made my reservation a week
before so as to be sure Of a berth in
che middle Of the car.
81 got lower 7, and over in lower
was young woman about thirty
years old, and she was a real queen,
/ tell you. Large chested, clear gray
eyes, that could shoot steel arrows, or
make you think combination of
daisies and blue stars was looking at
you when she was really interested.
"She had big, fat, rosy baby of
five or six months, that could ring the
dinner bell loud enough to make the
cook get busy, and he kept poundin'
away about every three hours
up in lower l was a big westerncr,
that stood about six feet two, with
fOrty-siy-inch chest, and not a pound
OF fat on him, one Of those fellows
THAT took as if he could rope asteer,
and the steer would just come right in
without a struggle, for he knew it was
RIO use when the lariat dropped over
his head if Big Bill was On the other
end OF it
''He seemed to be pretty interested
m s7UT- ething lying on the seat in front
of nm and kept looking back at low
Sr G.
after L while | heard the faint lit
tic ,-TY 20 sick baby. 1t went right
20 my heart, for it was like the little
frerful cry my first boy put up for
ETs Fnonths, while | was carrying him
up and down the floor every night,
irving TO make the pain little easier.
But 1t was no use, and he went to the
Fathers home, where there is no more
pawn. bHt the ache in my heart stayed.
/, g guess ! got off the track, l was
selling you about Bill, wasn't | ?"
well he got out q bottle, and got
the porter to get some hot water, and
he tried 10 mix up some condensed
MIX, and pour it into that nursing
bottle. He looked like an elephant
fecd5ng humming bird, and put the
rubber nipple in that baby's mouth.
''9he little ones cries came like
protests, though stifled by the nipple
''The baby in lower was sleeping
ike an angel, and Big Bill kept look
ing at the queen with a kind of mute
appeal in his eyes. But he stuck close
TO that baby of his.
THAT thing kept up until the cherub
In lower had rung his dinner bell
three times, and his meal had been
served. Then something happened.
Big Bills face grew white as death,
and his big jaws went shut like a
steel trap. He covered up that little
bundle on the seat, and started down
the car to lower 6.
d" Beg pardon, madam, but would
you do me a great favor?' said Bill.
''The queen looked at him with a
mothers look, that somehow you know