Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-04-16


was married, and therefore never |
could have any such experince; but |
those recitals were Of intense interest 10 |
me, and as long as they would recount |
them, would listen, until there hap |
pened 10 me the adventure that / am
going 10 tell you. Since that day / have
thought that have more In me than
people imagine. But to go on with my
story.
We we're due at New York at O'Clock
that night, and the short winter day
closed In earlier than usual as we sped
on, breasting the most terrible snow
storm ever encountered. / was afraid
to look again at that solitary girl; but
when, picking up my wife's muff, l took
advantage of my position TO steal a
glance at her, saw that her face was
pressed closely against the window
pane, and that she had timidly stopped
the conductor and asked some question,
which, on being answered, seemed TO
alarm her still further, for she covered
down deeper in her seat. l wanted 10
follow him out TO question him, but /
dared not leave Mrs. w. on the plea of
small smoke, for she never allowed
smoking when traveling-indeed, very
seldom at any other time; but after
some cogitatiDn / muttered something
concerning her trunk strap having been
loosened by the pOrters. Mrs. w. is
very strong-minded on most points, but
she never could attain any influence
over baggage-men, and was therefore
peculiarly alive to their delinquencies.
$50, Theodore, " she instantly said,
"and see about my trunk My opinion
is that those porters throw the trunks
deliberately about, in the hope that
some of them will break, and so give
them a chance for pillage. "
l rose quickly, and sought neither
baggage nor trunk, but the con-
ductor, and had short conversation
with him.
"That young lady who is travelling
alone seems very nervous and timid, l
remarked, as politely as l could, for
conductors are Sometimes of a contrary
temperament. "I feel quite anxious
about her."
"Oh, those kind get on very well, >"
he answered, carelessly. "They have
a way of looking that will soon induce
any soft disengaged chap to take care Of
them, and no harm done, either"
"But is she entirely aloneP"
ayes, believe so. Lots of them run
all around the country at this season on
their own hook. Tell you, sir, the
American female is some.n
crushed my disgust at the fellows
vulgar slang.
'SDo you know to where she is
boundp Is her ticket farther than New
| YorkPn
He eyed me very unpleasantly.
"You Just let that girl alone,n he
said. "What have you to do with herP
You look as if you could hardly take
care of yourself"
&" My wife is with me-" l said with
dignity, "and 1 thought that If the
young lady was alone, and in need of
protection, we could offer it to her when
we arrived at New York"
"An right, sir" he said, more civil
| ly, " l guess she will need some one to
see after her, for she is bound for Bal
don, in Maine, and we shall miss the
connection tonight. There's an awful
storm blowing"
l went back to my wife with many
useless plans chasing each other in my
brain for the accomplishment of my
purpose. was compelled, in return
ing, to pass the place where the poor
girl was seated. She looked up, and
the terrified expression that had settled
upon her face changed to an appealing
glance, so appealing that l hesitated
but just then my wife turned toward me
with a question.
"Did you see that the strap was
properly fastenedP" she asked; "and
what is the reason you did not attend
to its being correctly done before we
startedP"
alt is all right, !" 1 said. "My dear,
the conductor tells me that we shall be
very late in arriving. How terrible for
those ladies who are alone 10 get to the
city in this storm and darkness $50
long, too, after the train has been due. :"
She turned a suspicious-a very sus-
picious-eye upon me.
"I am so very glad," hastened to
say, "that l did not allow you to leave
me, and travel alone to New York. l
am always more comfortable in my mind
when 1 am near to protect you in time
of need" And l really felt so.
"Mr. Witherton," she said, concisely,
al dislike platitudes."
We sped on in silence, the snow was
so deep; and at each station that we
stopped at we dropped a passenger or
two, till but few were left, for we were
an accommodation train. At last we
passed through Newark; and then the
poor girl, who had hesitatingly risen
once or twice, and then sat down again,
as if afraid of carrying out her inten-
dons, at last sprang up desperately, and
made her way TO us. She looked once
in Mrs. WIS face, and then turned to
me.
"When 1 left Washington this morn
ing" she said, almost inaudibly, ''I ex-
pected to go right through New York TO
my home, but the conductor tells me we
shall not make the connection with the
Eastern train. l am all alone, sir, and
much alarmed, for never have been
before in New York, except once when
1 passed through without, stopping.
viii you tell me where l can remain
for the nightP"
had known that there existed some
strange sympathy between that girl and
myself when our eyes had met in pass
ing, and as she looked me in the face
and appealed to me, felt that / could
do and dare a great deal for her sake 4;
but Mrs. Witherton's opinions have al
ways strongly influenced me, and I
knew she was not putting the most fa-
vorable construction upon what was
passing at that moment. Still, there
have been epochs in my life when have
remembered that l am a man and a
gentleman, and also an independent
one in my views, however my actions
may have been curbed by circumstances.
y And this was one OF those moments,
"This lady and myself, " said l, mo-