Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1865-02-02
5&leet Iale.
The Station-Master's Daughter.

had lost sight Of my old college chum,
Fred Pepper, for several years, till | accept
ed an invitation from him last summer to
stay a week with him at bis home in one of
thc midland counties According to ar
rangement, he met me at Wallington June
ton, a station about twenty miles from his
house. the remainder of the journey having
to be performed on a branch of railway.
You will have to take fresh ticket
here" said Fred after | had alighted from
the train, and we had greeted each other
with hearty shake of the hand You
will find the booking-officc at the upper end
of the PLATFORM"
went to the window indicated by my
friend, and obtained the needful ticket !;
noticing at the same time that | was wait
cd upon by a young women-rather an un-
usual case in England, believe, though not
50 untrcquent in Scotland quite mite of
a Young women, so slenderly propOrtioned
was she, 50 light Of figure with large, shy,
brown eyes, and brown hair; with small,
pale, ciearly-cut features; hardly to be call
4 cj pretty, but with an expression of candor
and good temper that was infinitely pleas
4 mg. Whatever touches of adornment the
otherwise dingy Office had received were
due to her busy little fingers; to her evil
IDENTIFY belonged the three pots Of scarlet
gcraniums, and the box of mignonette in
the window the canary, lively and loud
syoiced in its circular wire cage the Ella
soorate piece of embroidery on the desk :;
and green-backed volume of poems.
Are all your booking clerks in this part
ri the country as charming as the one who
~ inst yr.ait,1 E
d Fred
All, you have seen little Madge Carlis-
#1on ! suppose" said he but You must
mot expect to fint another like her. Have
you never heard of her before Well, then,
must relate to you little circumstance
8whch happened three or four years ago,
and which made Madge quite heroine in
these parts. Let rs secure a compartment
to ourselves and then you shall have it."
My friend was we'll known on the line,
ana the guard civilly locked the door at his
1Idd ng, and secured us from intrusion
Having liked ourselves, therefore, comfort
ably IN opposite corners, Fred proceeded to
favor me with the following narrative
Iwo years ago commenced he, old
David Carllst0n, the father of Madge. was
station-master at Birkwood, a little road
side place about fifteen miles from Walling-
ton junction. David had been a soldier in
his younger days, could show two or three
medals, and had probably obtained his post
On the line through the interest of some
friendly director, rather than from any par
tlcuIar aptitude he himself displayed He
mad been widower for many years, and
ais small household was managed by his
laughter Margaret, or Madge, as she was
generally called by her father and every
one else.
There was very little traffic. either in
goods OF passengers at Birkwood so that
The HE led by David and his daughter was
very lonely one the village of Birkwood
NseIt, which contained only about couple
9l hundred inhabitants, lying mile and
nan away down the main road
1t thus fell out that Madge, having
much leisure time on her hands gradually
Initiated herself into the duties of clerk at
small station being, indeed very nimble
with her pen. and in that respect the re-
verse Of David. His duties were over by
'iShl o'clock in the evening, there being no
ram which stopped at Birkwood between
4 "'". hour and seven in the morning and
"aElhs seen that his night-signals were all
sa'. the old soldier would, if the weather
,';m, "as me, generally trudge down into the
cra' ."@se' 10 smoke his pipe and drink an
,rL:i Jgn5hS glass lat the Farriers' Arms, at
rd.: "l.eN place, by virtue of his military ex-
"a rl'agHces and his two medals, he was look
- upon as hero whose dctum was in no
- 1@g ,L 70 be disputed. These nightly visits
SUM ule tarrlers' Arms were source of no
"4'''i alSquletude to Madge, for it not un-