Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1878-10-03

piaclo cows; again q group In a
porch stood watching the flying train |
Celia turned her face to catch a ]
glimpse of broad, blue river ahead !; |
Victor was idly tightening shawl
strap, when there came momentary
hush in the monotonous rattle of the
train, and before breath could be
caught or hove made. swaying !
downward plunge, a million crashing
horrors stified in one; the Miss of del
uged fire the wrench, the simultane-
GUS shrek, the brief, terrified silence
of destruction and suspense.
The train had gone through bro
ken bridge. The cbarred and shat
tered wreck had plunged into that
broad. beautiful, blue river which
Celia Lucas had strained her eyes, an
instant before, to behold.
Victor Lang crawled out by-and by
from the debris which overwhelmed
him. The drawing-room car had
iodged-that is the wreck of it-upon
the steep bank. He was dazed and
stiff; hardly sure of being alive, as
he stcadied himself aud stood there :
watching the shadowy forms and
cleaning lanterns moving about
through the ominous silence, in the
solemn dark, over the river surface /
and up and down the shore. With
sick shudder he begau to grope about
in search of Celia. She lay not many /
yards from where he had fallen, her |
head strangely compressed between
two beams. She was unconscious
when extricated-but an examina-
ton revealed no bruises, and it was
hoped she was uninjured. AS the
physicians feared a brain fever would |
ensue, it was thought advisable to
convey her home. Victor, therefore,
having procured a nurse to assist |
him, started back by the early norm
ing train, having tslegraphed to Tina
Vanderlyn that he was on board Tie
wrecked train; was but slightly in
jured, but thought it advisable to re-
turn home with friend who Was
somewhat hurt. -.. ....
1t was five years from the June
evening when train went through s.
broken bridge into broad blue river
on the road. The accident had
its turn of attention, and was forgot
ten. 1t is doubtful if 1t could have
been recalled by half-a-dozen people
in flat, enterprlsing and gay little
, city in western state where our sto-
ry leads us.
In the dooryard of wLite painted
!, cottage, whose arrangement somehow
/ recalled countless New England door
. yards far away, yourg girl was
tr, lining q vine; and she, too, with
, her firm poise, her masterful fashion
of hitting her nails on the head, her
r compact ed-brown braids, and quick
J blue eyes, recalled countless New
, England women.
r The cottage was near where the
long, straight street slipped into the
; road, and as the girl worked, she
turned once in awhile sharp, anx-
ious look toward town.
~ wonder why Mr.. Lang don't
1 come, il he's coming. said an elder
ly woman, appearing in the door.
Y 81 cantsee why the whole household
is kept tnpsy-turvy on his account. y
"Why, aunty, he is hardly over
t behindhand. Something spe ,ial mnst
: have detained him tonight; quite
l special, for he has an appointment
t with me at half past seven, and II is
nearly that now." ,
+ "Victor Lang don't put himself
e ont for any appointment with you
e Tina. It's past finding out how ht
; twists a girl like you around his fin
= ger"
An angry red burned in Tina Van
- derlyn's checks.
j. "You have no right to talk to m'
in that way, Aunt Jane, and / won
a stand it. / am not child to b.
criticised like that, and will not be. ;
[e 81 have always heard that a guilt,
le conscience needs no accuser," per
sued the elder woman, unabashed
" ssAnd I'm not the only one who talk
t. of your being 30 dead set after Vic
tor Lang, and he net caring a ry
t. straw for you. Only I talk to you
" face. and the rest talk behind you
e. back"
s'You are very kind all of you, AM
e. I hope you'll be rewarded" retorte'
d. the girl, and it took all her strengt
!" to keep back the hot, angry tears.
:" "Kind or cross, / think if q ma
or had cheated me out of my money, an
left me to work for my bread and
mt then courted me off and on for fiv
.r- wears, and never come to the point
I should have spunk enough to settl
I with him once for all"
ou "Try and keep to the ruth, Aur
on Jans,' flashed Tina. ''Mr. Ian
o. has neither cheated me out OF m
money, not yet courted me. AS fo
RI! working for my bread and butter, yo
ith know perfectly well that l always il
m tended to be teacher; that L despis
a woman who has no vocation, au
yer that | was trained for just the pos
ton occupy"
In "And which you'll continue to o
his cupy till you're a sour old maid iii
Ike myself, unless you give Mr.. Lar
his deserts before many more yea
"a go by" "
Did "Please let's have supper no'
aunty," Tina said, gathering
ia. her tacks and hammer and strin
ere She spoke wearily; her temper W
gone. The old woman's thrusts we
hard to bear, just because OF the gra
ow of truth in them. But good maj
ool things were hard to bear in life, Hi
had found, albeit, she was only tive
ty-one.
at "It's all ready, dearie. And
to did want you to taste the waffies .
fore they got stone cold, said t
low old woman, who would have died
opy the object of her rebuffs. ~
ese Tina went up stairs to put av'
ose her implements, and with qui
lia- breath to take one more look up
mp street. Victor was coming, in
hev distance, walk-slowly, his head drot
/ ed. No matters. he was comm
so The quick, glad color overspread
a ttxn OF a