The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1878-07-10
MISS yERNEY's CHOICE.


ney.
: She was a high toned, 1attere,
beauty, who had fed from fashiona
BILE follies for a short time to th,
quiet of an obscure Hampshire vii
lage
There kind uncle and aunt re
ceived her with open arms.
They loved this niece she wa
) 81 warm hearted and impulsive, Sc
unspoiled by hattery.
Who was Chester Vaughan.
The chief engineer on a railroad
that took in its course through the lit
tie village of Ashmont
He was one of the noblest men
that ever received on his forehead
the stamp Of royalty.
With a tall form, straight, mas
sive, yet graceful, dark handsome
face, with wonderful magnetic eyes
that lad twice looked fell into Miss
Verney's
Viewed in the light of public opin-
ion he was shades and degrees lower
than she.
To the vision, fine enough to dis
cern souls, independent of tee acoi-
dents Of birth or circumstances, he
was her equal.
Miss Verney was generous, truth
ful, high minded So was Chester
Vaughan.
She had warm, affectionate ma
ture; he possessed the same in a
great degree.
She loved all that was fac anG en-
joyable in literature, and could melt in
to tears over grand poem from pure
sympathy and appreciation. lie had
the elements of genius in his own
nature-could create what she only
could appreciate.
Judge, then, if he was not her
equal
She was at the station to meet
some friends, and remarked the fine
figure of the man as he stood on the
platform.
She had thought, "What grand
looking man he would be in society"
and be had turned aud looked her in
the face.
She had felt a great thrill at her
heart, such as no other pair of eyes
bad bad magnetism enough to send
there.
She chided herself for her weak
ness Was he not beneath ber
Away from her friends, was she
becoming p.ebian 10 her fastest.
What right had be to look at her
at all
But still thvse eyes, in their won
dertul depth and beauty, haunted
her
He had known by the fne sense
that discerns souls, that this woman
was his mate, though be had seen her
but twice.
Miss Verney had known ;t-anown
that BAD ne bsen in her circle, he
would single her out from sll others,
and that she would have
sprung to him, and known he was hes ewA.
Not smaller sogl,p
Miss Verney loved nature.
She was in the habit of rambling
alone through the woods in search of
botanical specimens and Other curios-
tiles.
One day she had wandered farther
than usual
A strange confusion seized her,
aud she found that she was lost.
She wandered around with grow
ing alarm, and, at last, suspecting
that she was moving in circle, sue
sat down TO collect her thoughts and
rest her weary limbs. y
How helpless she felt
All her wealth was pna yai;apie In
an hon. Ike .lis. The sen vas de-
clining and the evening twilight ad-
yancing. She felt the drowsin2ss of
exhaustion stealing over her. She
had enough presence Of mind to try
to shake it or and keep moving. The
night closed ip, starlight and beauti.
ful.
Kept up by the force of her viii.
she staggered on, until she at last
struck an open space.
By the light OF tne full moon, now
risen, she saw road before her, and
gained it.
1t was the railroad
But which way TO go? Gha was
totally bewildered
u shall not be able to keep up
much longer" she thought, looking
along the lengthy stretch of iron rails,
and there are no houses in sight. |
shall have to lay down and dig
Hark, VIA. was thai sound ad-
vanclrg--distant yet, but every mo-
ment sounding nearer in the hush OF
the dreamy autumn night.
1t was the train tbat reacted Ash
msnt at pine o'clock.
a feeling of terror superseded the
passive state Of exhaustion.
She was On portion OF the line
bounded on both sides by steep
embapkment. If she could only
give some signal
She realized the awful death be-
fore her ae sha saw the cleaning
headlight in the distance, and sank
down in dead faint on the line, her
white wrap showing conspicuously
against the dark ground in the clear
moonlight.
1t was the headlight of The May
flower" and Chester Vaughan's will
was controlling the impatient, pant
ing monster that seemed determined
TO oyertake the woman he loved with
swift destruction.
The orders were to run SLOWLY