The Kindness of a Stranger – 1900
HEART OF A TRUE WOMAN
A Very Pretty Story of the Kindness of an Actress
Coming toward Butte from Seattle the other night on the train there was a baby and its mother. All the passengers in this particular were well aware of its presence. The mother was a pale faced little woman with sunken eyes, the baby was sick and the passengers were sleepy. Only one of them, perhaps, wished it wouldn’t die. This one crept out of her berth and stole down the aisle to the scene of the squalling.
The two women looked at each other and the mother at once knew that the face which peered into her berth was that of a friend, and then the baby was relinquished, its little form gathered close to that of the stranger and carried safely along the aisle to a comfortable lower berth.
The wails continued for awhile, but gradually grew softer until they were hushed and everything was quiet. In the morning the sleepless guardian of the child carried it back to its mother, whom she found still asleep, and who could only smile her gratitude when she awakened.
Then the one who had done this little act of kindness sat down in a seat. When her berth had been made up the mother arose and came to where she was. The little woman tried to say something in the way of thanks, but was interrupted with, “You need a good, warm breakfast, don’t you?” “Oh, no,” was the reply, “I shall do very well until I get to Missoula, where my husband will meet me, besides – “ and then, seeing that she had let the cat out of the bag she was silent. “Very well,” said the other, “but I think we had better go into the dining room together. I hate to eat alone.” So they went in, and when, one after another, the members of the “Brown’s in Town” company arose they wondered where Miss Jessie Hall was.
They found her in the dining car feeding little tid-bits to a pale baby and bringing smiles through the tears that yet were hardly dry on the mother’s face. – Anaconda Standard.
The above article appeared in the Daily Democrat-Messenger, a Missoula newspaper, on Jan.2, 1900.