Rapides gazette. (Alexandria, La.) 1869-187?, 1873-11-29

|
| little lantern, with sort of piquant and
winning character Of its own. like every
thing else that belonged to Katie Crownin-
shield, and she herself was half inclined to
make a confidant of it.
| In fact, Katie's lantern found its own oc-
casion for putting on almost the semblance
of a personal friend. There came a day
when katie's Observation-Disclosures i'm vain,
and then another, when even the reply she
received from the train convinced her that
there had been change of some kind, and
that she would receive no more signals
from the same hand. 1t was odd enough,
but her long-accustomed bit of morning
pleasure seemed suddenly turned into
something childish and uninteresting-a
worn-out amusement that il was time to
put aside with her discarded dolls. And
so she sadly prepared to give it up, in the
first fit of genuine blues she had ever in
dulged in; but, few evenings afterward,
she fingered at the garden-gate little, after
her return from Aunt Betsy's, to see the
night express go flashing by. 1t was a
grand sight when it came, incomparably
more interesting and mysterious in the
darkness than ever in the day, and Katie
wondered she had never thought so before !;
but she almost unconsciously raised her
little lantern, and swung it around her
head as she had used to wave her handker-
chief.
Could she believe her eyes?
She almost refused to give them any
faith at first, but then there followed a
quick flush in her check and warm glow
at her heart; for she was sure there had
been an answering light, and she could al
most picture tall form in dark-blue cloth
ing, standing on the platform between two
of the cars.
She knew very little of railway matters,
but was not so dull that there was any
special mystery 10 her mind in such a
thing as a change of trains by conductor.
! She did not let Grandfather or Grand
: mother Crowninshield see her, however,
the next evening when she again crept out
to the gate, almost smothering her little
} lantern: for she had half fluttering sort
2 of dread that this second experiment might
: fail.
2 Fail? No; the greeting from the train
: was as ready as was Katie's own ''good
evening" and the little lantern was likely
: thenceforth TO be the very foremost OF
: prime favorites with its mistress. And
now, while the October days grew cooler
e and the glorious evenings longer, Grand
: mother Crowninshield began to grumbl6
i a little at the disposition her darling
e evinced to pay so very many visits to Aun
v Betsy.
0 Its long walk for you, child" sh'
!, said; "and it's through the cut, too
I What if railway train should come alons
/, before you could get out?''
|. 90 grandmama, that'll never happea,
It laughed Katie; g the railroad and l ar
e very good friends"
) "You ought to be-" said grandmother
50 1 never saw any living being care NOR
v for dumb thing than you've always don
|. for that there train"
/ But grandmother was nearer right tha
" Katie: for only night or so after that
d must have been that Aunt Betsy's cloc
te was slow-for Katie was in the very middl
DR. of the cut when her ears were suddenl
ts filled with the shrek and roar with whic
or the train dashed in at the upper end.
ID Her heart beat quickly for momen
but not with fear; for, as she sprang lgh
ne ly upon a projecting rock that she ha
fe often before noted as a very available PEREZ
I'd she gathered her flutteiing dress MOI
he closely about her and exclaimed:
e. ''There, Pm safe enough; but to thin
r: of its coming so near!"
irl Near enough, indeed, and Katie leane
or back hard against the crag behind her; Il
.ss it seemed as if she could feel the breath
10. the iron monster ON her cheek. In OF
nv hand she clutched more tightly the folt
Oh her slldNl, anu tDC OtltCi chO ldiSe
sc her lantern, as if its feeble star could
ed of some protection, and then her grasp
Int it grew suddenly very tight, indeed; TO
m leaning out little from the platform Of
Inf car, and looking forward, as If impatiel
\ for the train to clear the cut, stood Ia
of handsome, bearded man, in dark-bl
bt clothes, with lantern in his hand. and
ms eager, watching, expectant face, came
as very close to her own!
~ 1t was like flash of lightning; but X
in tie knew the face, and she knew also tn
ite she herself had been seen, and she b
me even marked the swift paling OF I
inc bronzed visage as it recognized her a
nd then swept on into the darkness beyon
fer ssHe was afraid would be hurt"
mo thought; and then she said, aloud: "B
Nv he must have seen how safe was, up he
IL. on the rock, don't believe he swung
,od lantern at our garden-gate tonight"
in Katie did not relate her adventure ey
m to her grandmother, and on her next "
of to Aunt Betsy's she was careful to COZ
be away in time.
;Iv ~ don't want to get home so very mu
~, too early.'' she said to herself as she I
naI na ished her visit and hurried her departui
ver v .but don't like being caught in the
hot at all. I'm glad I'm SO sure not to m
10, ANYBODY. Ibelieve I'd want to hide aw
tha % from stranger, tonight, almost as mt
bad as from railway-train.
md 1t was indeed an unusually dark .
'hu gloomy night, but Katie was destined
hv be disappointed in her hope OF gett
: rSI Z, through the cut without seeing anybo,
Ia,r ! -, AS has been said, the granite ledge
ayr necessarily been pierced ON curved II
Csc c;y so that no one standing at one end OF
! 80 cut. moderate as were its dimensio
! inc could see more than halfway through.
ven Aunt Betsy's house was some little
atu- tance from the upper entrance, and the
That proach to the latter was gloomy enou
TO a that night, even for one who knew ev
inch of the way as well as Katie did;
had her little lantern shone outcheerily aga
ong its bright reflector, throwing its radia
h to ahead, as if it were trying to tell .
ster. ssThere, dear, that's it; don't be afr
the now, I'll show you the track" But
too remembered, just then, that il was get
; the later every minute, and she tripped brii
res into the cut, wondering why the LIANT
re- Hight should make it look so stran.