The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1874-05-28


deep gloon sometimts-strsngc il
this sunBy-bearted Old man. On
J day he said to TheO:
, 81 am crOss and old, Theo., and th,
: promised time isn't half as near q
hand ss it used to be. | wish Edwar,
Wallace would come home"
At length the gentle old man fel
sick. He seemed 10 be slowly declin.
: ing, and once when TheO. sat besid,
him he said:
Theodore, daughter, / think tht
promised time isn't so far of, afte
all. / think / shall find it where I an
going. The friends Of my youth havt
all found it already. We love tn
next world better than this when oul
dear ones die, one by one, and we hav,
hope Of meeting them there. l wist
Edward Wallace would come home
Theo. went to Norton one day il
the railway train. As she returned
she observed q stranger sitting direct
} ly opposite her. He was looking q
her with q cleaning, intense look
That was how she happened to Sc,
him. He was a large man, witt
heavy, dark beard, brOnzed cheek
anu an 1aCOAOEA lACc
ed white. She set her teeth together
drew a deep, shuddering breath, and
} looked out Of the window. The man.
face turned pale, too pale TO his very
brow, and he leaned his head sudden
ly forward as IL dizzy. He tore thG
hack Of an old letter, and scribbled {
question on it. He touched Tneodora
on the shoulder, and gave 1t to her
looking steadily at her with his bright
intense eyes. People thought she haC
dropped letter and he had picked 4
up for her. She read the question
looked full into the expeetant fac
with its bright, intense eyes, and he
face turned whittier than before. Shl
looked full into the bright eyes, anC
deliberately shook her head. Th'
stranger sat quietly down. The lettel
did not belong to her after all.
The train was crossing q railway
bridge, stilled upon trestle-work, hal
disjointed, hastily thrown together
and worm-eaten in some places. Il
was fashionable American railway
bridge. 1t seemed fearfuliy shaky 4
the stranger with the bright eyes anC
brown cheeks. A momentlater every
soul on that bridge would have
thought the same thing, If he had had
any time for thought, which he hadn't
There was sudden noise OF splinter
ing timbers. The bridge was going
down beneath the weight Of the train
1t was a very high bridge. There was
a deep ravine under it, full OF dry
Jagged rocks and fallen trees. The
train was fitting over to the side
where TheO. sat. She had time to SCI
that much. 1t was a nice situation
Theo. glanced wildly around for 4
moment, and then closed her eyes
Something caught her In q grasp like
steel, and whirled her madly around
She thought the car was turning over
An awful crash, which will ring for
ever in the ears Of those who heard Il
like the crack Of doom. Wild shrieks
of agony, appalling, fearful, death
grOans, insane screams of frenzy, min
gled with the Kissing of steam and th'
sound of women sereeching in tha
idiotic way which tries mems souls
Five persons killed outright. little
child mangled out of the shape o
humanity, three more persons fatally
wounded, and ten more or less in
hCLO Oil ACAuI IOA kAAS
whitewashing committee. Oh, yes
my friends Grand work for the
whitewashing committee.
Edward Wallace had caught TheO,
in his arms just as the bridge wen
down. 1t was his last act of con
sciousness for days. He had hurled
her away from the window, and
turned SO that he was next the side
where she sat. An old tree stump
came humping into the window. II
struck him on the shoulder. As Theo
had been, it would have struck bel
head. She escaped with some broken
glass cuts and black and blue bruist
on her arm. He had saved her life
His shoulder was dislOcated, q rib Ol
two broken, and he was badly stunned
and bruised about the head. That
was all.
We are nearing the end of our sto-
ry.
home to Daddy Dinkle's own house
Theodore gave her school in eharRC
of some Of the older boys. She told
Deddy Dlnkle that a stranger haC
saved her life at the risk of his own
that he was sOrely wounded, perhaps
unto death, and she brought him
home to be cared for. And she grew
white with watching and sorroT.
But one day Daddy DinkIe, t trough
the open door, heard q voice family
speaking in the next room. He had
not walked without help fUf month
yet he sprang upon his feet, quiver'
ing with excitement.
Chico, you have lied to me; you
who never told me q falsehoOd before.
1t is no stranger that hear In there
1t is my well beloved son, who was
dead and is alive again. Take me
to him.
And he fell upon his neck and
kissed him, and they wept together
the weak old man and the weak
young man. But Daddy Dinkle took
to his bed next day and did not leave
it. A week later, when Edward
Wallace, feeble yet, and no more
than able to walk, went to his bed
side to take his blessing and bid him
farewell, he clung TO the tall man
and wept.
"My son." he cried, "you will not
leave me again! Alone in my help
less blindness 1 have prayed daily
and nightly that 1 might not depart
this life till heard your voice. You
were a spirited lad, full of life and
wayward, sometimes, but l always
loved you as the apple of my eye,
Next to one other, 1t was the most
cruel disappointment of my life when
you went away. Oh! my son, my
boy! You will not leave me again Z
You will stay with the foolish old
man till he dies?1
He reached out in his blindness
and caught him, ana c:ung to him
with his trembling hands. Theodore
sat beside his bed. She turned heI
head away and wiped tear from heE
eyes.
"Father" at length Edward Wal
lace said, show can 1 stay? / have
accomplished the career which wks
the dream of my boyhOod. have
sailed the seas from the northern ice
bergs to the Southern Ocean. 1 have
prospeeted for gold in AustIalis, and
helped build q telegraph through q
country where the foot of civilized
man never trOd before. / have
climbed Mont Blanc, and blistered
my feet in the sand under the equa-
tor. / have sailed around the globe,
and done all that 1 hoped for in my
youth, only to find at last Theodore
is more to me than anatomy and bot
any; more than travel and adventure;
more than all the world beside. Faith.
er, I have come 5000 miles to ask
Theodore once in her life to forgive,
and she will not. II she would bid
me STAY, father"
The old man groped hOpelessly
over the quilt with on hand.
"TheO., give me your hand. / can
not find it myself" he said.
She reached out her hand, cold
and trembling, and he took it In hIs
weak grasp, holding it thus In one
hand, and Edwards hand in the
other. He drew them feebly to-
gether, and laid the hand of TheO. in
/ the hand of Edward.
"My children, it is the last wish OF
the old man. Theo., my girl, shall
it not be SOL"
She glanced at the face of Edward
Wallace. He was looking at her
with his beautiful eyes, all moist and
tender, offering her once more, aud
| a.. A. Ngrra