The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1868-05-08
From Dickens Once q Week
Following a Phantom.

railway men are made of the same stun
as other men, and have hearts under
their uniform coats. -
1t was no business of mine, il, while
! I was at the London terminus of the
Great Dividend and Longshare Rail
way, I examined the tickets aud un-
locked the carriages on the departure
platform-it was no business of mine if
q tall, fair girl, in deep mourning came
twice week regularly, and showed
me her ticket for Westgate, return,
second class. But somehow il seemed
to be my business, when had unlocked
an empty carriage aud handed her in
as we'll as / could, that l should
lock that door again without bangi ng
it. and then take care that no one else
went in but lady-like females. Of
course could not help it, but from the
very first day-cold winterly day
when, thinly dressed, she came shiver-
ing along the platform, l seemed 10
have a strange interest III her; and as
the weeks slipped by, l found myself
Hooking out for her regularly. 1t was
easy to see, from the music-roll she ear
ried and the return ticket, that she
went down the line to give lessons.
called myself fool, and thought of
my salary las a guard, and my position in
| life as compared with the graceful,
lady4like girl who used to come float
ing along towards me every Monday
and Wednesday morning, looking so
pale, sad and careworn that first began
BY plying her., and then-well never
mind now.
One cold December day was shifted
for q week on to the arrival platform.
and so missed seeing her leave; but l
carefully watched every train that came
in till saw her get out. Without see
ing me, she hurried away. Well, there
was nothing to sigh for there, you'll
say; but did sigh all the same, and
was turning away, when saw the
searching porter with music roll in
his hand, which some one had lost in a
carriage. -....... --.....
"Here! / know who that belongs
to-" said, snatching it from him; and
then, seeing that he was going to make
bother, slipped six-pence into his
hand, and ran out of the station.
Just in time: ! could see her at the
bottom of the street, and, catching hold
of one of the boys hanging abont for
job, pointed the tall figure out, and
told him to follow her to where she
lived, and Esme back and tell me.
And not send the music roll No; l
meant to take that. / did not know
why, but there seemed something pleas
ant in the idea of being servant to her,
and waiting on her; and kept telling
myself so as / walked back to attend to
my duty.
Next morning / was in quiet, shah
by, lodging-letting place leading out of
Cover Street, North, with the music
roll in my hand, looking out for No. 81.
1t was easy enough to find, but some
thing seemed 10 make Inc walk past two
or three times before I could summon
courage to go up and ring. But at last
1 did, thinking how foolish it was,
when / only had to deliver the lost par
Gel, and come away. .gr.
SO rang gently, and waited; rang
and waited; and then a aredfaced woman
came to the door.
"You have young lady who teaches
music"
Second floor 'front.'" she said snap
pishly. "Why don't you knock twice 7
Bells for the ground floor. There, so
upw
L took off my cap, wiped my shoes,
and, feeling ashamed of my uniform for
the first time in my lite, went slowly
up to the second floor, and then stopped;
for could hear piano, and the sweet
est voice / ever heard was singing to it
in a low tone. l stopped, listening and
drinking in the sweet sounds with my
heart beating heavily, for it was long
way up; and should have stopped long
er, had / not heard ssme one comirg
up the stairs. Then l knocked, and n
voice cried, "Come "
turned tho handle two or three
times, for it was old and worn, and
then, entering, stood blushing like a
great girl, and trembling before the
tall pale lady and some one lying upon
a sofa in front of a very miserable fire.
Such bare, chilly room, and so pale
and cold both the inmates looked, as |
stood observing all could in the first
glance.
"Oh, mamma, the music !" cried the
pale girl, rising from her seat by the
piano, and running towards me, and
then, as 1 olumsily held it out, saw
that | was recognized, as she thanked
me for bringing it, and also for what
she called my Kindness at the station.
"Ask him to take glass of wine,
Louise" said the lady en- the sofa, when
saw the color flush in her daughters
cheek, as she said, hastily:
81 think, mamma, we have none in
the house."
/ clumsily protested that ! would
rather not take any wine, and was
backing towards the door, when a sud
den pain shot through me, for / had de-
tected a motion on the part of the pale
girl, and caught sight of shilling in
her hand. / suppose l showed what l
felt, for she paused and colored deeply,
aud, as l stood outside, she once more
thanked me, passed the shilling hastily
in her left hand, and held out the right
to me.
| have some recollection of having
taken it, and pressed it to my quivering
lips, and then / was laundering along
the streets in sort Of wild dream, see-
ing nothing, hearing nothing, appar-
emily lost.
The days went on till Christmas Eve.
had watched fer her next coming to
Tue sldblOn, ANU no uouois ooou W tuo
carriage IN which she went. knew
that / had nothing to hope for, being
only railw servant, and she lady;
but, for all that, it seemed my duty to
watch over her, though since the day
when returned the folio her bows had
been little more distant and she had
hurried into the carriage.
Bat it was Christmas Eve, and all
through that week had not seen her.
Holidays" said to myself, and then
tried to be as busy as possible, to keep
myself from thinking that it would be
perhaps q month or six weeks before l
saw her again. But there was no fear
of my aot being busy, for most people
know what sort of Christmas railway
servants keep-all hurry, drive, hustle,
worry, and rush. Dull, heavy weather
it was, yellow fog and driving snow.
The trains came in covered with white,
which slowly thswed and dripped off,
so that the terminus was wet, and cold,
and miserably dirty. People didn'tseem
to mind it though; for the station was
-