ong presently hid them from my view, and my
attention was suddenly distracted from this melancholy spectacle by the
unusual circumstance of a man coming alone into the car with an infant in
his arms. The cars scarcely paused, and while I watched to see the mother
following her baby the brakeman came in with an armfull of shawls,
satchels, and baskets. The baby soon began to cry; when it was pitiful to
watch the poor fellow's futile efforts to hush its wailings, while he
tossed over the parcels apparently in search of something; but the baby's
cries continued to increase in volume, and the missing article, whatever
it was, refused to turn up.

Mr. Winthrop cast a look on it that might have annihilated a much
stronger specimen of humanity; but the father, as I supposed him to be,
intercepted the wrathful gaze, and his face, already sorrowful looking,
became more distressed than ever.

I waited impatiently for some older woman to go to his relief; but men
and women alike seemed to regard the little waif with displeasure; so at
last slipping swiftly out of my seat lest Mr. Winthrop might intercept
me, I went straight to the poor fellow's relief.

"What is the matter with the baby?" I asked, as sympathetically as I
could.

"He is hungry, and they have taken his food by mistake, I am afraid, to
the baggage car."

"May I take care of him while you go for it?"

"If you only would, I would be so grateful."

I sat down and he put the bit of vocality in my arms, and then hastened
after its dinner. I glanced towards Mr. Winthrop. I fancied that his face
expressed volumes of shocked proprieties; so I quickly withdrew my gaze,
since it was not at all comforting, and devoted myself exclusively to the
poor little baby. Its clothing had got all awry, its hands were blue with
cold, and the tears from its pretty, blurred eyes were running in a
copious stream. I dried its face, took off its cap and cloak, and got its
garments nicely straightened out, and then to complete the cure, for want
of something better, gave it my long suffering watch to nibble. The
little creature may have recognized the soothing effect of a woman's
hands, or it may have been the bright tick, tick which it was gazing at
now with pleased expression, and with its untutored tongue was already
trying to imitate. What the cause was I could not say; but when the
father returned, silence reigned in the car so far as his offspring was
concerned. His face brightened