The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-03-31


Goldville for two splendid reasons-you
see, we shall have thirty dollars and fifty
two-cents to astonish the natives with,
and there is such a spice of comfort in
the first syllable, don't you think?"
"What's in a namem quoted Miss Ma
tilda, dismally.
But Bertha only laughed.
Miss Matilda almost wanted to laugh
herself, two days afterward, when she
found herself flashing through State after
State, for all her life had only meant so
many red and blue splashes on the map.
There was no longer need to reprove
Berta for the reckless handling of their
future. The money was spent tnow-and,
after all, there was flavor of dangerous
pleasure in daring fate to do her worst.
All her life she had walked without
stumbling in the beaten path that lay
before her as prim as Dutch flower gar
den, and now that there had come a sud
den and appalling end to her road, all
the comfort she had got from Berta was
reference to ''ruts, that wasn't sisterly,
and another to 'Jack," that was scarcely
genteel.
Very well! there was no longer the
despised rut to plod in. They had desc
late amount of freedom now to starve where
they pleased, and OF course, if it suited
Berta best to have their bones bleach on
the boundless prairics of the West,
why"
And then she did laugh at her own
amazing stock of self pity, and it brought
such sparkle in Berta's warm gray eyes
that it was worth being hopeful just to
see them.
And, indeed, the girl was so cheerily
familiar with things she never saw before
and knew nothing about, so worldly
wise in the matter of checks and so
equal to the baggagemen, that Miss OAR
ril, in spite of her thirty and something
over years, was beginning by the second
night to feel childishly, irresponsibly
happy, when--their journey came to an
end.
Came to such sudden and disastrous
end, that she had been lying in an ugly
heap under the stars quite twenty min
utes before she realized that there had
been an accident, and that like as not
she was dead.
Wounded she certainly was, for her
arm lay under her as stiff and cold as
wooden thing, and there was something
trickling down her face, in thick, slow
drops. that she knew even in the awful
darkness was nothing less than blood
and then she tainted again.
The accident had happened in an out
of-the-way part of the country, with no
one to blame but sleepy flagman. There
was an inch or 50 of paragraph in the
nearest paper, and two-line telegram
notice in the press all over the State-but
it takes more than handful of bruised
and battered passengers to make head
lines in these progressive days, so that
when Miss Darrell opened her eyes on the
world again it had quite forgotten all
about her
1t was rather strange world for pair
of civilized eyes to open upon-four walls
of round logs chinked with mud of deli
cate yellow, with a small, square OPEN
ing for a window, and long panel slit
for door.
Outside the window there were frost
coated mountains shooting up, up above
the sky line, and on the other side of
the door there came swift, irregular
sounds of-what was it? What was that
sound2 And where in the name of sense
was Reberta9
Why, there she stood right beside her,
and as her watchful eyes caught sight
of Miss Matilda's wide, wondering ones,
there came pink wave of gladness into
her face, as with womanly sob she leaned
over and caught her in her arms.
s'Berta," began Miss Matilda, in such
a small, faint voice that it very nearly
frightened her into silence, I've beenill,
haven't II"
eyes, dear; but the doctor says"
''I've needed a doctor, then2" And
when she had asked her question, she
moaned and closed her eyes.
Berta could have told her she
came near needing coroner.
but she only patted the thin white
hand, and purred out a series of soothing
"And what did he say was the matter
with me2 I feel as if every bone in my
body was splinters-my arm is broken, I
knowm
Indeed it isn't" cried the girl, eager
ly. "You were just shook up, don't you
know, and bruised and scratched all
over, poor darling; but there was nothing
dangerous the matter, because
the jury, or whatever you call it, sat on
you, and, of course, they ought to
know"
Then Miss Matilda Darrell's eyes fared
open, and her moan was something
dreadful to hear.
''It only serves me right for trusting
child like you with the responsibilities,
that belonged to me. I don't blame you
heaven knows; but to come back to con-
siousness in hovel like this, penniless,-
and MANNED perhaps for life-it makes
me wish Twas dead-oh, I wish I was
dead-' And then the faint, CULVER
ing voice trailed off into pitiful and
most childish sob.
''If you knew what you were talking
abou, Teddy, you wouldn't go on in that
unfeeling way. 1t isn't hovel; it's
very nice shanty, with big blazing fires
in both rooms, and its the loveliest spot
you ever saw outside, with high noun
tains and miles and miles of pines-the
cars will be coming by presently-don't
shiver like that, poor darling-and when
you see the doctor-well!" !" and Berta ac-
cented her last word with uplifted eyes