Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1889-09-05
LOVE IN A CAB.
BY JULIA f. LEWIS.

Englewood is not very large place
and is not apt to grow much, for the
simple reason that it is situated some
four miles from railway station. The
town was settled long before the rail
road was built, and when the survey
ors were at work on the route of the
road, they made arrangements to make
that place one of their principal sta
tons. They never thought that they
would be hindered in this plan, but
they did not know the people of Engle-
wood.
There were only two classes of peo-
Pile in that town. One class included
the residents who had lived in that
town all their lives, and whose chill
dren would most likely occupy the
same houses, pursue the same busi-
ness, and do just exactly the same
things as their ancestors had done.
This class was decidedly averse to any
thing new. They hated improve
ments, frowned down every enterprise
that would change the primitive meth
cd of doing business in Englewood,
and endeavored to make that town the
same old sleepy place it always had
been. The other class comprised a
number of newcomers, who were anx-
ious to see Englewood improve, but,
seeing no indications that such a state
of things would occur, We're for max
ing all the money they could out of the
property they owned in Englewood
Between the two classes the railroad
company had hard time of =. The
old-time citizens positively refused to
sell an inch of the ground to the rail-
road company, resisted all their eff
forts to secure ground, and by legisla-
tion hampered the company with such
In the vicinity of Englewood would
other portion of the line. The other
class of people, thinking that the COM.
pany would be compelled to tap
Englewood, asked such awful prices
for their ground that the railroad COM
pany refused to negotiate with them.
To solve the difficulty q new route was
surveyed, and the road branched off
in another direction, the nearest point
to Englewood it touched being at Cliff
ton, some four miles away. A line of
coaches and few cabs carried passen
gers from Englewood to Clifton.
One night in September, 1 took the
train from New York to Clifton. 1 was
feeling miserable, and no wonder, for
1 was just about bidding farewell to
all my friends in Englewood, to leave
the associations [ had grown up with
since childhood and go to far distant
California to commence life anew. Up
to two weeks before that time I had
considered myself one of the luckiest
lawyers in that portion of the country.
had good practice, splendid pros
poets, and enjoyed the best of health.
Suddenly there came sorrow into my
life that made mo make up my mind to
break all the ties that bound me to
Englewood and its people, and go to a
portion of the United States where l
was unknown. AS you no doubt have,
ere this, fathomed the sorrow, might
as well confess and tell you it was
woman that caused me to make this
resolution. She was the fairest crea-
ture in Englewood, with rippling
golden hair, laughing blue eyes, and a
complexion that needed no artificial
establishment to enhance its beauty.
1 had loved Ethel Linton for years,
but being one of those men whose
bravery and courage all ooze out OF
them when talking to beautiful
woman, | had never asked if my love
was returned. True it was that Ethel
always treated me in a cordial, friend
ly way, but she did the same with all
the rest of her admirers, and L never
could tell whether she loved me or not.
At last, l made up my mind that the
torture would have to end, and 1
nerved myself to ask the question
which would make mo either happy or
miserable. For weeks ondeavored to
secure q favorable opportunity, but
Ethel always seemed to divine my in
tentions, and ON some preteXt or an
other would turn the conversation to
some other subject. L tried in every
way possible to find the time when L
could deliver the carefully prepared
speech / had rehcarsed offering her
my hand and heart, but it came not. If
I became sentimental in my talk Ethel
woulk dash into some prosaic subject
that would take all tho romance out of
me. If J. asked her for few moments
serious conversation, she would tell
me that life was too short to indulge
in seriousness, and would break out
into q rapid description of somo gay
ball or party she had attended. At
last, angered by her seeming indiffer
ence, | one evening called her n heart
less coqucttc and left her, convinced
that she was toying with my affections,
and, unwilling to stay where L would
be perpotually reminded of my love
for her, / made arrangements at once
to leave Englewood forever. L had
almost completed arrangements for the
disposal of my practice, and had been
in 4,ew OK 10 settle everything defin-:
itely. / was returning to Englewood
to pack my trunk and leave that place
the next day forever. AS l thought
Ethel was a coquette, l determined
she should not see me again, SO | took
n late train from the city and intended
leaving Englewood in the morning.
1t was a terrible night. The rain
was coming down in torrents, the
thunder was roaring, and the sharp
flashes of lightning made the few pas
sengers in the car draw their heads
away from the window. 1t was the
kind of a night that would give a man
the "blues" if he had not the pleasure
Of looking forward to comfortable firf