Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-11-25

Il
| terday, had assumed, with much appro-
pIiateness, q fashionable frock coat, of
| Qusker-lke gray. Quedglington reached
| the station just in time to tumble into a
first-class carriage already pretty full.
| Many of its occupants looked as if the
tickets in their pockets might be of any
hue save white, which was, and is, the
color OF tirst-class tickets upon the Wat
lingbury branch line. Charley looked
them over with the superciliousness of St.
| Aldate's, and came TO the conclusion that,
if undergraduates at all, they hailed from
some college more than a Sabbath days
| journey from the centersofs university life.
They had lunched well, and were loud
and noisy, as was Charley sometimes but,
| somehow, their loudness and noisIness
were not like the same things at st. Al
dates, and Quedglington regarded them
with much the same disapproval that filed
! the Dean of st. Aldate's when brought
face to face with his (Charley's) vagaries.
His gaze settled az last on a face in the
far corner which, under the circumstances,
caused him come surprise. 1t was so de-
cldedly out of place. 1t was that OF
rather pretty girl, with fair. haired, grace
| Jul little head. set off by small gray hat
| 1t was face formed to be either gravely
sweet or coquettishly smiling; sut now 1t
was frightened, plteous little face. The
sudden irruption of the noisy and excited
crew into her carriage was evidently not to
| her liking; but as she was sitting at the
end furthest from the platform, it was
no easy matter to eXtrlcate herself.
''She's governess, and very pretty one"
| thought Charley Certainly she is travel
ing tirst-class, so she must be a Newman
or Girton glri. They get a lot of money.
Sac is too plainly dressed TO be swell. |
wish | had some sisters who wanted
| governes5.
1t was not Qledglington only whose at
| tention she attracted. The young meE,
their bets settled, turned toward her more
Of their regards than was polite or pleas
ant. From this they advanced to making
euiogistic remarks upon her appearance TO
one another, and generally TO talking rather
in way that made Quedglington' s face hot
with anger By the time the train stopped
at the junction Charley was on the point of
interfering. The young lady rose, how
ever, and, taking up her cloak, stood pre-
pared TO leave the carriage. Her torment
ors made way for her not an inch, but sat
with their knees meeting across the pas
sage
"Would you be kind CROUCH to let me
pass ?" she said bravely, in quite steady
voice. But they were heated with excite
ment and the wine they had taken at
luncheon. Charley had come to the con.
ciuslon by this time that they were not
Varsity men at all, and we will hope and
trust that he was right At any rate they
sat still.
81 think, said one. with mock polite.
ness, that the ticket you showed at Wat
lingLury was for our destination. We DO
not change here"
land we really cannot spare so pretty
face. We are hoping to have the pleasure
of seeing you home"
So the girl was in fact prisoner the
noise upon the platform made it impossible
for her 70 get help from thence. Her eyes
wandered round the flushed faces, and
rested upon Charley's, flushed too, but
from different cause
She saw that he was not of the Others.
Don't let US have any of this rot p he
| said quietly. LET this lady pass, if you
please"
They all turned upon him, as he rose and
with some roughness pushed two or three
of them aside. The girl just touched his
hand, stepped lightly past them, and was
ont of the carriage IN a moment before
they could recover from their surprise.
"Coufound you What business ia it
of yours ," cried one, standing up and
catching hold of his collar. Charley did
not answer him in words his blood was
up, and as the other maintained his hold,
he struck him between the eyes with all
his strength and some little science. The
man fell back among his fellows, and all
rose up and hit out at Charley rather
| wildly, who warded off a blow or two, and
then stepped lightly backward on to the
platform to avoid others. He was only
just in time before they could follow him
the train began to move. A porter, who,
in the hubbub of the station, had seen
nothing of it, slammed the door and the
last that Charley, standing upon the Plat
form, saw of his opponents, was group of
| angry faces framed IN the quickly-moving
window.
He turned round with little laugh of
triumph, and saw his damsel, so lately in
distress, standing at his elbow. She was
much the more self. possessed of the two
| now.
Thank you so much, " she said prettily;
/" it was foolish of me to be afraid but
| they really were rude, were they not? |
am afraid now that l have caused you to
be left behind it does not matter much to
me, but it may to you.
" Not bit, answered be, with a viva
| cious mendacity which impressed her
greatly. Yet he was not unmindful that
now he could not get back to college until
after o'clock, and would certainly be re-
ported for breaking his gate, even if his
visit to Watlingbury escaped detection and
he did not, upon his arrival at the station,
fall into the hands of the proctor, as was
most probable. "They were awful brutes,
were they not? l am very glad I was
there to be of some assistance to you.
And l cordially share in that feeling"
she said, with laugh of pleasure at the
| thought of the blow he had struck 81
am going to see some friends who live here !;
but hope l may have some further oppor-
tuuity of thanking you. l am greatly
Obliged to your bravery" she looked
brightly up into Chsrley's face, held out
| little gloyed hand, and was gone quite
conscious, however, that the young fellows
eyes were fixed upon her as she passed out
OF the station, and probably not ill-pleased
by the fact.
She was gone, and he was left to kick
his heels for couple of hours in dreary
station, and get what amusement he could
| out Of the refreshment.room and the book
stall In time the next train came, and
he reioined his astonished party.
! Your name and college, sir, if you
| please ~
Quedglington, st. Aldate's" The proc
tor had known quite we'll both his name
and college, but preferred to go through
the old formula. So a fine was the least
to be expected as the result of the Wat.
lingbury trip, in addition to the penalty to
be paid for the broken gate, of the nature
of which there could be little doubt after
the Deans solemn warning. And, there
fore, when his scout, on calling on him
next morning, said that the Dean requested
the pleasure of his company at II O'clock,
Charley felt that be might as well tell Bum