The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1874-09-16
VOLUME KILLING q.

W.
fribly still. with the calm that follow'
or precedes q tempest. Now ant
then the heavy plunge Of sliding mass
l.es snow was heard as I walked to tht
station, and great fakes fell from the
clouds at long distances. Our train
labored heavily along. The wheels
clogged, the rails creaked, and the
sullen air seemed to be thrilled with
forebodings of disaster. TO add "a
our gloom, a heavy fog settled about
US. The sheets of blackvapor whicl,
at stated intervals roll up from the
Thames and mako London like the
cities one sees in dreams, vague and
terrible, would have been but silyery
mists, compared with the thick cur
tain that wrapped us and crept as we
crept onward. ,su #
l was startled out. of my dismal
reverie by horrible sense of a fall
ing, q sickening crash, as if tho world
had been shattered; then came insen.
sibility. When my Jared senses re.
turned, I realized that I was lying
among dead and wounded at the bot
tom Of rocky gorge, amid and un.
der the ruins of the cars. [ could
not tell if my limbs were broken, but
I felt the blood trick.ing over my cold
face from a wound in my head.
Halt the night passed while we lay
there before help came. I was silent,
listening to the means Of the wound
ed and dying. The weather changed
a cold wind blew up and lifted the
fog; the clouds parted, and I saw a
star looking down upon me. 1t made
me think Of Janet-my Old Janet
and I called her name aloud. The
star changed; 1t was Janet's face that
bent over me, her hands wiped the
blood from my face, her voice sound
ed in my ear. -
"Ted, my darling! O,my darling
my own lovet He is not dead
| O, thank God. he is not deadipi 4
She stood up and beckon.d to one
of the men who were helpingto draw
out from under the wrecked timbera
the crushed human beings about us,
He came with light, looked at me,
and then turned away '..'
"There's others that's hnrt far
worse than him, Miss. We must look
to them first"
Janet caught hold of his arm, and
snatching her purse from her pocket,
thrust it into his hands.
"For Gods sake help mel" she
cried. "Oh, you must help me get
him away from here. Take that
there is money in it-and do as I bid
you"
The man yielded. Janet took of
her large thick shawl and spread it
on the ground. They loosened me as
tenderly as possible from tho wreck,
and placed me on the shawl. Next,
Janet took off some other portion of
her dress and covered mel felt her
lips touch my cheek as she did it;
thcn she took two corners Of the
shawl in her small fair hands, and
the man took the other two, and SO,
step by step, tenderly, not to jar my
bruised body, slowly and laboriously,
the delicate girl and the strong man
carried me up the rocky, ice-bound
ra7ine. Oh, my Old Janet my lost
darling! More than the bleeding of
my wounds was the bleeding Of my
heart, and more than the pain of my
hurts was the pain of my ponitent
love for you during that desolate
journey!
Through the days of unavoidable
sickness which followed that nights
wounds and exposure, through my
convalescence, and as long as l need
ed nurse, Janet stayed with me.
Every morning she received o letter
from our grandfather, couched in at
fectionate terms, and expressing
great anxiety for her, but not once
abiding to me. BE never came near
me, never asked after my welfare; !;
I was dead to the old granite heart.
l felt bitterly indignant, but was too
proud to complain.
At length the time arrived when
Janet said that she, must go; and
then came battle of wills. l beg
ged her to stay with me. l entreat.
cd, implored, using all my noted pow
ers of eloquence, which were now the
more effective that I was in deadly.
earnest. But all in vain. 1t was q
novel experience to me to foil.
"Stop, TeddyI" said Janet, crying.
"You must not speak Of this again.
I promised grandpapa if ho would let
me come to you, that no word Of
love should be spoken between US.
He trusts in my honor. Let me go"
I burst out in O fierce rage.
sWhy should we wreck our lives in
bumoring the whims of spiteful old
man? Oh, Janet my love, my darl-
ing! do not leave mo-"
But she will not listen.
II promised him to come back y
and I will keep my word"
"But you love me! you love me,
Jnnett" 7 cried,
IL love you, Teddy. I have al
ways loved, and always will. Now
let me Co."
I held her handsin mino. I would
not release her.
"But if you love me, why do you
leave me, Janet? Why are you so
cold and hard-whY is it SO impOssl-