Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1883-11-08
WAS 1T DEATH OR LIFEa

A dull November day was drawing to
"a close as i found myself again approach
ing the old university town of D.,
after an abscene of more than ten years.
Indeed, night had already fallen when
the train on which l was a passenger
drew up at the station, whose lights
blinked drearily through the foe that
had been steadily gathering since sunset,
and now, by an increased dampness,
threatened to dissolve into rain
The hustle usually attending the ar
rival of the evening mail in quiet inland
places like D--seemed, on this par
ticular occasion, to be wanting. The
dozen or so of persons, mostly men
with waterproOfs. and umbrellas, who
were on the platform awaiting our ar
rival, silently met those they seemed
to expect, and with them melted away
like ghosts into the surrounding mist.
and as no one appeared 10 have the
slightest interest in. me l began to fear
that l would have to make my way
alone to the house of the relative with
whom l was to stop for a few davsI
prospect not at all cheering, wearieS as
Il was with many days continuous travel.
l determined, however, to make one
effort for an escort, and was about to
SNAAA LII 20 WV tlLNl ULC OnlJ DdED Oh
the depot where q light was to be seen,
when the figure of man in preposter
Ously long Overcoat, and high bell
crowned hat, emerged from the gloom
at the farther end of the platform. He
came briskly up to where 1 stood, and
peering into my face, said:
''Be you Miss S-P If you air, I've
come to take you to Prof. Nj Isl
In my joyful surprise 1 dropped my
sachel and holding out my hand, ex-
claimed: ''Why Andrew, don't you
know me?''
"To be sure" he replied, giving my
hand hearty shake, ''but my eyes amt
as good as they used to be, Miss Eliza
beth. . Then taking up my sachel, he
continued: swell, come on. and
Hannah and NELL give you as good
> welcome as we know how seem we re
monarchs OF all we survey up there
now"
1 remembered that this had been
Andrews favorite quotation in the DAYS
of auld lang syne, and hearing it now.
together with the peculiar chuckIe
with which it had always, in that afore-
time, been accompanied, l felt a mo-
mentary light-heartedness, and breathed
again that cheerful and home-like at
mosphere from which / had been so
long exiled. And, animated by sudden
revival of old memories, was no sooner
seated in the Professors comfortable
carriage than began to launch volumes
-OfquestiOns at my companion unoffend-'
ing head. he being, as I well re-
-membered, quite equal to lombard
-ment of that kind.
Indeed, Andrew was a gossip of the
L,
and to my taste, an amiable and con-
Sscientious news-gatherer is the most
delightful of companions. The tedium
of a long ride through dark and muddy
streets was forgotten as / listened to a
resume of events since my last visit to
D; a vast. array of happenings that
might have kept fifty years instead of
ten in buzz of excitement. But then
1T is always so. 1t is when we are
absent from familiar places that all the
opposing Influences that war with
human nature seems to converge, and
hold very Walpurgis night of unex-
pected befallings.
The Professors house stood in the mid
die of an inclosure several acres in extent,
and handsomely set out with trees and
.shrubbery, through which its gothic
gables and picturesque groups of CHM
neys. were seen, especially in summer.
with charming effects. Now pale and
watery moon, in her third quarter, was
vainly striving to pierce the thick
mists as we reached the place, and An
drew made frantic efforts to point out
the changes and improvements that
had been made in my absence, but
house and grounds persisted in resolv-
ing themselves into a hazy blur, while
the branching of the wheels over the
wet gravel as we crent along the drive