Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-09-20

| the missing letters might bear the news that
| my friend had met with no success and was
returning. What would he think of me if
he came back to find the place stripped, and
| no friend 10 welcome him? No! I must
have patience for just little longer. And
thus another fortnight passed-a more miser-
able time than 1 had ever spent before; and
yet there came no news of William. Then
L resolved to go in search of him, and piled
together our few movables upon our only
wagon ready to start. But that night nv
anxiety kept me awake, and when morning
came L was tormented with the idea that nv
friend would open the door and enter at
every moment, and so strong was this i'm
preston that at the slightest sound started
nervously and thought: Here he comes at
lastl' With such feeling it was impos-
sible to go, and SO another day passed, and
another, and yet another. But at the end
of that time stifed my misgivings, and,
harness1ng the old mule, abandoned the
ranch, as I:hoped, forever.
We went at mournful pace, and never
had the way seemed so tedious or so long.
The hot midsummer sun shone over the
shelterless plain, and the crickets and
locusts whlrred and rasped all round, while
the,old mule with sagging ears plodded on
and on, till 1 seemed to fall asleep as
walked and lost all perception OF the things
about me. Whether really passed into a
state of somnambulism, or whether it was
simply the result of the dreary suspense
aud Loneliness of the past weeks / cannot
say, but for the rest of the day my mind
had constantly before 1t vivid and horrible
pictures which L was pOwerless to banish
A crowd Of faces seemed always to surround
me, jeering, deriding and threatening; and
always / seemed to be struggling TO get
through them to find William, whom
knew to be just behind them, and vet
could not reach him. The cieadas' hum
translated itself into a babel of voices, and
once or twice l heard most distinctly above
them all Williams well-known call
bidding me come to him. These
visions struck an .inexplicable ter
ror into me, and several times L felt as
though L must shout for help. But still we
went wearily on and on, till at last, as the
sun got low, cooling breeze sprang up and
blew with refreshing force across nv brow
and soothed my jaded sense, and soon the
roof Of a house loonled upon the horizon,
and then several more. Nv trance was
broken, and stepped forward with fresh
vigor, cheering up the poor tired animal,
and we entered the settlement lust as night
fell.
Companionship. and a strong dose of qui--
nine, we're the first things L sought, and
tneSe soon DfouEhl me back to nv normal
state, and when L awoke next morning after
a comfortable nights rest, could laugh at
my dismal forebodings of the previous day.
Nevertheless 1 set about hurriedly to dis
pose OF our belongings, that 1 might be able
to take my departure by the next west
bound train. 1t was the west-bound ex-
press No. 1, the same as that by which I
hari watched William leave me. Long be-
fore it was due | was 1T the station i'm
patient to start, and 1 kept weary vigil
into the dark hours of the morning. At
last, however. just before dawn, the train
came in. "All aboard :" was called, and
with a solemn tolling of the great bell on
theiengine we steamed away over the shad-
owy prairie.
AS usual, on these Western trains, there
were but few passengers in the ordinary
ears, tor most OF the travellers were for long.
distances, aud had taken their places in tine
luxurious sleeping cars. Consequently the
conductor had Tor this Stage but littlesto do,
and bore none OF the autocratic and repel-
liant airs which characterize his class when
in the full tide of their occupation, as he.
sauntered through the train with something
of the air of a ships master. whose craft is
going steadily, with plenty of sea room.
He seemed, besides, a friendly, fatherly sort
,f man, and I found no difficulty in OPEN
ng conversation with him, as he leisurely
my ticket My eagerness would