The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1876-01-24

i
ger lett upon the rickety platform; and
now, out again upon the straight iron
pathway that links the cities like beads
upon string.
Cautiously the door opens behind her
and Lin comes to view, his arms piled
high with great shawl his mamma gave
him in kind and tender consideration of
his physical welfare. Without a word
being spoken, the soft, gray folds are
wrapped about the slender figure, and
Lin finds seat upsn the step at her
feet.
"Thank you, MIR. II"
''LinZie Bruce, Miss"
"Mr. Bruce, l was getting chilly, l
must admit" and the eyes forget to rove
about in the darkness and seek his face
instead.
"No doubt you are wondering why 1
have not invited you TO enter my pail
ace;" with an extravagant wave Of mis-
big hand toward the car door. "Were
you, now?'
Ne, sir"
"Speak louder, please, the wind is SO
| shrill."
mop
"How good you are not to- think mean
OF fellowl THE TACT is, Miss Wander
vent, pptIced you were minus shawl
ana hat, and Knowing you were escaping
from the hands OF those saints ol the
Sacred Heart--and furthermore, wishing
TO help you-I thought it best to have
you walt until we pass Oxford, where l
can procure for you the necessary wrap
pings; and you can then enter the Car as
if you were entering it for the first time
las indeed you will be-"
"Oh, thank you, thank you, Mr.. Bruce !
| fully appreciate your Kind eohsidera.
ton to a stranger" and how the talk
goes ON! All on her side, too. She for
gets to be circumspect and demure; and
in the ten minutes more Lin has received
a vast deal of general information re-
garding her old gleat-aunt, of pure Cath
INJURED in the Convent, and also has ex-
planned to him the manner of her flight.
| The train has reached Oxford. After
much whistllng, Dell-rlngIng, gong-sum-
Imoning for the twenty minutes refresh
ments, Ian appears and jumps down to
Where, in the shadow OF the car, Miss
| Vandervent has been ordered TO await
lhis coming.
| "Here's u hat and shawl for you, Miss
Yandervent--heayen Knows What youll
think Of it! L only know that it's blue
velvet, with red feather and yello W
primroses-the milliner seemed deter
| u,
HADN'T time to do battle, escaped with
lit just as she banged the door TO Tor the
night. And here's shawl, speautilul
creen,' the Jew said, 'an' shoost de cooler
tor de peautiluI lady y"
| ooh, thank YOU, thank you-but if l
only had veil"
| I'm awlully sorry, but"
| "Ioot-toot-tootP' shrieks the engine,
and Miss Vandervent Jams tue tlaring
That on anyhow ana the tlaring shawl on
! EeNeryhow, and runs to the. platform just
| in time to be hauled up by Lin's strong
hands before the backward shock of the
car tells them they are about to start.
| At one end of the long, handsome car
there is little out-ov-tht- way corner,
and here Miss .Vandervent is escenced.
Lin looks pityingly at the. small, Lovely
Iace, that even the hideous hat he has
| Just given her can not make less lovely ;
and somehow warm feeling creeps into
the big, DOyish heart, and he can not helm
| thinking chat his ownership of (even II
| il be the ugliesl part OF her attire gives
! him a pleasanter sensation than did ever
| the lettered band OF silver that adorns
the cap resting at this moment jauntily
upon the short, chestnut curls.
| And Miss Vandervent--poor little Dora
Yandervent! She nestles down under
| the s.peautitut GREEN" shawl and dreams
| again of Convent life; of the ceremony
she and Nell have determined they will
not participate in-the ceremony in
which hundreds Of Protestant girls nave
been made TO take part in. But Miss
| Vandervent would not walk upon heI
knees up the long Cathedral aisle--noi
she! Hence the ght over the wall and
alas, poor Nell!
But Lin is passing. His kind face
grows kindlier, aud. seeing his wait is
| asleep.a and the rea feather hanging dan
gerously upon one ear, he, with u quick
shy look all about him, sees that he may
dare, and gently disengages tho hat
string; and, making a pillow of the
shawl his mamma gave him, cautiously
places the tired head upon it. Strange
| now his heart was warmed to the little
runaway.
Nine, ten, elevenl The down train due
| in seven minutes and the switch two
miles ahead. How uhey thunder along
| Big, glowing sparks fly like small light
ming flashes past the Windows; crass
the bfidges 20 by like short thunder
eiaps, and Lin looks anXiOusly at his
| elegant ume-piece that papa has giYei
| him and sees that only two minutes are
left of the five and The switch is yet ;
mile away.
| A Stacking at last and the engine re-
Yersed. Lin dashes out to grind the
| iron wheel but dashes III again ant
through the car as great fire demon
comes laundering around the curve
| and
Heavens, what a crash! Timber.
jammed through the sides of the tele
scoped cars--the terrible battering ram!
OF modern times. Means, curses, cries
and prayers mixing with the awful dill
OF mad, shrieking engines. Away of u
| the outskirts OF the noisy, sutferin,
crowd Lin has borne Miss Vanderyent
He could not tell how he has found her
amid the smoke and riot and screams o
agony; he only knows she is here saf'
upon his bosom-safe from fire, that 49,
1t may be that, when this deathly fain
has passed her by, there will be bones Il
| set-just now he can not tell. @
"Better to take her now, while she l!
dead to pain, than wait for consciousness
Ito return. Two miles to the city--Pl
try" and Lin takes his burden up ten
| DERBY and, marching down along thu
straight track city-ward, thinks over ths
events of this one day. .,,,
l Very romantic, no doubt, his thinking
he can carry her so far; and, no doubt, i
her one hundred and five pounds of per
sonal loyelipess were condensed into
parcel, Lin could stride along In true he
lfoic style. But with the trailing draper
les trimming him llD and her dead weigh