The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1888-08-18
THE WRONG STATION.
A School-Ma' ANS Blunder and It's
Happy Results.

The afternoon train that connected some
lonely, obscure towns in Maine with the
rest of the world, was over two hours late.
The premature darkness of a stormy win
ter's night had set in comparatively early
in the afternoon, and, though it was barely
seven o'clock, it seemed to the few weary
passengers as though they had been travel
ing half the night.
There were two representatives OF the
gcntler sex present, but one, l am almost
tempted to say land think the conductor
and brakeman would bear me out in nv dis
tinction) 4; for while one, shy, timid girl Of
nineteen or twenty, had quietly gone to
sleep, the other, a lady of great asperity of
voice and demeanor, would neither go to
sleep herself nor render this comforting
performance possible to any one in her i'm
mediate vicinity, but persisted in admins
tering large pieces of her mind to the afore.
said conductor and brakeman concerning
the delay of the train, and their shameful
completely with the storm that caused the
delay.
When at last the brakeman threw oper
the door, in slow, despairing way tha,
showed great depression of spirit, ana
called out something that began with Hunt
er's and ended in u mournful, inarticulate
howl, he frightened visibly at seeing the
severe lady start up with jerk and gather
rp collection of heterogeneous parcels
with an air of relief which, oddly enough,
immediately communicated itself to the
rest of the passengers.
He helped her Off the train with a cheerful
alacrity that was not apparently abashed
by the icy contempt she Enthusiastically enter.
tanned for the railroad and every one con.
nected with it from the president to the
water boy.
The conductor promptly swung his lantern
60 signal the engineer, called out briskly
''all aboard, and sprang on to the moving
train without stopping to notice tn At his ex
passenger was in a state of violent dissatis
faction over the trunk.
May Smith, the girl who had been asleep
started up with bewildered air as the trai,
left tho station, thrust her hand into he
pocket to see if her purse was still there
and pressing her face close to the window
pane, against which the whirlng snow
dashed and clung tried to mako out some
thing OF the landscape.
1t was of no use; the window refused Il
do any thing more than to give back an i'm
age of homesick girl with tired, white
scared face, and also that of her near neigh
Dor, n gentleman of such on exaggerated
bucolic appearance that he seemed the carl
,cature of himself.
She was afraid that she had been carrie,
past her station, and made little timjd
irresolute movement toward addressing tn
formerly detected brakeman, who nov
passed through the car, actually whistlin
the froilicking air of "Begone, Dull Care
He passed by without noticing her sligh
movement, and sudden recollection kep
her from repeating it.
The aunt with whom she had lived eve
,s,..,n ,l1n ptr1l \. -
tied her largest vials Of concentrated wrat
on the heads of those girls who tried to ''at
tract attention"
Fearing lest by an unnecessary question
she herself might be classed with these rer
renensible delinquents, she made no secon
attempt, hut leaned back in her seat an uu
resisting prey to loneliness and fOrcbOding.
She had never before been out of tn
quiet little town OF Massachusetts, wher
she had lived with her aunt until the deaf
of the latter forced her to find some mean
OF earning her own living
Having had some correspondence wit
the ''hiring' committee of district schoC
in II small village in Maine, she was now
her way to have her fate decided by the O,
aminrg committee.
AS her mind was firmly made up bcfor
leaving home that she could never return
Sue Wcio uiekiuCcu uy uOJ passing uer ca
animation, and as her stock of money wa
not sufficient TO hold out against any extene
ed siege of expenses while she was waitin
reinforcements in the shape of employment
her depression was not wholly unfounded.
Tho train soon came to another halt, th
brakeman again roared out something tn,
began with Hunters and ended in some III
intelllgible syllable. Mays face lighted u
when she heard tho name, and, starting W
ssae grasped her shabby, old-fashione
carpet bag with one hand, felt nervously /
ser pocket with the other, TO make sure tina
lier purse had not been abstracted With
the last two minutes by any Of the listles
GAS. IS, ind hurried TO the door.
The !. ! had stopped at little haI
tsIation, whose only accommodation for pas
sengers 'g.s small platform, at presen
c0vereG with snow.
As aiay hesitated an instant on the ca
steps, - tall figure seized her, and carrying
her ACROSS the platform deposited her In tn
sleigh, aud the train moved of before sh
could recover from her surprise enough u
ask Amidly; "Whcro's my trunki"