Weekly commercial herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1884-18??, 1885-09-11

my CVHtpuUtUHo WtTe LHOFOuUHby utuTHlIu.
Igrew SO pale, trembled so in every limb,
that my companions were thoroughly alarm
ed. We had brandy with us, which was
duly administered to me. After awhile l
recovered, and although the fear was still
with me, sat with the stoicism of an Indian
at the stake, awaiting what might happen
at the frontier. l had done all | could. If, at
the last moment, disaster overlook us, | had
at least striven by every means within my
power to avert ii.
We have passed Biarritz, the merry bright
watering place. We have passed Hendaye,
the French frontier station. We leave the
towering Pyrenees on our left. We are at
lrun, where all baggage must be iealously
scrutinized. We are in Spainl Nobody has
troubled us. No su~spicious-looking stranger
has watched us. The stoppage has been
long, for the custom house officials are an
noytngly particular in the discharge of their
duty; but our noble-looking courier has
saved us all personal trouble. He had done
us yeoman's service. At last we are in an
other train, a train which runs on a line of
another gauge. The very time of day has
changed. We have lost or gained-I forget
Wholesome twenty minutes. We now
count by Madrid time. We are fairly on
Spanish ground, and / have saved my love.
Saved her from others-now to a v her
from herself. Never, never shall she know
the secret of that dark night. We will speed
away to the south-to the sun, the color,
the brightness, the flowers. All shall be
forgotten. The dark remembrance shall be
swept from my mind. l will call it a dream.
l will win Philippa's love-the love that l
dare to believe is already almost mine. We
will live forever in bright, sunny, glowing
lands. Who cares for dull, dark, dismal
England? Have we not youth, wealth, and,
oh, blessed word lovel Before my love and
me lie years and years of sweetness and joy.
Shake off black gloom and be merry, Basil
North. You have conquered fatel
We have passed st. Sebastian. The slug
gish train is YEARLY winding up the valley
of the Urumea. We are in wild and glori-
Gus scenery. The railway is carried at a
great elevation, from which we get now and
again peeps of far-away valleys. Yes, l
could now find time t. admire the wonder
full scenery which lasted until we passed
Miranda.
My mood changed with the country. l
laughed; l jested. Each Of the many sta
tions at which we stopped furnished mate
rails for my newborn merriment. laughed
at the solemn looking Spanish railway
officials, and drew pictures OF the doleful fate
of imaginary noble born hidalgos whom
poverty forced to descend to such employ
ment, Igrumbled not at the slowness of
the train, although an ordinary traveller
might well, when on a Spanish line, sigh
for the comparatively lightning speed of the
much maligned French trains. Time was
nothing to me now. Was there not a life
time stretching before me-and Philippa9
My gayety was contagious. My mother
laughed until thu tears came, and Philippa
smiled as l had not seen her smile since we
picked up under such sad circumstances
that long dropped thread Of friendship.
Those who have travelled in Spain will
scarcely credit me when I say we had the
compartment to ourselves We we're trou-
bled by no cloaked Spaniard who ..as is the
wont of his kind, insisted upon smoking like
a furnace and keeping both windows shut.
Our noble courier lad been given his in.
structions. His arguments were venal, and
had l troubled about money l should have
found them costly. But they carried the
point, and no one intruded on our privacy.
The hours went by. My mother slept, or
pretended to sleep. l seated myself near
Philippe, and whispered words of thinly
yelled love. She answered them not-I ex-
pected no answer-but her eyes were down
cast and her cheek was blushing. She sighed.
A sad smile played around her sweet mouth;
a smile that spoke ofa world of regret. That
sigh, that smile, told me that she understood
me, but told me also that, ahl it could mover
be. The past never forgivesl But all the
same she let her hand rest in mine; and al
though, considering what had happened, ]
scarcely dare to say so, for once, for many,
many months, I was all but happy.
For me that journey ended only too soon.
At night we reached Burgos, the capital Of
the old CastiliAu kingdom, and l laid my
head on my pillow and enjoyed sleep such
as l had not known since the night before
that one when Philippe, with the snowfakes
falling around her, stood outside the window
of my cottage and gave me something tc
live for-something to hope for!