Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1881-04-06

disgrace my bridehood and CRY.
"And told you to sit still, did he i?
Well, you stand right here and keep q
lookout for him. There's the Boston
! train over there, goes in fifteen minutes,
and he can't get into it without you See
ing him, if he amt inside already; and
my advice is, stick fast to him if you find
him, for he must need looking after !"
With which remarkable words tho
man set down my bag, and winked at a
bystander.
"What's the row." asked the person
thus invited to participate in the enjoy
ment of my woes. Then they Whisper
ed-about me, I suppose-and every
! body stood and stared at me.
Poor little bride! There stood, hold
ing fast my parasol, with shawl on one
arm; my own small satchel on the other,
end Charles bigger one at my feet, feel
ing like very clone lorn critter' in
deed. There stood three men in knot.
contemplating me, and any quantity of
the same species coming and going, who
all looked at me as they passed, and then
turned round and stared again-and
there was no Charlie visible in all the
range of surrounding country. Dire
thoughts began to be borne within me,
and to turn me cold and damp with ex-
IRENE terror; the nightmare Of my in
fancy" being lost"-came back upon
me, and crushed my seventeen years and
the new dignity of Mrs. Charles Vail,
Jr., with fell swoop. What was to be-
come Of me? Suppose there had been
an accident, and Charlie knocked down
and fearfully mangled, or that he had
just vanished away, as one occasionally
hears Of respectable gentlemen having
done, and never would appear again, or
be heard of at all; supposing were Just
to stand there waiting, the trains shrek
ing away in the distance, and night COM
ing on, and all these strange men staring
and Whispering? Pretty soon I should
begin to cry, for I couldn't stand it
much longer; and here I began to feel
for my pocket-handkerchief, and that re-
minded me of my pocket book as a slight
resource. I Owed to the utmost cor
ners Of my pockets before I remembered
that I had confded it to Charlie, with
wifely duty, at the very outset Of our
wedding trip.
At this alarming discovery cold
moisture broke out upon my entire
frame. A night passed under the lee of
the depot, crouched among my little
possessions, now loonled before me-un-
less could deposit the same possessions
or pawn my diamond ring and my gold
ticket back to New York. I suppose the
horror depicted on my countenance was
q sufficient challenge for inquiry. Il
don't know what an extreme it must
have reached, but somebody appeared to
find it moving, for benevolent voice
presently saluted my ears:
sAre you waiting for anybody, miss?"
l turned around with a gasp Of alarm,
which subsidized little, however, when /
met an elderly face, specialized and be-
nign in the extreme.
Excuse me, MISS" said the old gen.
tleman, in sympathizing tone, care
you waiting for anyone?"
"I-I-yes, sir-I'm waiting for"
I came to dead stop. "For Charlie"
should l say. "My husband" was
step beyond utterance just now. I only
turned scarlet, choked, and twisted the
handle Of my bag in silence.
us there anything can do for you?"
"l-don't know--where to go!" I
burst out invol unfairly. "They told me
change cars, and didn't expect to, and
l don't know what to do"
My new friend looked bewildered.
and came step nearer, as he INQUIRED.
in solemnly lowered voice: care you
alone
Ono, no" said very quickly under
my breath.
"Who is with you?" said he, with
kind of confidential compassion that
little confused me. l did not under
stand it.
"My-a-a-gentlem I faltered
out. "He went out to get something.
and he told me to sit still and not
move; and man came and made me
change cars-and I don't know what
cars we were to Extraordinarily
don't see him anywhere
Here 1 choked and fell to biting my
lips and winking my two eyes hard, to
wink the tears down.
"a gentleman - repeated my friend,
suddenly. By this time two more men
had drawn near to listen. "Your
father?''
emo"
Brother, them" very mysteiously.
''N-nO."
I began to get very red and uncom-
Portable, and to wish that they wouldn't
stare 80.
:" Where are you going, my dear ?"
asked the first Samaritan, after a SOL
emn pause of some minutes.
II don't know" I answered family.
" He didn't tell me; be just said, when
he went to get me some lunch, that I
wasn't to move if the man said to
change cars, for we were going through;
and L told the man so, but he made
me change" 49,
"That trains a-going back to New
York" said one of the last arrivals,
grinning. "Going through to Boston,
was you?"
IT don't know where was going"
1 answered, very shortly.
"Let me see your ticket" said the
old gentleman, feelingly.
He had a compassionate way of
looking at me over his spectacles; and
he looked queerer still when l an
wered family" He's got it-and-my
money-and-oh, why don't he come %
Here [ cast loose all ceremony, and
burst into tears. !
- Oh, don Il cry now, said the old gen
tleman, soothingly. "Don't know! It'll
be all right--you'n be taken care of.
Where did the-your friend-where did
he go?--which way?
"Idon't know."I sobbed from behind
my handkerchief. ."
event to get some lunch, did he say
Well, now, can't you tell me what sort
of q looking person he was, and per-
haps we can find him? Washe young or
old ?"
"Young," murmurcd, still behind
barrier Of cambria. W-with a yellow
moustache, and g-gray clothes, and
straw hat. ..x-<es|
''Pretty bad business!" one of themen
muttered aside to another. ''6harp fell
low!" responded second. And; then
there was some antistrophes of 'What's
the matter ?" "It's shame!" "Left
her, did he % from q small crowd that
had by this time started up around me. 4