Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1885-05-02
MARTINsBURG, W. va, SATURDAY MAY 2 1885,

where I am" he continued. Life
can't give me anything harder than
Eve had" e i'li g
"That is bad thing to say" she
said, in her timid way.
"a true thing, though" lie respon
ded, and the corners of his sensitive
mouth dropped little more. l feel
as il / had nothing left to live for.
My wife died a year ago here
the voice broke. Distress often calls
some souls out from their reserve,
and here was such a one, and she
said quickly: aAh, bnt yon have all
those vanished day and months and
years to remember, all of heI life to
think Off
GLOW did you know her life was
lovely" he queried, a little sharply.
She hesitated moment and then
said, simply "It must have been,
or you would not miss her from
Your living so much," a tribute to
the manly worth IN the face she saw
before her which was keenly relished
by the owner Of the face. He sighed
and looked for a time out OF the smo-
ky window, then said: " After all life
is strange muddle," and receiving
a look of understanding in response
to this sentiment, he went on:
1--WE don't know what is right to
do, and yet we're punished by fixed
laws if we don't do the right. That
doesn't seem just to me-"
"Oh, but it will come out straight
in the next life," she cried eagerly.
i don't know whether it will or
not" he responded. "Ihaven't seen
the next life yet, and l don't know
what it is like-dOn't even know if
there will be next life. l only know
that we are hedged in around in this
life.u
"But surely the next life will take
away all the rough places of this,n
she said; sit will make US under
stand all that seems so strange about
this-and there must be a future
life; God will not put us into this
life and let so many go out of it in
complete. That seems to be the
strongest reason for a future, thatso
many die with their life-work only
just begun"
els that-a reason of hope with
you z" he asked. She hesitated and
did not answer, and just then one of
the restless young men who had been
a fellow passenger of theirs came in
and glanced casually at the two.
That glance made her selfcon-
scious, and a blush dyed the delicate
face and she turned, in a decided
way, the pages OF her book, as if she
were determined not to let this
stranger get possession of her wan
dering thoughts again. The young
man passed out of the station, but
the elderly one rose and walked rest
lessly about the room, knitting the
shaggy brows occasionally at some
troubled thought. The three hours
passed, and l o'clock came, and a
tram came. "Can assist you 2" he
asked gently, reaching ont hard,
brown hand for some of the numer-
GUS bundles she was carrying. She
handed some to him aud followed
his sturdy footsteps to the train.
They wondered a little why their
fellow passengers of the morning
were not in greater haste, but forgot
them presently in the hustle of de-
parture. He secured a pleasant
seat for her and then one for him
self at some distance from her. A
few minutes of waiting, of idle watch
ing Of the dark landscape, SO soon
to be among remembered things,
and the train moved slowly ont of
town, and as it moved away another
train steamed IN. She looked curl.
ously at the second train, but re-
membered that this was a junction
and did not obey her first nervous
impulse, which was to 60 to her
whilom protector and ask him if he
were sure they were ON the right
train. She forgot the train soon,
and watched his stern, set face, and
felt sorry for him, and wished he
might feel as sure of the future as
did she. Soon the conductor came,
and she watched him as he made
his way toward her. When he
reached her protector, as she already
called him in her inner conscious
ness, that individual gave a quick
start at some words uttered by the
conductor, after examination OF his
ticket. A troubled look settled upon
the resolute face, and he conversed
earnestly with the conductor a few
moments, then glanced at her and
rose and came to her. ~ told you,n
said he, .that we don't know what
is right and then we get punished