Rensselaer Republican, Volume 14, Number 1, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 September 1881 — An Incident. [ARTICLE]

An Incident.

Mrs. Annie A, Preston. "Cara stop twenty minuths 1 for refreshments,” called out Conductor Ri*jhard*ou at Allen’s Junction. Then, the train came to a dead halt, he Jumped down, and ran along the platform to where the engine stood, and said to the engineer: “Frank, 5 J want you to come back with me to the first passenger coach, .and see a little girl that I hardly know what to makcF of.” ■ The engineer wiped his hands, donned bi 3 coat, b hanged, his litMe black, greasy cap for pis Soft, felt hat—taking these up” articles from the tender-box, where an engineer always lias something stowed away for an emergi ncy—and went back to the coach as requested. He entered the .coach, and made his way to the seat where the kind-hearted conductor sat talking to a bright-look-ing little girl about ? yeais old, eddiy dressed in a woman's shawl and bouUefcc Several of the passengers were grouped around the sea*, evidently much interested in the child, who wore a sad, prematurely old countenance, but seemed to be neither timid nor confused. . . “Here Is the engineer,” said the conductor, kindly, as Frank appealed. She heldjip her hand to him. with a wiuuiug smile breaking over herpiuched jitlle face and said: “My papa was an engineer before he became sick and went to live on a farm in Montana. He is dead, and my mamma is dead. She dieel first before Susie and Willie. My papa used to tell me after he should be dead there would bo no.one to take care of me, and then I , must go on the cars and go to his old home in Vermont, and he said if the conductor wouldn't let me ride because . I hadn't any ticket,T mu.-t ask sos the engineer, and teU'him I was J tines Kendrick’s little girl, and that be used to run on the M and G - Road.” •

The pleading blue eyes were'no.v full id tears, hut -he did not cry / ilfter the thamicr oT children in general. Engineer Frank now quickly stooped and kissed her very tenderly,*nd then, as he brushed the tears awav from his own eyes,said: '“Welf, my dear, you are little Bessie Keudrick? It is m3’ opinion a merciful Providence guided vou oh board this tralu.” “Then turning to the croup of passengers, he went on: “Lknew Jim Kendrick, the father of *•'is little girl, well. He Was a mau out of ten thousand. When 1 tint dame to Indiana—before I got I wa- ek-k a great part of tiie time so that I could not work, and I got homesick and discouraged—could not keep my board bill paid up, not to mention >my doctor’s b*ll and didn’t much care whether I lived or not.” ‘‘One day when th 4 pay car came along, and the men were getting their monthly wages, there wasn’t a cent coming to me, for I hadu’t been free from thd.ague, nor worked an hour for the last month. “I felt so blue that I sat down on a pile of raihoad ties and leaned my elbows on my kuees, with my head on my hands, and cried like a great boy out of sheer homesickness and discouragement. ' •‘Pretty soon one of the railroad men came along and said in a voice tl at sounded like sweet music in mv ears, for I hadn’t found symuathy out there, although the b >ys were all good to mein-tbeir way: ‘You have been having a rough time of it,and j-ou murt let me help you aut.’ ‘•1 looked up and there stood Jim Kendrick, with his month’s pay in bis hand. He took out from the roll of bills a S2O note and handed it to me. ‘‘l knew he had a sicklv wife and two or three children, and‘that he had a hard time of, it himself, to pull through from month to mouth, so I said, half ashamed of the tears that were streaming down my face: ‘lndeed I cannot take the money. You need every cent ot it yourself.’ “•Mudeed, you will take it. man,’ said Jim, *\ou will be all right in a few da>s, and then you can pav it back. Now come home with me' to supper and see the babies: it will do you good.’ “I took the baiik note ’ : 'e .. e j the invitation, and after t to his house frequently uutil he moved away, aud Igtadu .<ly lost sight of him 1 had returned tii» loan, but it was impossible to rep: y 1h > good that little act ot kindness did me, and I rather guess Jun Kendrick'slittle girl here WiUt f ° T auylLiu « if 1 ““ Then tpruing agiin to t’*e child, whose bine eyes were wide euoug h no w, the engineer said to her: ?Tll t ike you home with me, Bcnde d« r , when we get up to Wuvne. My wife will hx you up, and we will write and find ous whether those Vermont relations really want you or not. If they do, Mary or I shall go on with y? u - M they don’t care much about having you, yon sball stay with usand be our Jittle girl, for we have none of our own. Vou look very much like your father, God bless his memory.” Just then the train whistled. “All aboard, was shouted, engineer Frank vanished out of the car door and went forward to his engines wiping his eves with his coat sleeve, while the conductor and sympathetic passengers could not repress the tears this touching little episode evoked during the twenty unnutes’ stop at Allen's Junction.

President Garfield and the Colt. «4Japrain Henry, Marshal of flie District of Columbia, tells the following story of the President When he was nine years old: ’V “His mother'did notown a horse, and he thought there was nothing In the tforid quite ao nice as riding on

horseback. His uncle, Mr. Boynton, who owned the farm next to his mother’s, had a wild, four-year-old colt, wnich bad never been ,handled At all. He ran loose in a pasture near his mother’s house. The boy, by gradual degrees, got the animal so he would come to tho fence to be rubbed and potted. He continued to pet him for many days, and finally used to climb the fence and rub his Back. At length he put his bare foot over the top of the fence and Upon the colt’s back. The colt crouched somewhat, and did not seem to relish the proceeding, but still did not run away. The colt bad at first been disposed to bite every time he was touched,and the boy now thought he had so far tamed the colt that the next day hq would attempt to ride. By the most gradual stages the act of mounting was accomplished. The boy was at his post on the fence In good time, and the colt came forward for bis daily dote of petting. The attempt was made by the youth to get On culiarly good terms with his brute companiqn. He rubbed and patted and scratched him. Finally the bare foot was placed upon the back, and the leg slipped gradually down upon the opposite side of the animal, ana in an instant he was on th* spot where saddle baJ never been. The oolt was as wild as the Ukrane steed to whose back Mazeppa wasAied. “He looked as though the speed'of thought Weraln Ilia limbs: but he was wtldi Wild a* the wild deer/and untaught; with spur and bridle undented.”

“The boy placed his hands firmly in the mane of the colt, while the latter at the first crouched low down and sidled away, until, finding that the the load was firmly fixed Upon HUT back, he began a series of most vigorous rearings and kickings. Findng that this was not likely to accomplish the desired end, the colt started as fait as he cjould run across the field in the direction of a Jarge oak tree with wide spreading branches which came down close to the ground. The boy made up his mind that be was destined to be swept off by the oak, and he determin *d to escape such a fate. He accordingly let go of the mane and gradually slipped back and dowp over the rymp sis the colt as he ran. Just as he struck the ground the colt gave a most vigorous kick with both feet. The boy felt the breeze that the swift blow created sweep his face, but he was unharmed. He didn’t spend and more time courtipg the colt, however.”