The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1875-08-05

huLn, NATURALLY uu-
name, never knew.
Everywhere a hopeless blockade of
baggage, trunks, and struggling human
ity-everywhere insane panic of hurry
in the fear of being left behind. The
.bewildered woman could not approach
within ear-shot of the perspiring ticket
master, whose suffused. face gIared
vengefuIly through his pigeon-hole as he
snapped short the incoherent questions
of distracted passengers. If she could
only ascertain where the old lady had
gone.
(Which is the Locust Valley train2"
she asked of a baggage-man who was
pausing to take breath after lifting o
Saratoga trunk of huge dimensions.
The baggage-man, with agonizing de-
liberation, rested his great hands on his
hips, thrust q quid of tobacco into his
cheek, stared at his in~terlocutor, and
said:
"Hey9"
Miss Ruth repeated her question with
the energy of despair.
"Where do you want to go to-" in
quired the baggage-man, warily.
And then it became apainfully evident
fact that where Miss Mayhem wanted to
go and where she was going were two
widely sundered matters, for she beheld
her train in motion. To rush toward it,
to signal blindly-as if the insensate
monster would stop!-to be held back
from jumping on board in a gentlemanly
fashion, and then to be left gazing
blankly into space-that was her expert
ence. A voice came back on the wind:
"I will keep your things for you"
To inveigh bitterly against the deceit
fulness of brakemen vas an impulse
which our unfortunate lady checked
with true dignity of character.
"I will find the old ladyat all events"
| she decided, "even though she should
prove the proverbiaI lady in that hay
stack of a depot"
There e were so many trains look
ing exactly alike, and apparently headed
in the same direction, with their engines
prancing aimlessly up and down. Oh,
the satisfaction of at length beholding q
familiar old face, s~pectacles on nose,
beaming behind a window! Miss May,
hew dashed frantically forward, waving
the necklace aloft. The oldlady started,
felt instantly at her throat, and began tc
tumble no less frantically at the closed
sash. Varnish and springs detied her
Horrorsl The train, after dawdliDg any
length of time, at this inauspicious mo
ment continued to move. 1t was s
pleasant sight to behold Miss Mayhem
racing along the platform, casting digni
ty to the winds, and the old lady on the
verge of apoplexy, within the car in he
efforts to raise the window. How tn,
people stared, to be sure But Mis-
MAYHEM did not care. She was lonl
past personal constituencies; and whel
the sash finally yielded, just as sh'
reached the extreme edge of the plat
form, she threw in the beads, and retir
ing, seated herself on a carpet-bag Il
burst into tears. Her courage complete
ly failed her; the weak, silly, feminin,
sobs would come.
A gentleman had approached to CLAIM
the carpet-bag. He was tall, bronzed
and bearded, and he wore a scarf abou
his throat of some curious Eastern fabric
Miss Mayhem, the tension of excitemen
having snapped, was left IS weak as a
infant. Her pocket has been cut, an,
her portemonnaie was gone. Had she
in securing her companion's safety, falle
a victim to the snaky young man herself
She o rose, making some confuse
apology for the condition of her lat
: throne, the carpet-bag.
"Ruth Mayhewl" exclaimed til
stranger. al cannot be mistaken
| Surely you wear my gift, the littl
broonh silver ond morris
With a startled expression of wonde
she looked up into his face, and read 10
in the eyes of her once young mission
airy; locomotives shrieked, and the HI
man tide surged to and fro, yet thes
two saw nothing of the confusion abor
, them. He was iourneying toward Ii
, white house on the hill, which was to /
! his first pilgrimage in his native lane
and would have missed her had she NJ
, pursued the old lady with the gol
beads.
"How did you recognize me !" sal
Ruth Mayhem, flushed and tremulou
: ! all the independence of later years ute
: ly gone.
al should have known you any whel
in the world" said the Rev. John Athe
! ton, from Algiers.
Entire nous, 1 believe he recalled Il
familiar brooch before he did the weare
I However, that is hone of our affair, SIM
. she was perfectly satisfied with his repl
y The result of this meeting was that Aul
. Harriet lost her nurse, and the Foreie
Missions gained cheerful, earnest wor
er, after all.