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Show A RAILWAY INCIDENT- . t Human KlndnMt In a Dndlah Youtb, and It Proved to Ho Contagious. It was a hot. dusty day when two or three passengers entered a train on the Iowa Division of the Chicago and Northwestern Road at Bridgewater. Among them was a stylishly-dressed young man, who wore a stiff white hat, "patent-leather shoes, the neatest of cutis, and shiniest of stand-up collars. He carried a cane, and carefully brushed the dust from the seat in front of me before he sat down. Just across the aisle, opposite him, sat a tired woman holding a baby. I never saw in my life a more discouraged, dis-couraged, wornout. despairing look than that on the mother's face. The baby was too sick, even to cry- - It lay moaning and gasping in its mother' lap, while the dust and cinders llew in at the open doors and windows. The heat and dust made travoliug, even for strong men, unbearable. I had put down the stylish young man in front of me as a epecimuu of the dude family, and was making a mental calculation on the probable existence of brains uuder the new hat-w hat-w hen, to my astonishment ho lcaaed over the aisle and said to the woman: "Madam can I be of any assistance to you? Just let me hold your baby a while. You look so very tired." The woman seemed much surprised, though the request was made in the politest and most delicate manner. ! "Oh, thank you, sir," said she, tremulously. tremu-lously. "I am tired," aud her lips quivered. "I think the baby will come to mo," said the young man, with a smile. "Poor thing! It's too sick to make nuy objection. I will ltold it carefully, , madam, while you lio down aud rest a while. , Have you come far?" "From the Black Hills." What! by stage?" "Yes, but the baby was well when I arted. I am on my way to friends in the East. My my husband my " "Ah, yes. I see, 1 see!" continued the young man in a sympathetic tone, as he glanced at the bit of crape in the little traveling hat. By this time ho had taken the baby aud was holding it in his arms. "Now you can lie down and rest a little. Have you far to go?" To Connecticut," 'replied the woman, almost with a sob, us she wearily arranged a shawl over tho valise and prepared to lie down in tho seat. "All, yes, I see! anil you have not money enough to go into a sleeping, ear. have you, madam?" The poor -woman blushed faintly, and put one hand over her face while the tears dropped between her woru fingers. 1 looked out of the window, and a mist came over my eyes, while I changed my calculations of the man g mental ability. Ho looked thoughtfully and tenderly dowu at tho baby, anil iu a abort tiino ttia mother was fust asleep, j The woman sitting across the aisle from mo, who had heard as nitich of the conversation as I hud, came and " offered to rolievo the young man of his charge, 'tl am ashamed of myself for not offering to tnke the baby from the mother before. Poor little" thing. It's asleep." "So it is. I'll surrender it to you now," with a cheerful smile. At this point tho train stopped at a station, and the young man rose in his scat, took off his hat, and said iu a clear, 1 earnest, voice: "Ladies and gentlemen, here is an opportunity for each of us to show that we have been brought up in a Christian land, and have Christian fathers aud mothers. This poor woman." pointing at the slcepiug mother, "has come all the way from the Black Hills and is going to Connecticut. Her husband is dead and her baby is ill. She hasn't money enough to travel in a sleeping-car, and is all tired otit and discouraged. What will you do about it?" "Do?" cried a big man down near the water-cooler, rising excitedly. "Do? Take up a collection" the American citizen last resort iu distress. dis-tress. "I'll give $5." The effect was electrical. The hat went round, and the way silver dollars and quarters aud 10-cent pieces rattled in it would have done any true heart good. I wish I could describe tho look of the woman's face when she awoke and the money was given to her. She tried to thank us all, and failed. She broke down completely. But wo didn't ueed anv thanks. There was a sleeping-car on the train, and tho young man saw the mother and child transferred to it at once. I did not hear what she said to him wbeu he left her, but it must have been a hearty "God bless you." Cincinnati Cin-cinnati Commercial. |