Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1882-11-04


with one foot upon the steps, her eyes
anxiously searching the crowd before
her and her face alternately flushing
and railing beneath the curious stare
to which she was subjected. Ell
don't exactly know" she stammsrsj,
"if I could see James Eldon-." Once
more her eyes ran from face to face
along the sidewalk, but the familiar
one she loved 80 we'll was not there.
James Eldon ?" repeated the driver,
turning to inquire the whereabouts Of
that parsonage; but he was saved the
trouble, for one or two of the bystand-
ers, hearing the name, spoke up,
James Eldon? Hes in the Grotto." :"
and another hurried away to seek
"Jim," as he was Familiarity called.
"All right" responded the driver,
"better step out, madam; he'll be
here in minute. Hes right in there
indicating long, low building ad-
joining the postofice. Thus informed,
the woman advanced to the sidewalk
and looked in at the window of the
Grotto.
"Behold of what delusive worth
The bubbles we pursue on earth,
The shapes we chase,
Amid world of treachery."
She looked in at the window, and
she saw-frst, long, wide bar with
rows upon rows of dark bottles rang.
ed on the shelves behind it, with two
men in white shirt-slsevea busily sup
plying the wants of boisterous crowd
before it-next, long bar-room, with
fiddler sitting on a barrel at the
further end, and q score Of dancers
circling, with more freedom than
grace, to the strains of a waltz. The
light was dim at the further end, but
just as she was wondering how it hap.
pened that James was in such a place,
couple swung into the foreground
q couple with laughing flushed faces,
the head of the man bent to look into
the face of the woman. His head
was bent, but the weary traveller rec
ognized it and started back as though
stung by a serpent. "My God |" ahe
breathed, "can that be my James?"
and she shrank away.
She did not see the messenger tap
her husband on the shoulder, or wit.
ness the start and look of astonish.
msnt with which he received the It'd
ings that "a woman outside wanted to
see him"
But when her husband strobe to
meet her, she raised her head and a
great, qusnchless love illuminated
her pallid face. She stepped impul-
sively forward, her hands outstrstchsd,
her lips quivering with emotion. The
man halted suddenly and uttered an
imprecation.
"What the devil Here's q go |
What kind of game do you call this,
Lill ?"
This was her greeting this was the
end of her plottingl i
"Alas, for the high dreams cong. to naught
Ere the autumn of life drawsRear,"
And alas for Lillian Eldon
"Hearts have broken Cor harsh words
spoken,
That sorrow can ne'sr set right"
Lillian began a new life--but how
differently from that which she had SO
fondly dreamed James Eldon WAS
in the tolls of drink and an unprinci-
rled woman, but lie could not repu.
diate his lawful wife. He had pur-
posed keeping her away from the
Miners Luck that he might pursue
unrebuksd the course he had chosen /;
but since she came upon him in this
precipitats fashion, he could do no
less than find her a place in which to
live. But he was not the fond, light
hearted husband whom Lillian re-
membered of yore. He showed but
too plainly that his affection for her
had fed, and worse than that, he also
made no secret of his infatuation for
the bold, beautiful "Sue" Of the Glot-
to. Lillian tried hard to exteuuats
his conduct, to remember that
"We are all W eak when under temptation,
All subjects to error and woe
But the long forgotten protest of kind
relatives against her marrying "the
gaysst young fellow in town." came
back knocking at the door of her
memory.
"And there falleth mist and binding
rain,
And life is never the same again."