The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1874-06-23
At the station.

and she came stumbling in. AT the
same instant there came in with her a
ruddy checked, blue.eyed boy, whose years
we're counted above ten She carried in
her arms a bundle closely and carefully
wrapped, at one end Of which tiny face
appeared q diminutive copy Of her own.
She was not more than thirty, she was
fair and appeared as strange and timid
as the antelope we saw from the car win.
dows gliding over the plains. But no
one spoke to hcr,uo one presumed to claim
acquaintance with this travel soiled weary
looking young woman, and as she sat up
on the next seat to my own gazing wearl.
ly out upon the wide bleak monotony Of
the plains, observed several times dur
ing the day that her large blue eyes filled
with tears, and that the little boy in
Scotch cap, knee breeches and black hose,
busted himself in vain attempts to COM
fort his "mother."
She had been looking at the back of
my book attentively for some time, when
she broke the silence oy saying:
81 beg pardon sir, but can you tell me
when we shall arrive docking at an enva.
Lopez at Bijou Station ~
Tomorrow evening some time, if all
goes WE'LL" replied.
"Is the country out there as wild and
sparsely settled as this, sir ?"
"Yes, madam, or more SO. 1t depends
very much upon the portion Of the Bijou
you 60 to-,
The ice being broken between myself
and fellow passenger, she sooa fell vic.
tim to a professional American news.pa.
per interviewer, to whom she told her
story.
She was from England and was going
to Colorado to meet her husband, who
had settled there.
"What is my husband doing in Colorado
did you say, sir? He is sheep farming.
He was tailor and gcntleman's furnish.
er in Gloster. We lived in one house for
nineteen years my father kept the buis.
ness before | married my husband. We
were doing very well and getting rich, but
my husband, who had been a sailor when
a boy, and who was born in Brazil, was
always discontented and wanted to travel.
"In an evil hour l consentc to sell
out our business in Gloster. He took
5000 pounds with him and started to
Colorado His letters which he wrote
from Colorado were very interesting :
they were printed in our country paper
at home Oh, sir, if you could only know
how tired am Of travelling, how Lone
some | feel here upon these plains SO
many thousands Of miles from my dear
old home, you would realize how anxious
am to meet my husband"
The sun and train rolled on westward
aud towards evening on the second day
out from Kansas City came in sight oil
Bijou. My fellow passenger was all bus
tie and excitement; she had been half a
dozen times to the glass TO adj her hail
and apparel. The beautiful little boy it
his Scotch cap, blue jacket aud black
stockings, had had his golden locks fresh
: ly cdrled, his rosy checks washed, ont
stood upon thy car seat looking out of The
window-lookiDg for "iather,'
"Oh, mother, think | see father
said Charley. "No, mother, it is solu'
one else. Oh, see a coffin, mother
: some person is dead +; they are taking to-
: coffin out OF wagon, mother. There u
is mother; there we are past it nov
: Now we shall see father We are afihomc.
The train stopped. The weary, travel
soiled niece of Charles Dickens gather,
} up her parcels and her cloaks, and step
ped out upon the wild bleak spot called
: Bjou Station. The passengers, all inter
7 ested in the talkaiiyc and unsophisticateC
} pair of travellers. crowded to the windov
, Of the car to witness the expected meet
3 ing between husband and wife.
! They saw it. While her baggage wa
, being tumbled out OF the car she stood will
l her baby in her arms, and her boy by he
7 side, gazing around upon the straps
scene and peering eagerly among th
, rough-clad ranchmen and plainsmen 70
! the face which alone of all others sh
l wished to see.
A rough.looking but Polite ranchma
e stepped forward, and. with clumsy boV
and bashful manner inquired who th
"Madam desired to see ?"
Il want my husband, Mr.. Henry Les
ter. Does he not keep sheep aud cat
E tie farm near here ?'
"He did madam" answered the rancr
man sadly, "but he's rounded up his her
I for the last time. There he is in thu
coffin, died last Wednesday night, al
we're scndin' the body to Denver, accor
u din to the last instructions. lie died O
u congestion of the bowels, madam. b
pardon, madam. but are you his"
4 lie did not finish his sentance, bu
4 stepped forward to catch the falling fort
of my fellow traveller, who was carried t
the car in swoon The little boy utto,
o ed piteous wall Of grief, while | led hi
h back to the inn which this wearied al
9 trave.tired pair had left minute belcr
SO hopeful and so happy. There wcr
many wet eyes in that car just then, n,miu
. among the rest, as held the beautil,
: boy sobbing to my breast.