The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1881-07-30
LITTLE KATE AND /.

LITTLE KATE AND /.
We didn't wait for M income to marry
on, little Kate and /. We had no rich
relations to leave us legacies OF to send
pearl necklaces, diamond ornaments, or
thousand dollar bonds for wedding pres
ents. [ was simply brakeman on the
Eastern Michigan Railway, long and
lonely stretch of rails over desolate
marshes, steep mountain grades, and
solitary sweeps of prairie land; she was
the bright-eyed waitress in one of the
restaurants along the line. But when I
fell from the platform when the great
accident happened-you've heard of the
Great Accident, suppose, when there
was such a shocking loss of life--it was
Kate's care, and nothing else, that
brought me back into the world had
50 nearly quilted for good and nll
81 would have done it for anybody,
Mark !'' said she, when tried to thank
her.
"Would you ?" said I. "But it isn't
everybody that would have done it for
me, Kate !'
So asked her to marry me, and she
said yes And I took little cottage on
tho edge Of the Swampscot woods, and
furnished it rs we'll rs I could, with n
red carpet, cheese-cloth curtains at the
windows, n real Connecticut clock, and a
set of walnut chairs thnt made mvself,
with seats of rushes, woven Ill by Old
Billy, the Indian, who carried his bas-
kets and mats around the country, and
Mrs Perkins, the parsons wife, made
us wedding cake, and SO we were mar
ricd. Pretty soon found ont that Kate
was pining little.
"What is it, sweetheart ?"said I. ere
member, it was a contract between us
that we were to havo no secrets from each
other Are you not perfectly happy ?"
ooh, yes, yes p cried Kate, hiding
her face on my shoulder. "But it's my
mother Mark. She's getting old, and
if I could only go East to see her, just
once, before the Lord takes her away |"
It was then that felt the sting of my
poverty most. If I had only been rich
man to have handed her out n check, and
said "Go Mt once - think could have
been quite happy.
"Nover mind, sweetheart" said I,
stroking down her hair. even manage
it after little. Well lay up few dol
lnrs from month to month, and you shall
20 olt md see her before she dies p
And with that little Kate was forced
to be content. But there was n hungry
homesick look upon her face which it
went to my heart to see.
"If was rich !" 1 kept saying to my
self ooh, if I was only rich p
One stormy autumn night we were be-
lated on the road, for the wind was toy
rible, shaking the century old pines and
oaks, as if they were nothing more than
tall swamp grasses, and driving
through tho ravines with shrek
and howl like whole pack of hungry
wolvesr And tho heavy rains had raised
the streams so that wo were compelled
to go carefully and slowly over the
bridges, and keep n long look ahead for
fear of accidents.
1 was standing at my post, i'll front Of
the second passenger car, stamping my
feet on the platform to keep them warm,
and hoping little Kate would not be per-
turbcd ut my prolonged absence, when
the news agent came chuckling out:
"We'ro to stop Mt Stumpvillc Station" "
said he.
"Nonsensc," said I, "I know better.
This train never stops short of Waukcn-
sha City, least of all when we are run
ming to make up for lost time, rs we arc
tonight.
ooh, but this is an exceptional occa-
sion," said Johnny Mills (Which was the
news agents name. "We're going to
put an old woman off, She has lost her
ticket, she says. More likely she never
Ind ono. Goes on rs though she'd had
her pocket picked"
cts most pity, isn't it, to put one
c.. tom sht ?"said T. Least Of all ut such
lonoly place rs Stumpville Station,
where there are only two houses and a
blacksmith shop"
.'Yes, know" said Mills, adjusting
tho newspapers that he carried in rub.
Der case under his arm. "But the Sup.
erintendont of the road has got out q
new set of Instructions, and he's that
particular that Jones wouldn't dare tc
overlook q case like this, There's been