Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1872-06-22

Polly seemed to follow the example OF
| her legal travelling companions, and
sank into sleep. So Alice and Harold
talked and talked, and were happy.
About to part, apparently, for years, yet
! they were happy in the present. Surely
that is one of the most excellent and
exquisite properties of love-exquislte
in its delight and in its pain-that it
never looks beyond the present hour,
but finds happiness now in moment
| airy meeting, though the agony of
| long parting threatens near at hand
agony now in momentary parting,
although the hopes of a speedy reunion
may smile and offer consolation.
These two then We're happy for the
hour. But the whole journey from
London to Liverpool by express is only
some five hours affair; and two hours
| had been wasted before our adventur
Gus lover emerged from his conceal
| ment. So the prospect Of Liverpool
and separation began to grow very
| threatening and imminent; and Har-
old, dreading and detesting the
thought of such parting, began to
urge Il wild proposal. Why should they
not escape at Liverpool, take the first
train in the morning-only few hours
| to wait-and go on to Scotland and be
married there? Then let the family do
its worst; Harold would not go to the
West Indies, but would push a career
| at home. Or, even if he had to 90, he
would leave behind him a welded wife,
whom no conditioned stepfather
could take from him. Be my wife
come and be my wife-that first; that
at all hazardsW So rang the refrain OF
| the passionate outpouring which for
nearly an hour Harold kept whispering
into Alice's ear.
The girl had spirit enough, and was
not unwilling to yield. Indeed, there
were few risks life could offer which she
was not ready to encounter, rather than
to go back to the dreary and odious
home life, with Harold far away. Now
she was being sent, as she p rfcctly well
knew, to the custody of an uncle and
aunt in Liverpool, in order that she
might be kept out of the way until af
ter Harold should have left London and
gone out to the West Indies, where he
hoped to make fortune.
but, Harold dear" the girl whis-
pered, "the thing is impossible. My
uncle will be at the station, waiting for
me with the carriage. Do you think
he would be likely to fall into our
plans"
No, Alice; have thought of that
If you have courage-and know you
have-and are very, very quick, we can
escape and defy him. Now listen and
don't be afraid. Just before we get to
| Liverpool the train enters tunnel, and
ipci,la 81 rt>
for minute-a bare momcnt-to make
sure that all is clear. will have the
door open. and will take you in my
arms and get out; it will be perfectly
easy and safe; and Polly shall follow
without one instant Of delay. Then we
hold our breath and stand in the dark
ness close up to the tunnel wall for
only a moment, until the train rushei
by; and then we 20 quietly out, take to
| the road, get a carriage at the nearest
| inn, drive to any station on the line,
! where we can wait for the Scottish mail.
Your uncle will only suppose you put
off coming for a day, he will grumble
and wait for tomorrow, without even
suspecting anything, and then it will be
too late"
If we were killed.
Dearest, do you suppose | would
expose you to any danger?
No, Harold, it was not that. was
only going to say that if we are killed
| mean even if we are killed-we shall
be killed togethern
Harold embraced his intrepid and
desperate tiancee and the plan was re-
solved on. A few whispered words con-
veyed the whole to the stout-hearted
Polly, who had a romantic heart, and
would have gone with these lovers any
where-leaped with them out of an ex-
press train rather than desert them.
The moments went by; the tunnel was
near; the two young barristers had
long since been fast asleep in good
rerlity; Harold swiftly opened the door
and stood close to it with Alice in his
arms the faithful Polly loaded herself
with such of her mistress cloaks and
shawls and things as she could attempt
to carry: the train already began TO
slacken its speed; they were at the
mouth of the tunnel; Harold said in a
whisper, Now love y and Alice shut
her eyes, and pressed her face against
his shoulder.
The train ratified and crashed through
the echoing tunnel. The hollow, hide
Gus reverberations aroused our sleeping
barristers. Sargent started up and rub
bed his eyes.
Halo, Rossmore, this is the Edge
hill Tunnel2 We shall be in Liverpool
in moment. Shake yourself up, old
boyr'
"All right" replied Rossmore, yawn-
SsGloI xuofra in R,,t |
gent, look here-why-did we stop any
where ?'
"Of course not. Why do you ask ?"
"Then where are our fellow travel
ers?" forgot all about them. But
they were here-that's certain; and we
stopped at no station, and now they are
gomez
"Confound it, | never knew anything
like that! That man, Harold, whoever
be was, came in mysteriously and spir-
tied away the two women along with
him y
&" Il say, Rossmore, how if our sugges-
ton of this evening should have turned
out a prediction? Have we had ghosts
in our railway trains p
Both laughed-both were incredu-
lous; and the train rushed into the
crowded, busting, blazing station at
Live pool. Our friends spoke to the
guard of the train, who was much
amazed at first to hear of the disap
pearance of the three passengers ; but
he seemed to think that, in the case of
so audacious a lover as Harold Rivers,
anything was possible-and then there
was the momentary stoppage in the