The Russellville Democrat., 1884-01-10

1 Dack there.
II was two o'clock 81 this dino; IL
fifteen minutes the milk train w0uld
come along. There WINS Just chancs
Lofty might have been puton 70 the milk
train from the platform st Bright Brook,
which was flag station close by the
siding. when Tom Scott found her
| father had not come aboard.
Why had he not thought Of this b.
forep A wild thrill Of hope ran through
bis heart, he could scarce wait for the
train to come up; why should heP he
could run down to the Tuck junction
and get on the cars there; so of he went
again at full speed, and boarded the
train the instant it slowed.
rs my little Lofty aboardP" he call
cd eagerly, turning white, worn facs
and hungry eyes toward Conductor
Smith. who stood in the caboose door.
mo. sir; nobody but thorn you see
settin' before you." smiled the con-
ductor, quite unaware Of the agony his
answer gavo tho cxpcctant father.
Mr.. Park dropped into soat that was
luckily vacant close beside him. There
was no child there, but . small boy Of
about Lotty's age--a boy - black ~
black could be, who turned and looked
at him with grin.
| Mr.. Park laughed; he WAS 80 tired.
80 anxious, so cruelty disappointed. that
he laughed aloud, but It was . laugh
worse than cry.
Everybody turned to look at him, but
the train stopped, and being close to tho
door, he got out first, went over to the
freight station, sat down on . cheese
box, and leaned his head against .
beam, entirely worn out.
| The freight-master asked him some
trivial kindly question, but the poor
man shook his head silently; he could
not speak; 10 the other went his way
and let him alone. He saw thnt some
thing was tho matter he could neither
NEEDLE with or help, but he told his
wife that night that BE did wonder what
allied Park; for he never saw such q
face in all his life rs his was thst day.
Il seemed ~ IL the afternoon never
would 70 by; be heard throe O'Clock
strike from somebody's house near by.
and as the minutes wore ON he thought
that the clock had rum down. but he
pulled ont his watch and It was . quar-
ter Of four. Almost time for the West
ern train to coma In; then arose the
question In his mind whether tho sus-
pense would be shortened If he rot on
that train and went down 10 East Hart
land to wait for the evening train out.
He would know sooner, but what would
he know? Was . horrible certainty
easier to bear than suspenser
| Some men would have accepted the
alternative At once, but he shrank from
| it, partly because he was weakened and
worn with the terrible strain Of the last
few hours, and actually felt unable to
make the exertion; partly because, like
moro than half the other people in the
world, he wanted to delay . shock that
was probable as long as it could be
done.
The train steamed in; he heard the
hotel-porters CRYING out their short,
sharp invitations he heard LAUGHTER.
| the buzz Of tongues, the driving of Of
carts and carriages. the clatter of an
unruly horses hoofs, and the obiurga-
lions OF his driver, but he never lifted
his weary head.
His thoughts took a new turn hs
went back to the dav Lofty was first
! laid in his arms, 4 little, helpless, fret.
ting baby OF day old. But how proud
he was Of his girl, even from her baby
hood how he had watched every new
trick, and laughed with delight at her
broken baby-language how scared she
was at the locomotives the first time he
took her down on the platform. hiding
her fair head in his breast and sobbing
with terror!
Poor little soul he wondered il she
had been frightened when she fell off
the trim. or Il she had been spared that
terror by instant desth. He shuddered
at the idea, and made . great effort TO
control himself. and dispel the dreadful
fancies that haunted him. He got up
and walked up and down the Freight
depot. then he went over to the waiting.
room. picked up . New York paper
somebody had left behind. and sat reso-
lutely down to read Il, There was Z
great deal of news In that paper. but
be never knew it. All he saw was
LOFTY! dear little Lofty! lost Lotty!'
| The words seemed 10 dance mn and
down the columns everywhere. A bow
came along with apples: he bought one
of them and tried to eat It, but Il choked
him.
Time would fail me to tell Of his s2orts
to make the day fiy; il only crept the
slower. His very agony wore itself out
at length; he was duh and dumb. like
one who walks in bad dream.
At last the half hour after i've came