Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1882-10-14

/ Charlie visible in all the range of
surrounding country. Dire thoughts
began to be born within me, and 10
turn cold and damp with extreme
terror; the nightmare of my infancy
-"being lost"--came back upon me
and crushed my seventeen years and
the new dignity of Mrs. Charles
Vail, Jr., with a fell swoop. What
was to become Of me -? Suppose there
had been an accident, and Charlie
knocked down and awfully mangled,
or that he had just vanished away,
as one occasionally hears of respec-
table gentlemen having done, and
never would appear again, or be
heard Of at all; supposing l were
just to stand there waiting, the
trains shrieking away in the dis
tance, the night coming on, and all
these strange men staring and whis-
ing +? Pretty soon | should begin to
cry, for ] couldn't stand it much
1
longer; and here | began to feel for
my pocket handkerchief, and that
reminded me of my pocketbook as a
| slight resource. / dived TO the ut
most corner of my pocket before l
remembered that / had confded it to
Charlie with wifely duty, at the very
outset of our wedding trip.
At this alarming discovery a cold
moisture broke out upon my entire
frame. A night passed under the
lee of the depot, crouched among my
little possessions, now doomed before
me-unless | could deposit the dia-
mond ring and my gold bracelets for
nights lodging and a ticket back
to New York. | suppose the hor-
ror depicted on my countenance was
a sufficient challenge for inquiry.
don't know to what extent it must
have reached, but somebody appear
ed to find it moving, for a benevo-
lent voice presently saluted my ears
"Are you waiting for anybody,
miss 2"
l turned around with "a gasp of
alarm, which subsidized little, how
ever, when | met an eldery face,
specialized and benign in the ex-
IRENE.
Excuse me, miss,n said the old
gentleman in a sympathizing tone,
"are you waiting for anyone?"
"I-I-yes, sir-I am waiting for
came to a dead stop. For Char
lie should I say "My husband"
was a step beyond utterance just
now. only turned scarlet, choked
and twisted the handle of my bag in
silence.
SIS there anything l can do for
you ?"
ell don't know where to go!"
burst out quite inyoluntarily.
"They told me to change cars, and l
didn't expect to, and l don't know
what in the world TO do
My new friend looked bewildered,
and came step nearer, as he inquired |
in a solemnly'lowered voice:
Are you alone?"
mo, no" l said very quickly, un- |
der my breath
"Who is with you ?p said he, with
a kind of confidential compassion
that little confused me. | did not |
understand it.
"My-a-a gentleman" | faltered |
out. lie went to get me something, |
and he told me to sit still and not |
move; and a man came and made |
me change cars-and / don'C know |
what cars we were to take-and-I |
i don't see him anywhere"
Here / choked, and fell to biting
my lip, and winking my two eyes
hard to wink the tears down.
"a gentleman" repeated my
friend, solemnly. BY this time two
more men had drawn near to listen.
"Your father"
"No."
Brother, then ?" very mysteri-
ously.
"N-no.n
began to get very red and un-
comfortable, and to wish they
wouldn't stare so.
Where are you going, my dear ?"
asked the first Samaritan, after a
solemn pause Of some minutes.