South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1874-06-12

sec 'OOu 10 be slowly declining, and once when
Theo sat beside him he said
Theodore, daughter ! think the promised
( time isn't 50 far oil after all. | think / shall
hud II where | an going. The irieuds of my
youth have all found il already. We love the
( next world better than this when our dear ones
die, one by one, aud we have a hope of meeting
: them there. wish Edward Wallace would
come home
4 Theo. went 10 Norton one day in railway
\ train. As she returned she observed a stranger
sitting directly opposite her. Tie was looking NJ
/ her with "A cleaning, intense look. That was
, bow she happened TO see him. lie was n large
man, with heavy. dark beard bFonzed checks
and eyes. All Theod0ras face turned white
She SET her teeth together, drew deep. shudder-
\ ing breath, anG looked out the window. The
man s face turned pale too, pale 10 bis very brow
and nc leaned his head suddenly forward, as IT
/ DIZZY. lie tore the back of an OLD letter and
l scriboled question on 10. He touched ThendOra
on the shoulder aud gave il TO her, looking stea.
/ Oily al her with his bright, intense eyes Peo-
I pie thought she had dropped letter aud he had
/ picked 1t up for her. She read the question look
! cd fail into the expectaat face win its bright
Intense eyes, aud her face turned whittier than be-
! fore. She looked full into the bright ewes and
| Deliberately shook her head. The stranger sat
/ quietly down. The letter did not belong to her
! after all.
J The train was crossing railway bridge silt.
! cd upon trcstle-worlI half-dsiointei hastily
/ thrown together, aud worm-eatcn in some places
I IL was fashionable American railway brige -
/ IL seemed iearuily shaky 10 the stranger with
! the blight eyes and brown cheeks 4 moment
later every soul on that train would have thought
/ the same thing, ii ne had had any time for
/ thought, which he hadn't. There was sudden
! noise OF sP!intering tmbers. The bridge was GO
ing down beneath the weight of the train. II
was a very high bridge. There was deep ra-
vine under II, full of dry, jagged rocks aud GALL
| en- trees. The train was fitting over toward the
side where Theo. sat. She had time to see that
much. Thee. glanced wildly around for IA mo-
NM natas - H., 1 4 l..
caught her in grasp like steel and whirled her
radIy around. She thought the car was turn
ing over.
An awfrl crash which will ling forever in the
ears OF these who heard it, like Ihs crack of doom
| Wild shrieks of agony appalling fearful death
! groans, insane screams Of frenzy mingled with
the hiSsings of steam, aud the sound Of women
screeching in that diotic way which tries mems
! souls.
Edward Wallace had caught Thee in his arms
just as the bridge went down II was his last
! act OF consciousness for days. lie had buried
| 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 her on the head She escap-
ed with some broken glass cuts and a black and
blue bruisc on her arm. lie bad saved her life
! Ills shoulder was dislocated, rib or two broken
and he was badly stunned and bruised about the
/ head. That was all.
We are nearing the eud of our story
They took the poor, bruised creature home 90
Daddy Dinkle's own house. Thco. gave her
! school IN charge OF some of the old Ter boys She
| told Daddy Dinkle that stranger had saved her
LIE nj the risk Of his own that he was sorey
! wounded, perhaps unto death, and she had
brought him home to be cared for. Aud she
! grew white with watching aud sorrow
] Bat one day Daddy Dinkle, through the open
door, heard a voice family speaking IN the next
room lie had not walked without help for
month, yet he sprang upon his feet quycring
! with excitement
Chico, you have lied 70 me; YOU. who never
! told Inc a fasehood before. II is no stranger
J hear IN there. 10 is my wel-beoved son, who
! was dead and II alive again. Take me TO him"
! Aud lac fell upon his neck and kissed him, and
! they wept togother-the weak old man and the
weak young man But Daddy Dinkle took 10
: his bed next day and did not leave Il. week
I later, when Edward Wallace, feeble yet and no
4 more than able to walk, went TO his bedside to
/ take his blessing and bid him farewell, he clung
/ TO the tall man and wcpt
only son" he cried "you will NOT leave mo
/ again Alone IN my helpless blindness / have
| prayed daily and nightly that mightnot depart
this life I'LL J heard your voice. You we're
/ spirited lad, full OF life, and waywarl sometimes,
/ Dut always loved you as the apple Of my eve
Next to one other it was the cruelest disapDoint-
! ment OF my lie when you went away. On my
/ SON. my boy You viii not Leave AGAIN. You
VIII stay with the foolish old man till he dies p
lie reached out in HE bitterness and cauyht
| him, and chung to him with bis trembling hands.
lheodora sat beside his bed. She turned her
head away and wiped q tear from her eyes
! "Faiher" at length Edward Wallace said.
no" can stay have accomplished the ca
\ reer which was the dream Of my boyhood
have sailed the seas from Inc northern icebergs
I TO the Southern Ocean. ! have prospectel FOR
/ gold in Australia, and helped build telegraph
iAtough country where the foot Of civilized
man never trod before. ! have sailed around tho
globe, and done al that hoped for 10 my youth
only " had at last that ThoJdJra is nJrc 10 me
than anatomy and botany more than the travel
and adventure more ti1n 8ll the world beside
Father have come Eve thousand miles 90 ask
IheOd9ra once iu her if. To- forgive and She viii
not u she would bid me stay father"
ne old man CROPPED hope.cssy over the quilt
with one hand
"Theo., give me your hand. I cannot fad IL
myFeIf,' said the ola man
She reached out hes hand cold md trembling
ana he took 10 in his weak grasp holding 70 thus
il one hand, and Edwards hand in The other
lie drew them fccbly together, aud laid thc hand
Of Ihoo in The hand OF ~ ward
'Ay children, 10 b. The last wish OF the old
man. Ihco., my girl, shall 10 not be soY'
She glanced at The face Of Edward Wallace
le was looking at her with bis beautiful eyes.
all moist and tender, Offering her once more and
for The iast time, bic bcart begging her to take
The gift-thc heart Of brave. strong. loving
eiernally true mau-bCrs forever and ever Such
a love l5 Gods blessed pfl t1 woman The
world seemed forming around her, and she clos.
81 her eyes dzzilv.
DADDY DiukIe listened painfully
~ lco ~ hc said
fes father, 81 shall be- go"
TIC smiled pleased, child-likc smile. nodded
his head ninuy % show that DE understood. ana
turned uis blind eyes little toward ths Hgbf
Then hia miud seemed 90 wander slightly lie
thought ho was back 90 school with bis boys
U| "a. D..