Story: Old Nanny's Light In The Window - 1880

From the Niles Weekly Mirror February 4, 1880

On the Michigan Central railroad, ten miles from Detroit [near the Village of Dearborn], stands an old farm house, now desolate, and fast going to decay. There, until lately, lived a poor woman whose husband and sons had been [rail] road-hands, and lost their lives in the service. Seven or eight years ago, when her last child left home to meet a violent death on this same road, the men of the rails became interested in the quaint old farm-house.

One night they saw a bright light in one of the windows. Its rays streamed out over the flowers, and fell upon the rails along which the wheels thundered, and the engineer wondered over the signal. The lamp was there the next night, and the next, and it was never missed for a single night, until one evening a month ago.

Old Nan, deprived of husband and children, made friends with the rushing trains and their burdens. The trainmen soon found that the lamp was for them, and they watched for it. During the early evening hours, they saw old Nanny's face behind the light or at the door, and a thousand times conductors, engineers and brakemen have called cheerily through the darkness - "Good-night, Nanny. God bless you!"

Winter and summer the light was there. Winter and summer the train men looked for it, and the more thoughtful ones often left a bit of money with the station men beyond to help the old woman keep the bright rays shining. The lamp was not there for one train, but for all, and all men understood the sentiment and appreciated it.

One dark night, not long ago, when the wind howled, and rain beat fiercely against Headlight and cab, the engineers missed the light. They looked for it again and again, as one who suddenly misses an old landmark in a city, and they failed to find it the hand instinctively went up to the throttle, as if danger lurked on the curve below.

Next day men went down to the little old house, fearing old Nanny might be ill. There sat the lamp on the window sill, but the oil was exhausted. In her bed, seeming to have only fallen asleep, was the poor old woman, cold and dead. Life and lamp had gone out together and the men of rough manner and hardened heart replied, as they heard the news: "Poor old woman! May her spirit rest in heaven!"

From the Niles Weekly Mirror, February 4, 1880 - [NWM-1880-0204]