The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1875-04-29
ROOM NO. 90.
BY WALTER EDGAR M'CANN.

was not quite halfpast FIVE. The train
would leave, my watch told me, in
twenty minutes. Bessie, my little
darling, had not yet arrived. Could any
thing have happened strobe up and
down the waiting-room, almost frantic
with anxiety. l had a presentiment of
evil.
You must know the reason of all this.
Bessie was my adorable. We had loved
each other madly for several years. Her
papa had but dim idea of my merit,
and objected to match. He thought l
had not money enough; worse still, he
thought the prospect of increase in that
direction as limited as possible. He had
forbidden me the house. What was
more natural than that Bessie and
should conduct stolen interviews out
side?
A few weeks ago they had eliminated
in a crisis. The clandestine interviews
were as delicious as possible, but insuf-
ficient for my happiness. / had five
hundred dollars ready money in my pos
session: l proposed to Bessie to run
away.
The dear girl gave me logical answer
by bursting into tears, as if | had pro-
posed to kill her papa, or commit suicide.
She declared emphatically that she would
never bring her aged parents gray hairs
Che wore capital brown wig, one of the
best deceptions ever saw to the grave.
He had been too good to her. / reasoned
with the child, showing how easy it
would be for her papa to get over his
grief if he saw the case was hopeless; how
ha MI .aII haA 30 l.
bless us, and how gloriously happy we
should all be living together thereafter.
There was only one objection. Bessie
was not of age. If she run away, papa
would pursue. In week she would be
eighteen, and mistress of herself, and
then the Gretna sort of fight proposed
might do pretty we'll, in case fate and
the brown wig were still inexorable.
But it was no use to talk to me. am
one of those hard-headed fellows, and
when / get fancy / carry it out. or
perish in the attempt. / told Bessie she
must now decide between papa and me.
/ had money enough to take her a con-
siderable distance. We must get married
and travel-travel until she was of age,
and then come to stop and open
negotiations for return.
We had more crying, of course; but
finally my darling consented, and she
was to meet me at the railway station
next day. We would take the train for
B, and then get married, have a
hasty late dinner, and then go on to
c..
And so on the next day the story be-
gins. At 5:23 p. m, solitary pedestrian,
with an umbrella strapped to his hip,
-carpetbag in one hand and cigar
temporarily in the other, might have been
seen anxiously pacing the floor of the
waiting room at the A and B
depot.
This lone and mysterious being was
myself. Bessie had not yet come, and
the train would leave in twenty minutes.
Simply examine the station, and fancy
my emotions.
I had completed my fifth mile up and
down that floor, when my attention was
attracted by the appearance of red
faced, elderly gentleman, who entered
the apartment and walked unsteadily -
owing probably to the gout-toward
seat, and lowered himself into it. He
had not sat there long before another
man suddenly made his appearance in
the room, walked up to and confronted
him.
"You won't listen to me, then ?" said
the latter, who was the younger, but by
no means the better-looking.
He was shabbily dressed-rakisb
slouched hat, bad boots, soiled light
overcoat-and possessed a countenance
like Glosters, marvellous ill-favored."
"No," grunted the red-faced gentle
man, slowly.
"All right. You'll be sorry for it,"
retorted the other with suspicious glance
at me. Then he looked toward red-face,
shook his fist with dreadful ferocity, and
was gone.
Red-face was doing.
My evil presentiment increased. 1
don't believe ever felt so miserable in
my life. could not stand that dark and
close waiting room any longer, and
marched out of il toward the platform.
My darling ran hysterically into my
arms.
"Oh, Fred, I've had such a time to get
off" she exclaimed, after / had kissed
her half dozen times despite our public
position. 81 was so afraid / should be
late. ] bade them all good-by, pretend
ing / was going to Europe, you know
for joke, Freddie-and / laughed, but
I could hardly keep from fainting. left
a note on my bureau telling them not to
he alarmed at my absence"
Scold How could possibly be such
a miserable brutel But come along, dar-
ling, for the train will be off in minute
or two"
There were some things to be carried
mere trihes, Of course, to people in a
hurry and not anxious to be encountered
six satchels, two trunks, three baskets,
four paper parcels, and five little
packages-but managed to stow them
away somehow or other, and when the
first bell rang we were comfortably
aboard the train.
We were rattling along the rails at de-
lightful speed, and planning world of
magnificent aerial architecture, when
happened to look behind me. A sinister