Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1875-09-30

OF the passengers had the vagnest idea what hae
! happened. Each man grappled with his neigh
Dor, suspectipg him OF some deadly viilainy il
| that obscure night.
~ have got him, cried n cheerful voice from
the door, proceeding from n stout and valiant
! traveller, who, indeed held in au iron grip sen
dor, writhing form that indignantly rebelled
| againat his assault. But when light dawned tc
| a comforting brightness again the stout gentle.
man was found 10 hold captive All innocent and
mnch-ipjured newspaper and pop corn boy, who
had entered the car Just In the nick Of time tc
be matlo prisoner, while the thief slid noiselessly
away to vanish forever. Then each passenger
was morally certain that the thief had crept past
him while he WAS pursuing tho respectable gen.
tlonan opposite, and the newsboy was surest OF
all that'he had propelled into their midst by
some unseen power on the platform. The in.
evtable result of 80 much excitement was a
chilling doubt il MISS Mayhews alarm had not
been only womans scare after all.
'Look at her for yourselves" she said, indig-
nantly, reading skepticism on every side. .
1he old lady q appearance was certainly dllap-
idated and battered, while her beautiful beads
were lying in her lap. Ruth replaced them pre-
paraiory to her getting out vt the crowded tor
minus where she changed ears. Tho old lady
iuttered away almost before the train had
stopped, and when she had been gone fully five
minutes Miss Mayhem ratified the beads on the
ansa sd ha cas a ha Efforts 60 secaTo
Something must be done. In vain she appealed
to selfish men they were not going to lose their
places. Nnch good but vague advice was vol
unteercd about keeping the necklace until she
could forward it solne time, which she cnt short
with a decisive
II will go myself"
Tho emergency required prompt acton and
she Was equal to the emergency. Without a
moments hesitation she rushed out.
''How long do we stop?' she inquired or a
brakeman. who exhaled hot oil from his very
countenance.
Twenty minutes" replied the brakeman,
surely melted by the Evil one.
Where, oh where will that brakeman so when
he dies2 Was his conscience deadened as well
AZ his outer ear by the din Of his life or did he
view with indifference the possibility Of any fu-
ture atate being worse than the pandemonuin
Of his present existence Onr traveller was I'M
mediately beset by crowd Of clamorous hack
men desiring to drive her ont OF her Wits, II not
to the end OF the earth Escaping this snare,
she fell into another OF babies and dusty par
ents. How many tender innocents she upset in
her haste, thus increasing the general uproar,
Ruth, although naturally humane, never knew.
Every where hopeless blockade OF baggage,
trucks, and struggling humanity-every where
insane panic of hurry in tho fear of being left
behind. Tho bewildered woman could not ap-
proach within ear-shot of tho persprlng ticket
master, whose sntfused face glared vengefuliy
Though the pigeon-hole as he snapped short
the incoherent questions OF distracted psssen.
gers. II she could only ascertain where the old
lady had gone
(which is tho Locust Valley train ?" she asked
of u baggsge-man who WAS pausing to take
breath after lifting II Saratoga trunk OF gigantic
dimensions.
The baggage man, with agonizing deberation,
rested his great hands on his hips, thrust quid
of tobacco into his cleek, stared at his interlo-
cutor, and said,
"Hey?"
Miss Ruth repeated her question with the en-
orgy OF despair.
"Where do you want to go?" inquired the
baggage man, warily.
And then it became painfully evident fact
that where Mics NIayhew wanted to go and
matters, for she beheld her train in motion. To
rush toward il. to signal blindy-as If the insen
safe monster would stop Ito be hold back from
jumping on board in gentlemany fashion, ant
then to be left gazing blankly into space-that
| WAS her experience. voice came back on the
wind:
Il will keep your things for you
To inveigh bitterly against the deceitfulnes'
OF brakemen was an impulse which our unfortu
| nate lady checked with true dignity OF chaiac
"I will find the old lady at all eventa," she de
cidod. " even though she should prove the pro
verbal needle In that hay y-etack OF depot"
| There never were 80 maly trains looking OK
actiy alike, and apparently headed in the SAM
direction, with their engines prancing almlessi,
|
| beholding familiar face, rpectacleA on nose
beamng behind window. Miss Mayhem dash
ed franticsly forward, waving the necb!sce aloft
| Tho old lady started, felt instinctively at he
| throat, and began to tumble no less franctlcall
at the closed sash. yarnish and springs deie
her Horrors The train, after dswdling an
length of time, at this inauspcious moment con
cluded to move. 1t was pleasant sight to be
hold Miss Mayhem racing along the platform
casting dignity to the winds, and the old lady Of
the verge of apoplexy within the car in her Of
forts to raise the window. How the ,peopl
stared to be sure But Miss Mayhew did nc
caro-. She was long past personal senslflvenesf
and when the sash finally yielded, just az sh
reached the extreme edge OF the platform, 81
threw in the beads, and retiring, seated hersel
on carpet bag to burst into tears. Her coul
age completely failed her the weak, silly. fem
nine sobs ,r0uld come.
A gentleman had approached to claim tt
carpet bag He was tall, bronzad, and beard
ed, and he wore a scarf about his throat of som
curious Eastern fabric. Miss Mayhem, the tei
sion of excitement having snapped WAS lett
weak az an infant. Her pocket had been Gu
and her portemonnaie was gone. HAD she,
securing her companions safety, fallen vietll
, to the snaky young man herself She now rof
making some confused apology for the conditic
! of her late throne, the carpet-bag.
Ruth Mayhew ~ exclaimed the strange
! "r cannot be mistaken. Surely you wear u
! gift, the little brooch, silver and pearls,
With u startled expression OF wonder 81
I looked up into his face, and read Joy in the ey
of her once young missionary. Tie locomotiv
: shriekeh, and tho human tide surged to and Fl
vet these two saw nothing OF the confusion abo
them. He was iourneying toward the viii
house on tho hill, which was to be his first p
grmsge in his native land and wonld have mis-
4 cd her had she not pursued the old lady vi
\ the gold beads.
"How did you recognize me p said Ruth Ma
J, hew, flushed and tremulous, all tue independent
Q OF later years utterly gone.
. ~ shoud have known you any where in :
Q world y said the Rev. John Atherton from
y ger-.
( Eniip nous l believe he recalled the fani
brooch before he did tho wearer However IL
y il none of our affair, since she was perfec
/ satisfied with the reply. Tie result Of Il
!, meeting was that Aunt Harriet lost her nnr
q and the Foreign Missions gained IL checrful, e