The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1879-03-22
OUR STORY TELLER
ALMOST A CRIME.
tohicaso Saturday Evening Herald ]

ilchcaao Saturday Evening Herald
You ask me to tell you about it,
children, and I will; | only warn YOU
to let 1T be lesson to yon in future
years not to give way to passion qur
malice. g4Gn 80 =
You would hardly imagine such a
tough old gray beard as your "Unele
Ned Is now was ever a slender strip
ling youth, whose mind was filled with
romance, and whose soft, womanish
heart seemed to be beating only for love,
but such was at two-and twenty.
Many is the maiden | had Kissed
under the mistletoe and beaued home
from singing school, but up to the sum-
mer mention had never met one that
stirred more thana passing fancy. That
summer my father told me be was going
to send me on a journey 10 New Hamp,
shire, to finish some business he had be-
gun by letter with his old friend Owen
Dalton. s. 5 lfa, .ls
q. | was glad enough to undertake the
mission, for in those days, when rail
roads were as scarce as hens teeth,
young men got very little chance to 20
away from home. So one Monday
morning clambered On top of the old
stage-coach and started off, feeling. al
most Tor the first time, sense of my in
dependence and freedom.
As the stage numbered past the old
farmhouse, | saw my darling mother
aud my only sister waving their hand
kerchiefs and kissing their hands to me.
ana the tears started unbidden down my
boylsh cheeks, and my throat swelled
with an emotion strove in vain to sup
press.
MY journey was uneventfnl until we
arrived at Concord, aud stopped at the
Old Eagle Hotel to bait the horses and
allow the passengers to dine. Here |
PICKED up my fist acquaintance. as
travellers SO frequently do, and was sur
prised to find that he was going on the
coach with me.
lie was young man of perhaps twenty
i've, light hair, blue eyes, a bright, in
genuous expression to as frank mouth
as ! ever saw. 4 was Immediately at
tracted to him He clambered UP on
top of the coach as did, and drawing
from his pocket leather cigar-case, of,
Tered me cigar,
had never smoked cigar, but felt a
KIND OF shame to refuse, so l took one
and lighted it with as much or perhaps
more Importance than an old smoker.
We glided into conversation.
"Where did you say you were going ?''
asked. 49, -
To Daltonville.'" 4tEf F.
"To Daltonville ?1
" Yes, Is there snvtb;no s+ronro :,
thatW ..,.Iss'- - @ -
No; but I was surprised. l am 90.
ing there too"
"Well, know most of the families
ABOUT there" he returned, putting his
cigar. " Whom do you visits.'' ~
The Daltons." ...-t..,f
The DaltonsT'
:" Yes; IS there anything strange in
THAR L asked, as laughingly repeated
his very words, in the meantime watch.
ing the smoke as it curled from my
cigar. --8ll
IA, NO, nothing strange, except that we
should meet. l am distantly related to
the family, and am going there to spend
Anna p'
Anna !" | asked; " is there young
lady there?"
eyes, my boy, young and handsome
iaay; one you can't help liking"
X -, very well, then, Ili-driyer,
wnan are you webbing over the road
Z 1VI sk =, 20 ~fH1gsf
-" Shure. sur, an l think the only wob-
bic, as ye call it, is in that cigar yer q
moking."
Sure enough, 1 felt my head whirling
and should have fallen off the vehicle
had 1T not been for the assistance of nv
new-found friend who took my arm.
feel sick--sc SICK" [ murmured.
guess you are not used to strong
cigars. Driver, stop until I help the
young man inside of the stage"
scarcely remembered what han.
pened afterwards, except that l was an
awfully sick man; but gradually bepsn
TO feel better, and by the time we
stopped for the night had almost
recovered - ~
Albert Warville and myself had be-
come the best of friends. He had cared
for me during my illness, and not one
WORD did he say of my weakness.
mat night the driver approached me
ana SAID, soto voce, Begorra, sur, if the
flrst part of that cigar was as wolfe as the
iasht, | don't blame ye fur gettin' sick y
but put no stock in what he said. for 7
should not have known whether Il was
god or bad. ''''' ~ was
Wen, we arrived, after a few days'
travel, at Daltonville. This little Vii
iase nestled in a valley near one of the
most precipitous mountains of the
rlanconia range. ltwas place of ro-
nance, and built future hopes ON the
beauties of the surrounding scenery,
Tor ! was fond of hunting and fishing
ana had quite good deal of experiences
we we're cordially welcomed at the
Dalton house. where, 1 found, my friend
was nailed as Cousin Albert. Lid not
eAnna Dalton until the supper hour.
= though | don't doubt Albert did. as he
n ade himself at home at once, leaving
me with the two boys of the house,
Henry and Willie.