Wichita daily eagle., 1885-08-22
MERELY AN INCIDENT.
l1aabel Jamison In Chicago rribune.l

llaabel Jamison In Chicago Tribune.l
It was early May, and Wsiy run went
! gliding ripping, chattering over its deeps
I and shadows, waking with cool. damp fin
/ gerJ The tardy ferns and wild flowers AMI
I plsshing gently against the massive stone
buttresses Of "the long bridge that had q
Z doutl lie glitter Of steel shooting like an ar
row acrlss it and darting away through
the tangei trushwooi On the other side Of
the run Between thee rail, lay a
! narrow line Of plank for foot-passsn-
| gers, and down this aerial pathway
! the Iissom form Of q woman was advancing
/ from the eastern bank, with head bent a
| little forward and eyes fixed intently upon
the network OF timbers and slender iron
I brace that rose from the stone abutments
! below. At the west end Of the bridge, near
! a sweep of rusty side-track under the brow
/ Of gravelly bluff. stood a tiny building,
-large for a band-box and small for q
house." into which the girl disappeared with
| q little sigh OF relief-shs could now give
! her whole mind ~ the problem Of dinner
and the preparation Of the pork and greens
that formed the nucleus hereof.
An old man so old and yellow and scanned
that one might lie excused wondering il
pare ment, sat on a whitely-scoured bench,
menling . seine with trembling, claw-like
fingers. He was singing. too, in a creaky
voice, and as the girl went about her work
+. among the shining pans and tender sprigs Of
mustard and dock. she caught up the faint.
uncertain strain in a clear, bell-l:ke tone
that rose and fell with q kind Of solemn
pathos.
On the swift. sweet wings Of the May wind
came the dull roar of grinding wheels and a
piercing whistle that went shrieking and
echoing through the hollow ravines and
woodland grottos below.
"Here's a wild gran'dad. Hark how
they're coming up the hiil-must have a
light train! o, gran'dad. its a special,
and they're going to siie-track here' The
girl raised her voice almost 70 scream
at the last sentence, for the old man was
deaf as the traditional post and labored
under the added disadvantage Of having
never yet discovered the fact
"Well, well. Bah, my girl; no call to
whoop like Injun! A body'd think was
hard o hearing the way you go on" he re-
piled, in thin. querulous voice. shuffiing
the seine away under the bench upon which
be had been sitting.
you smell dreadful ishy, and your hands
are all tar, gran'dad, dear! Maybe the off,
cials are on that train-do let me tidy you
up bit,' Bah shouted. rs the old man hob
bled away without paying the slightest
attention to this alarming possibility.
Bah got her greens on the stove and then,
being brimful Of repressed curiosity, caught
up the braided rug that lay beside the bed
and, going out on the backdoorstep shook it
vigorously for fully Eve minutes. From the
back door sne could see the @,pecial side
tracked at the foot Of the bluff The engin-
eer, in clean blue roundabout
and overalls, with ong-spouted
can in one hand and bit OF waste"
in the other, was prowling around tho "old
girl" oiling the supple joints and giving an
occasional rub to the shining brass trim
mings; while from the platform Of the rear
car poured bewildering procession OF
daintily dressed women, with their attend ant
cavaliers, followed by squad OF solemn
darkies and fat lunch ba kets.
"A picnicl l won't need 20 go over the
bridge again after all,' said Bah to herself
with satisfaction. The old man was bridge
watchman. but his rusty joints and misty
eyesight had incapacitated him for the
duty years ago, and it was Bah who. after
the passage OF every train, tramped over
the narrow line of plank with keen, watchful
eyes fixed on the timbers below.
"Now they are asking gran'dad about the
fishing Bah continued. "Just as if fish
ever bit at a picnic! AMI then. after they
have fished and fi>hed the whole day AMI
caught a mud-turtle and two bullheads, and
got the skin all peeled off their noses they'll
come to gran'dad and pay him 10 cents a
pound for big bass and yellow perch to lie
about whsn they get home. Why that girl
just getting Oft the coach looks a heap like
mothers picture!'
Just here the greens boiled over, and Bah
withdrew precipitately from her interesting
post of observation. By-and-by gran'dai
came shuffiing back, having been unusually
successful in directing the picnic party
away from tho relia5 5le @fishin' holes and
"minny rifles"
"They thanked me most perlite and gave
me a glass Of wine for my trouble, Bah" he
chuckled with deal Of honest satisfaction
at his cleverness. II told em there was real
sinners in the run and no mistake, for took
! half a dozsn ofn my trot-lins this morning.
T and the red hoss was thick on the rifles last
evenin. Some Of the fellers is a-cominy
down to the pool after dinner TO look at
them as I've got in the 'snker' o, they'll
buy fast enough this evenin', lass!"
more fools theyl l hope they don't ex-
pect anybody rs has ever been to a picnic
will believe they caught q fish themselves,'
shouted Bah, cynically.
Don't ee fear, lass! There's plenty as
will Why, these felers'l talk 'emselves
into believin' they caught 'em before they
get home.'
1t was after dinner, when the greens had
been dispatched, the bridge inspected after
the passage Of the 30 train, and Bah was
seated on the doorstep with her Sc wing. that
a slender, muslin-clad figure seemed to start
out of the greenwood and stand at her
elbow and a sweet voice asked courteously,
but little patronizingly withal, for needle
| and thread to mend n discouraging rent in
the founce Of her dress. 1t was the "girl
like mothers picture!"
| Bah was good needlewoman, and set
about repairing damages with n defines
and good will that were very soothing ~ the
strange young lady, whose temper had su.-
| fered almost as much as her costume: and
she was thus engaged when "A tiny locket
| suspended from a slender chain Bab's only
| ornament-fell with a tinkling little crash
| on the rough door-stone Miss Louise picked
it up To find it open in her hand and hand
some pictured face smiling up into her own
She closei the locket and threw it into Bab's
lap with a hani that was not quite steady
Your brother. suppose" she remarked,
mpposing. however, nothing of the kind
"Nor Bah returned briefly. adding. after
a pause, lit is the picture of gentleman
used to know -before--before We came
here"
"He is very handsome and disting uished-
looking. Were you intimately acquainted =
| Something in the tone more than the
words ssung Bah to the quick We were
| engaged to he married" she said quietly
enough. but hot flush burned in her cheeks.
Miss Lluise grew very pale, whether from
surprise or something deeper, it was impos
sible tn guess "Indeed, IL hardly under.
stand!" she falterei.
! Il dare say you do find it difficult Bah
returned bitterly @Perhaps ] had better
explain II was when we lived up north
that it happened Gran'dad -Eas quarry
man then and granny was ai:re. We had !
nice little cottage in tho-e days, and ~her
they went to work building feeder from
the main line OF the railroad out to the
quarry we ,ook come Of the 'bosse.' % board
| One Of them was the civil eng ineer wbS
SURVEYED the line He was fine young
gentlemen and was bound to rise. the other
men said. for be had talent and influential
! friends a. heaiquarters Of course they
| counted M ,stly on them-ant all the ooSsa'
made deal Of fuSs over him. thinking that
he'd maybe give his friends a boos'
when ne got chance by-ani-oy.
Bat for all that Mr. Owen never p1'
on airs OF seemed TO think himse!
above the rest of Us AMI many time have
seen him sitting among the quarryme nftei
work hours talking or singing 70 them ou