The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1888-08-04
"wen, but Eme, l was sure you loved

Sald cOldly, 'and don call me Efiie.'
"And you will not listen to my suitP"
mo, nor endure You presence" she re.
piled, and abruptly turned away from him
They had been standing during the latter
part of the talk, sheltered somewhat by a
clump of evergreens. Now Effie turned
out into the road again. Mr.. Talbot called
out after her once, but she did not turn.
''She's little spitfre. anyway" he
murmured. Then aloud,
'Miss Efiie, Miss Efiie, will 60 home
with you. if you are afraid"
She turned at once, her eyes flashing like
fire.
mo, Mr.. Talbot, am not afraid. Pray
do not bother yourself on my account. |
am much better off without you. Good
evening""
| She hurried on again. He looked after
her moment, and then, with shrug,
turned back toward the-village.
These last words sounded very resolute
certainly. He must have made mistake.
Eliie was wiser than he thought her, and
his time for the past few days had been
very evidently wasted.
Musing thus he walked on, and then
sudden thought struck him. Why should
he not go back to New York, after all?
He had only decided to stay in the country
on the chance of improving his Irritation
with Efie, and il that was a failure he had
much better go and spend his Christmas in
the city.
With this thought he pulled out his
watch. He could just make out, in the
dim light, that by hurrying he might catch
the last express trair. So he made the
best of his way to the hotel, gathered to-
gether hastily his effects, and rushed off,
leaving the landlord astare at the unac-
countable suddenncss of his movements.
He was just in time to reach the train,
and scarcely half an hour after he had
parted from Miss Eflie, was whirllng past
her house on his way TO New York.
Meantime, the young lady he had left
was plodding on through the storm, and
her thoughts were not very pleasant COM
panions. This man had insulted her
this seemed very evident. There was moth
genuine in his tone. lie had said nothing
about marriage. Did he think she was so
weak as TO tolerate such impertinencyP
Oh, where was Tom Allen-dear old Tom,
who Ioyed her so dearly, and longed to
make her his wife? Tears came into her
eyes, and she was sorry enough for her
foolish coquetry.
Absorbed in such reflections she had gone
on some distance without paying much at
tention TO her way, when a sudden tuIn in
the road brought her to q stands,il. She
looked about her with dismay; she was OH
the wrong track. She must have. taken
the wrong turn at the eYergreens, where
she parted with Talbot. Just there the
two roads met, and in the excitement, be-
wildeTed by the storm, she had gone down
the road leading to the next town, instead
of the one on which stood the house. the
home of her widowed mother.
What should she do? Go backl No;
that looked such long and dreary way;
and in an evil moment Ellie decided to 20
across the fields. With some difficulty she
made her way to the fence, climed oyer it,
and went plungng on over the trackless
snow. 1t was not much worse than in the
road, but the snow was drying right in her
face now. She held on though, manfully,
nothing daunted, for some distance. But
the night grew rapidly darker, the cold in
creased, and by the time she reached The
second field, Eiiie was fairly bewildercd.
Still she tramped on, until she was sud-
denly brought up hy high stone wall, 1t
loomed up before her out OF the darkness,
black, with snow tufting it here and there,
and great snow cap on It's summit. Now
for the first time, Enie was disheartened.
That showed she was wrong in the direc-
tion she had taken. 1t ran at right angles
with the road she had left; she ought not,
therefore to have come TO it. There was
nothing for her but to follow IL along until
she came to the next fence, which she
knew must be the one on the road leading
10 her mothers house.
Tired, cold, breathless, she reached il at
last and began to climb IL. The snow was
very deep now. IL was hard for her to
hang on with her numb hands, and some
how, when she reached the top she slipped
and fell. A sharp pain shot through her
ankle, which was bent under her. She
agony; and after a few feeble steps she
sank down with cry of pain. She had
received a severe sprain, that was evident,
and further progress unassisted was out of
the question. As Ellie now realized this
her courage fairly gave way.
She drew herself little back into the
corner, Wrapped her cloak over her, hid
her face downin her muff, sobbing bitterly.
She was well punished for her coquetry.
She had made Tom miserable; perhaps lost
insulted and deserted by that conceited fop.
His conduct had been unmanly; first in in-
sulting her as he had done; next in leaving
her, under any circumstances, to go home
alone in the night and storm. Tom would
not have done so! No, no matter what she
might haye said to him, he would not have
left her thus. And now there was no tell
ing what might happen TO her The road
leading to her cottage home was very lone
LIVERY little used There was scarcely
any chance of any one coming along it to-
night, and how could she live through all
these hours of darkness and cold?
She looked up despairlngly. The scene
was by no means reassuring. The night
had come on with pltiless cold. The frosty
snow-light enabled her to see down the de-
serted road. 1t was completely trackless.
The icy fakes swept in her face, and the
long wind sounded with mounful cadence
over the dreary fields and through the leaf
less branches of the trees.
Abont an hour after Effie had left Mr..