The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1872-06-27
ton entered the room, and begged bin
to do her q favor.

ton entered the room, and begged bin
to do her favor.
II know it will be unpleasant to Jou,"
she said, "but the carriage is At the
door, and I cannot bear to see Ellen
set off by herself such night as this.
Would you mind going With her to the
station and seeing her safe on the
train p
"Of course, I will co." semple an.
sWered and he went down at once.
To say that Miss LeGrand was cha
grined by this arrangement would be
to express very little indeed. She was
angry to the verge of rudsness, and
gave utteranee to this anger in the very
plsinest, most forcible manner. She
declined DR.. Semple's attendance most
decidedly and, when she found that he
persisted in going, It became question
whether she herself would not remain At
home. Finally, however, she decided
to go, though, when they entered the
carriage, she flung herself back, and
sulked in perfect silence duriDg the
whole Of the two.miles' drive.
When they reached the station, she
broke her silence for tho FIST time by
requesting Semple to return At once.
"You need not wait for the train,"
she said ; "it is not due for half an
hour, and I am perfectly competent to
take care Of myself"
II have no doubt of that,'' semple
answered, grayely, but 1 cannot think
of leaving you entirely alone. If some
accident should delay the train, you
will need to return in the carriage"
She argued the point vainly-ar-
gued it with an impatient vexaion
"'lch surprised him-but, at last, fiod-
log that she could not change his pur-
pose, sank into sullen silence. They
left the carriage, and entered the
wretched little waiting-room of the
station; and, as the minutes rolled on,
Semple was more astonished at the sin
gular behavior Of his companion.
She seemed the incarnate spirit of
residences, moving continually about the
narrow apartment, going out to the
platform beyond, despite the pouring
rain, and peering with strange, wistful,
anxious eyes into the murkey dark
ness.
Semple cared not ask any questions,
but he marvellel much to himself, and
more than once he wondered little
if her mind was quite right. 1t seemed
to him hours that he sat th ere with
the falling rain in his ears, the wet,
melancholy scene before him, the agents
face of curiosity, as he passed and re-
passed the open door, and Ellen LIE
Grand moving restlessly to and fro, her
suppressed excitement and expectancy
communicating itself at last to him-as
any strong feeling sooner or later must.
Once or twice Semple consulted bis
watch, and the last time he found that
it was only five minutes till the train
was due. He had hardly ascertained
this fact when he heard the sound of
voices speaking on the platform.
Instantly, Miss LIE Grand spraug to
her feet, and rushed to the door.
Moved by an unaccouutable impulse,
he followed her.
"Yes," man was saying-a rough,
dripping countryman who had just dis
mounted from bis horse-''the old
bridge is down At last. I started to
go to Dornthorpe to take the train );
but had to come back, sad 30 from
here. The r,ver's a-boomiog, I tell
you and the folks At Bob Parkers's
say the bridge went down like thunder
Just little after dark. The coun-
ty'll have to build new one now, I
reckon, and"
The man passed on, speaking to tho
agent and Miss lie Grand drew her,
self away from Semple, and walked
out on the platform. At that instant
tho whistle of the engine was heard :,
the next moment the express.train
dashed into sight, and came to a stand
beside her. Que or two faces looked
with apathy from the car-windows at
the scene outside, but no one dis
embarked.
"You had better get on board at
once, Miss LIE Grand" said semple.
"They onlysstay here minute"
But she moved imps tientlY away
from him, and walked down the whole
line Of cars.
While she was at some distance, the
| engine gave shrill uo:e of warning,
and almost simultaneously the whole
train moved of, disappearing in the
b]ackness of the night, like some phan-
tom Of the Imagination. Then the
young lady returned to her escort.
"Come," she said, in a tense sort Of
voice, eff you please, I will 60 back to
my aunt's".
Silently he put her into the carriage.
Her strange conduct had so bewildered
him that he scarcely wondered at
this caprice. When they we're once
fairly on the road, she extended her
hand and laid it on his arm.
CDR. semple," she said, in a voice
fall of awe, edo you-do you-would
thoro ho donoer of onu ono's r;1ino ;nto