The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1860-12-19
ASHLAND ASHLAND COUNTY OHIO. WEDNESDAY MORN


scattered the gray mists of the morning. My
bed, fellow was breathing heavily, but it was
broad daylight and there was no more sleep in
me, so was determined Horace should wake
up and hear the story of the railroad break
down. I turned quickly and gave the sleeper
sudden shake. As rapidly as my motion,
my ed-fellow who had lain with his back to-
wards me, sprang to a sitting position. There
are such surprises as are without terror which
deprive is of our speech, until the brain had
time to act and reason. Such surprises do not
generate screams and taints. They are ex-
pressed by open-mouthed and silent wonder.
This was the case wish myself and bed fellow,
as we sat upright and stared. Right by my
side, with her face within two feet of my own,
sat young woman. not more than seventeen,
with great, dark, hazel eyes, an1 suehsereat
masses of brown cnrls. tucked away pader the
neatest little night-cap that ever was. she
had gathered the bed clothes with a spasmod-
ic jerk up about her throat, and with the most
rigid astonishment looked as though doubling
whether she was sleeping waking, gazed
steadily in my eyes. Memory serves man
but Ii tie in such cases, but if my memory
serves me right, it was who first spoke. 1
blurted out with.
"How came you here ?' .-.
The figure stared, still in speechless aston
ishment, but in moment, as though awaken
ed from its stupefactions, sppke;
'sAre you Charles Morgan p!
"N ell, then, MIR. Morgan," said the figure,
by this time calm, and with quite as much dig
nifty as though in the drawing room, 81 am
May Stevens, and I was put in this room after
an unex pected arrival. Horace had gone over
to neighbor's few miles off, before / got
here, and was not to return till to-day. That
is how WIS fut in this rooIn."
So here was sitting uis uis to this May
Stevens. that mystical lady, for the first eet.
ing with whom 1 intended 10 get up such
snrper,atives toilet? A nice style of introduc-
ton, Il nice sty lie of toilct7 And she-she by
this time was as cool as the 21st of December,
and sat looking me right in the eyes as | made
some rambling e1l lanation of my being in that
extraordinary position. 1t was a lame expla-
natiQn, wonderfully mixed up with irrelevant
matter. and stammered and suffered through
in way that shoId have digusted any
sensible person She seemed to be seriously
pondcring during the recital and its end, look
ing at me as though asking the most simple
question in the world, said:
"W hats to be done?' 4..o-L --- =.
ssLet me jnmp out of the window as came
in" said l, in a sickly tone of Voice, for the
thought came to me that to achieve this end,
| must make snHie desperate display of myself
in style of costume which l deprecated.-
ssNo, that viii not do; there are people NOV
ing about and you will be seen"
''What's to be done 2" For / say that the
little hazel eyed girl was superior to me in
presence of mind and energy of action. She
did not wait long to answer my question.
'.You must lie still here until can get up.
When L have left the raom you can rise, dress
and go away at the first opportunity" was her
response delivered in quiet and business like
manner.
And SO I did. Under Nay Stevens com
mand l buried my head under the bed clothes,
aud kept well covered till heard the Fetreat-
ing footsteps on the stairs, which WAS but a
few momcnts, though it seemed an age; then
with desperate bound sprang from the bed,
turned the key on the departed opa. It vas
the quickest dressing I ever made, and [ will
venture to say that no man ever sneaked out
of his own apartments more stealthily than
did
That morning we met May Stevens and l,
at the breakfast tablet in the character of
the newly arrived that morning-and were
formally introduced, during the ceremony of
which, ~e aston:shed every one present, and
planted a thorn Of worder in the sides of Net
tie and Carrie, by busting simultaneously into
hearty laugh, which we never fail to repeat
when tie memory of ou- meeting comes up
a nd now, cousin Jane, you have the whole
story of how first met my wife"