The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1878-04-24
A WORD IN SEASON.

My boy was gone-ah me! ah me!
{ "a WORD IN SEASON.
The Day Accommodation on the Shore
Line was making its deliberate way
eastward, curving with every curve of
the Connecticut shore, and clinging to
the water-side as though actuated by a
sentiment for coast scenery. On one
side of the track lay the blue, white
capped sea on the other, low rolling
hills with fairgrounds of brown meadow
and golden sedge; over all, a superb
arch Of sun-lit sky. Itwas delicious
late autumn day, and Miss Mallows
found g That Husband Of Mine" 80
little engrossing perhaps because of
her naidenly unacquaintance with the
possessiye case of that article-that she
flung it down and betook herself to
gazing from the window. She was
growing dreamy, as gazers at. rapidly
changing scene are apt to do, when
word reached her ear, and aroused curl
osity enough to make her turn her head.
Itwasa woman's name, and an uncom-
mon-' 'Arethusa." "
The person who uttered 1t was man.
His seat was on the opposite side OF the
ear, anda little in advance of that which
Miss Mallogs herself occupied, and she
now observed that there was something
odd about his appearance. His head
and shoulders were massive and finely
formed ;his face seen in profile was a
good one, with kindly eyes and striking
forehead, broad and benevolent But
there was something .dwarfsh in his
attitude, and when. presently he half
rose to shut the window, it became ap-
parent that he was a dwarf. There was
no ideformity, but the large head and
broad shoulders zwere' balanced by a
miserable pair of little legs not longer
than those OF, zazehild, Of Eten.> He was
not young, for there were. grizzled hairs
sabout his temples and in, higfull beards;
Fand Altogether bis appearance was half
repnlsiye and half attractive, and aweke
feeling compounded of good will and
pityso strangely mingled that it was
hard to tell which predominated.
His companion evidently the "Are-
thusa addressed, was girl not over
twenty, of that delicate type of prethness
known as American" which fades SO
early, butts. charming in. its brief
hower-time. Her new gray suit, With
crepe, slisse rufles at throat and; wrist,
the. crisp feather in her hat, even the
shining red leather Of her travelling bag,
and the perfectly fresh, carefully put-on
gloves, bespoke the bride, but there was
something very unbridal IN the face
which these fneries surrounded The
eyes, blue in tint:and beautifully shaped
and set, were swollen with crying, the
lips quivered nervously, every vestige
of color had fled from the round childish
cheeks, and the hands in the new gloves
we're pinched together With tightness
! like terror. Once or twice as Miss NAL
lows watched, she fought with emotion
and called up wan little smile in an
swer to something said to her, but she
never spoke. Her companion, on the
contrary, talked necessarily in low
voiced steady strain. Miss Mallows
could catch only word now and then,
and her curiosity about the couple grew
80 strong that she felt she would pay
any price to know their story. There
could be no doubt as to their relation,
she thought; they were husband and
wife, and just married. The little man
evidently had no thought except for his
bride. Mile after mile he talked and
talked, devouring her with his eyes the
while, and she sat with half-ayerted
head, never meeting his gaze or replying
by word to anything he said. Once
she turned and looked full at Miss NAL
lows with a wild appeal in her face
which was startling, but she instantly
looked away, and presently laid her arm
on the winLow sill and her head on her
arm, and began to cry in still, dreadful
manner, not sobbing aloud, but trem-
bling all over with pent-up feeling
which was worse than outbreak. The
man tried in vain to soothe her she
repelled him gently but decidedly, and
at last he gave up the attempt, and
silently sat beside her with a grave,
troubled face.
"I shall die if can't fiud out about
those people," thought the excited OBJ
server on the other side of the car. But
she didn't die, neither could she find
out. One can not walk up to perfect
stranger and demand, "Your story or
your life pit is impossible. So Miss
Mallows sat still, her conjectures aaame
and her fingers fairly twitching with i'm
patience, till at last the train stopped at
q small way station, end the little man,
rising from his seat-and, alas looking
even shorter than when he sat, said, in
a gentle, deprecatory tone, "Now,
Arethusa."
With that they vanished. Miss NAL
lows had one more glance of them, get
ting into brand-new carry all, which
looked as though it might be part OF
the wedding outfit, and then the train
bore her away. Her thoughts remained
behind, with the people in whom she
had taken so sudden and violent an in
terest.
'c,I wcnder, wonder, who they are,
and why on earth she married him p
ran her reflections. $50 young and
pretty, and so evidently unhappy And
for all her prettiness, it wasn't an edu.
Gated face, or lady's-he looked far
nicer than she. I feel exactly as though
had. dipped into the middle chapter OF
an exciting novel, and then somebody
had taken AWAY the book. What
wouldn't give TO read the beginning
and end OF it THAT Husband >oi
Nine indeed Stupid wretch I" And
she gave the volume vicious little
knock. "How is one to endure such
twaddle, when really interesting things
like this are happening in real life al
the time? Let me see-where was il
that those people got out ?" consulting
her ticket. "Upham Corners-that ii
only ten. eleven, thirteen miles from
Pstunxet. Perhaps Mrrgaret Leno,
may know something Of them. I'll asl
her."