Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1886-04-24


gentleman entered the car and glancing
at the faces OF the passengers as he pass
ed suddenly stopped at my chair and
looked closely at me.
'9Why, bless my soulF' said he.
"Surely, this il my Saratoga friend Of
last summer. Mr.. LeWelyn," is it nOtf"
'sThe same, at your service, Mr.. Brown,
and very glad to meet you again" re-
piled.
81 thought I couldn't be mistaken.
Remember you well, and also remember
that you seemed to be eaptivated with
one Of our Baltimore ladies last summer.
A very lovely girl, too sir.
"Ah,' said / laughing, ''yOu are very
kind to couple my name with hers; but
how is Miss TahaferO?
Fairly well, never looked better. I
happened to be at the station yesterday
when she and her mother and several
friends started for Florida"
think my friend did not notice my
sudden start at this announcement. If
he did he was too well bred to show it.
manage to stammer out:
"Indeedl Yes, of course! But gone
to Florida, did on sayT'
Eyes, Mrs. Taiaferro told me that al
/ though her daughter was looking well,
she had been rather dropping for some
time past, ard the trip was taken to give
her a little variety and change OF climate.
But good bye, now. Come and see me
| if you can, and with this he passed on.
/ Here was a state Of affairs. Gone
and without a word to me- Gone-and
knowing that was about to visit her.
The word gone rang in my ears like a
death knell. 1t seemed to stand out in
black letters before my distempered Wis
ion whichever way 1 looked, and no word
could have more aPtly described my own
condition. 1 was in a state of mental
and physical collapse.
If ever there was any doubt that ]
loved this girl with the one strong pas
sion OF my life that doubt was now eff
fectually dispelled.
By the time Baltimore was reached my
resolve was taken: would 20 to her
! house and learn, If possible, what route
she had taken, and then, by the very
next train, set out in pursuit.
AT the house the servant confirmed the
news Of her departure for Jacksonville,
via Norfolk, and without disclosing my
name FASTENED away to catch the next
southern train.
Away we sped as fast steam could
carry US, but all too slow for me. Through
the great state Of Virginia into the
equally great state Of North Carolina,
what an interninable journey it seemed.
L knew that the only stop my fair fugi-
tive would make would be at Charleston,
and on arriving there I hastened to the
comfortable and substantial old Charles
ton hotel. Sure enough, there were the
names Of mother and daughter upon the
register, and with feverish impotence
asked the clerk if they were still there.
81 believe so" he replied urbanely,
turning to examine his room indicator,
. and while L was cOngratulating myself
upon soon seeing them, the gentlemanly
clerk, with the same placid smile Of pre-
occupied deliberatiOn, turned to me and
said: ''The ladies left about two hours
. ago"
''Leftp' almost shouted I, as if he had
MORALLY insulted me; ''why, you Just
| said they were here"
AZ was mistaken, sir. They left by
the 2 o'clock train for Atlanta"
'Atlantal Why, man, they were going
, to Jacksonville"
, Exactly, but owing to reports o.
smallpox at Savannah and below they
took the route through Western Georges
, to the Florida Central, and thence cas-
to Jacksonville. Next train same rout,
tomorrow morning at s o'clock"
There was nothing else to do bu
wait. Ny anxiety Of mind may be i'm
agined as sat there realizing that every
hour was carrying the object Of ny
i search further away from me, while
was pOwerless to pursue.
1t will seem strange to the reader tina
3 I did not proceed at once to Jacksonville
and await her arrival there; but, reader
j could not endure the thought of wait
I ing anywhere. Travel was a relief t,
I my overwrO1ght mind and all the tim,
the hope that I might Overtake he
, buOyed me up and made life at least en-
durable.
, But even disagreeable delays mus
come tc an end in due time, and the mex
morning found me speeding across tn
I Palmetto state In the line of Sherman
! march to the sea. Then up through
/ Georgia to her capital Atlanta, but tn
5 bird had flown here also. Away again
toward Macon with the Taliaferro part7
! only one train ahead and but a few hour
d in advance of US. But, alas that favor
Z tie Southern railway casualty, a 'hO
box" overlook US and DELAYED our trail
for an hour or two, and when I jumped
d out at Macon and asked for the connect
q ing train it had been gone for an hour
= 1t was Saturday afternoon, and I wa
cOOlly informed that there would be n,
= other train until Monday morning
y Language was utterly inadequate to d.
= Justice to this condition of affairs, and
should be afraid to attempt to recall her
= the anathemas and maranathas Of tina
u word makes the picture any stronger
, which I heaped upon that railroad and al
\ connected with it, individually and col
= lectively. At length, having exhausted
= my vocabulary, the agent good humOred
u ly informed me that freight train woul,
soon leave with a baggage car attached
and if I was In such dreadful hurry
would, although I would have to ride al
; night with nothing but a soap-box 70
. my chair, couch, and pillow, and, ate
= dispatching a hasty supper. I took m,
:, place on the soap-bOx and we starte,
= away.
I, Toward morning We came to an abrup
o stop.
y Accident to the trainahead." said tn
q brakeman in reply to my inquiry
v ''They say broken rail threw the pas
v Isenger coaches down the embankmsnt.
Good heavensr' I exclaimed, i'She
q hurt-maybe killed." and waiting
a hear no more L rushed forward.
"a 1t took me but a moment to reach tn
u, scene of the disaster Three passen ge