The weekly Oskaloosa herald. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Iowa) 1855-1885, 1874-09-24
AN ADVENTURE BY RAIL.
BY EMMA j. LEIGHTON.

term it, commercial traveller, at the
period of which | write, and having COM
pleted my annual tour through the South,
was on the way to my home in B.
So it chanced that | found myself, one
dull, grey November afternoon, walking
up and down in front of the depot at
NJ, awaiting, with what patience l
could command, the arrival of the west
ward bound train, which was to bear me
to my journeys end.
In my promenade | passed the ladies'
waiting room, and upon casually looking
in, saw, sitting in solitary state, hedged
in by fortifcation of saddles, books and
shawls, the most winsome, dainty little
lady | had met in an age, who with knit
ted brow and perplexed air, was gazing
fxedly through the dirt stained window
The instant her eye caught mine her face
frightened. As if by magic the frown
vanished Then shadow-just a ghost,
as it were-of a smile hovered about the
curving crimson lips.
The glimpse I had caught, only whet-
ted my curiosity ; so in repassing | stole
another sidelong glance, and caught the
lady looking fully and squarely at me. In
an instant, emerging from behind her for
tress, she tripped quickly across the floor
and faced me just as was turning. A
decided smile had chased away the shad-
oway one, as holding out her hand she
said Pardon me- but | see [ must in
troduce myself You would never know
me else. | am Fanny Herbert You, of
course are Chester. | recognized you di-
rectly from your picture, and your resem-
blence to Mary. I'm wonderfully glad
you came, for I've been waiting here these
two hours, and Tn awfully tired Won't
you shake hands, since we are to be
friends?"
Who could refuse such an invitation,
especially when enforced by such sweet
lips, and 50 frankly an offered hand?
Not l, surely, though | hadn't the remo-
test idea who Fanny Herbert was, and the
name in which | gloried was not high
sounding "Chester" at all, but plain, home
spun David" Nevertheless, | shook
hands-somewha warmly, mayhaps Miss
Herbert thought, for | saw tiny spires of
red creep into her cheek as she released
her hand
Il suppose she continued, you were
waiting here for me; but they tell me the
B. train is not dne for an hour"
NO, not until four o'clock. 1t is just
three now"
"Well, then, won't we have time to
take dinner? am fairly starved. You
must excuse my speaking of it but
May has talked so much of you that
feel as though | had already known you g
century, and | am so desperately hungry
that / must waive ceremony and confess
it, unpoetically as it may SEEM"
Il am not fond of ceremony" | an
swered; we will have dinner, by al
means"
We laughed a good deal as | gathered
together young lady's multifarous incum
brances, and strobe away to deposit then
in the office
Returning to where she was awaitin!
me- | announced myself at her service
and together we wandered up the stree
to the only hostelrie the town boasted
Meanwhile, my companion chatted on il
her perfect free, unrestrained way, tina
showed plainly she was quite assured o
my identity, however puzzling the matte
might be to me-
Seated before a bountifulIy spread ia
BILE at last, | found Miss Fanny was capa
bic of putting the old adage which say
two things at time can never be don,
WELL" quite to the blush. Most indus
trially she sat about the task Of appeasin!
her appetite, and quite as perseryingly sh,
maintained her part of the conversation.
''Nlary is quite well | hope?' she in
quired
perfectly so,' | answered, at venture
seeing [ must respond. "She is alway
well you know"
Indeed | do not know it, she replieo
in tone of surprise, and with uplifte,
eyebrows Your memory must be yer
short, for in the letter | received from he
few days ago, she said she had been st
riously ill-confned to her bed for sever
al days"
Phew here was a mistake Plainly
must be non-committal Such positiv
statements were hardly safe; so hastene
to mend matters by saying, apologetically
"True, how strange | should have fol
gotten. She was really quite ill; but nov
she has entirely recovered, and looks a
bright and blooming as-yourself if yo1
will allow the comparison
Her big gray eyes twinkled at this, am
she said, saucily, Don't disturb yOursel
to manufacture compliments | can exis
quite comfortably without them, especial
ly when they are so far-fetched' The
after brief pause, in different tone sh
said: at was real good of you to tax
the trouble to come to meet me. | an
ever so much obliged. You see, papa ha
an idea | can't travel alone, and | am no
quite sure but he is half right Now
last summer when [ was on my way t
visit my cousin in Chicago | lost my trun
they carried it off clear to Omaha, AM
L never saw it for month. In changing
l got into the wrong cars, and was takel
fifty miles out Of my way, while, to ca
the climax, my pocketbook was stoler
and L arrived in Chicago trunkless an
pennyless. Pa says | can never travt
quietly like other people, but must a
ways have some adventure or other"
"And this trip will prove no exception
to the rule" | said to myself.
BY this time dinner was dispatched
and we fastened back to the depot, arriy
ing just in time to secure our seats in tn
train
| In few minutes we were whizzin
past hamlets and towns, through tunnel
and over bridges, and at speed tina
made me dizzy
There was too much noise to rende
conversation an agreeable or desirabl
thing, so we sat studying our fellow-pa
sengers and watching the flying landscape
At least | pretended to be so employed
but in reality my mind was running bacI
over the events of the afternoon. Evi
IDENTIFY, it was case of mistaken identity
My vis-a-uis was, without doubt on he
way to visit some friend, who oddl,
enough resided in the same city as my
self. She had expected to meet at tn,
depot the Chester whose laurels, sine
he had not come to claim them, [ wa
wearing. The whole mistake had occur
red so quantity, and had been carried ou
so naturally, that l had scarcely had tim,
to consider the light in which the accept