Year: 1877

"Dinner ready?" said the baggage mas
ter to his wife.


"Of course!7 said the wife in a tone of
astonishment.


"fes, yes" said the baggage master,
"you're afraid of your glass"


And then they laughed together.


ou don't know what he means"
said the rosy little woman to me.


"Why, when Pm in a temper smash
things" said the husband, ard went his
way.


SIN a trmper," said the wife. Why,
Tom couldn't be in temper if he tried.
Tom in temper! Good gracious! But I'll
tell you what he means, if you like-for
you couldn't get it out of him. And as
I've half an hour before me, and my
darning in hand, and you're waiting for
the stage, = ssont waste time for either of
us. There was time when l didn't
think much about that, but that was
good while ago.


"My husband was baggage master on
this very line when l married him, and
they said he was the most careful one
ever known. No forget. .llness in him.
Never drank drop aud never snubbed
the poor, bewildered people who asked
questions. Good natured he was as
could be, and as firm as if he hadn't been
good-natured, and | was silly, irrespon-
sible girl, who had been at school a
month before that of nv wedding day,
| and knew as much Of housekeeping as
mouse.


"I[e had saved good deal of money,
| and had built pretty house with only
four rooms in it, besides the kitchen, but
each as pretty as picture and big bow
| window in the parlor that had cost ever
so much. In the window plants were set
and an aquarium. No one had prettier
parlor anywhere. 1t was the pride of my
heart


''The great road ran just past the cor
ner it was at Liliput junction that we
lived-and below was the depot, and the
train Stacked up going through The town.
When Tom ate breakfast at home, which
wasn't often, he kept len mirutes 20 get
to the cars before they started, and so
was never in hurry.


| "Well one morning he had bad break
fast at home, and had fifteen minutes to
spare, when some one came rushing past
the house on horseback, and cried out 10


Tom that old Hill, brakeman on the
road had just been very much hurt by a
| train and he was going for a docJor.
Tom liked old Hill, and he started to his
feet at once. "Bessie," said he, l must
see the poor old fellow. have ten min
utes or more for it. l can run to the
depot in three. Now, take my keys, my
dear, and have them at the door for me
when pass. Remember how important
| it is"


"You see the great bunch of keys were
heavy, and he didn't care to carry them
all down to where old Hill was and back.
And didn't wonder at it as l lifted them
from the table, checks and chains and
all. And l meant to stand at the door
as he came up; but there was some time
to spare, so just ran into the back yard
to tell Mrs Jones, next door, over the
fence, about the accident 70 poor Hill
and got talking, and the time passed as
time will in cha,; and ten minutes is
nothing you know.


"And our house was ON the street. one
of row. There was no getting TO the
back door without going around the whole
of them. And the door had patent
lock and the big bow window was fast
ened down; and while | was chatting
like magpie, didn't see my husband
flying up the road, with three good min
utes before him, 10 get his keys and run
to the depot in. Bessie" he cried, at
the gate; but didn't hear him. Bessie
he shouted, as he shook the door-and
there were my ears filled with the story
my neighbor was telling me about the
tipsy woman she'd seen run over, and
you see Tom had tried the window by
this time and found it down, and he bad
two minutes and half left; and man
who misses his duty on railroad pays,
for it, tell you; and it wasn't temper,
mark that it wasn't because he felt like
smashing my window because kept him
waiting; it was to do his duty, come
what might of it; andi was grand ofhim,
| say. The next second Tom was through
that plate glass window with crash,
and the bits lay scattered on the floor
and on the ground, and some were in
his flesh, but he had his checks and his
keys, and was off flying.


"There never was man that ran a
race that ran so before; and a minute after
when l. without my bonnet, and not.car-
lily II DlJ Wlldb OuO vi
stood staring down the road, l saw the up
train run by. and my Tom standing on
the platform Of the last baggage car, with
his keys and checks in abelt about bis
waist, tying up his bleeding hand in his
pocket handkerchief; and in the midst of
1t, hurt as he was, much as he lost in that
great window, angry as he should have
been at me-for had been the cause of
it all-my Tom mods his head to me and
shouts at the top of his voice, so that 1
heard him above the sound of che train,
'All right Bessie!"


"But oh! it wasn't all right with me
until l saw him again, and would have
gone down on my knees to him TO beg
and pray him to forgive me, only he
wouldn't let nae, but he took me in his
arms instead. He's that kind of a great,
strong, splendid man, is Tom, that he
couldn't get angry at woman.


"But it was lesson to me, and, as
Tom says, I'm always on time, whatever
| have to do"