The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1890-07-17
GRANARD'S ROMANCE.

To many persons there are few SEN
Stations more pleasant than that ofrap-
id motion. AS Arthur Granard belong.
ed emphatically to that class OF
travellers, he invariably made a point
OF using the celebrated express train
popularity known as the Flying Scud
| whenever business or pleasure caused
him to journey away from the quiet
| little town OF Blandcombe in which he
| lived.
In this preference he was not alone,
or the Flying Scud was perhaps more
used by frst-class passengers eek
press fares notwithstanding-than
any other. train on that line; in fact,
there were not a few residents in every
county through which she ran who
would almost as soon have thought
OF posting to London by road
as OF travelling in any other train
than the Scud. There was
no other train like it, either on that
line or any other-at least such was
the popular belief. Naturally the Of
ficials were very proud OF this, their
premier train, and made no small fuss
over it and all connected with it. In
deed, it seemed to be religiously telt
by every one, high and low, that, al
though the carriages might be exactly
similar to those Of every other express,
and the engine in no respect different,
yet for the fastest train the world
could show, it was only proper to dis
play more zeal than usual In perform
ing even the commonest OF their du-
ties.
On one hot day in July--after Join
ing the Scud at WINFIELD, where she
had arrived some twenty minutes late
Arthur Granard was sitting lazily
back in frst-class compartment,
dreamily comparing his fellow passen-
gers with others OF pleasant memory,
not much to the advantage of those
present, for on this occasion the 9TH
er occupants OF the carriage seemed to
him oppressively dull and common
place.
A young man of detected appear
ance and fast asleep was huddled up
in the cornor on the opposite seat,
his back to the engine; a schoolbov
sat on Granard's right greedily de-
vourlng a "Midshipman Easy, and a
snoring Frenchman was slumbering
Justify on his left; while the remain
Ing places on the opposite seat were
occupied by a newly-married couple,
the most hopeless of companions.
At least Granard concluded that such
were their condition, for they both
looked tagged and bored, and seldom
exchanged remarks, yet both seemed
ready to attend lovingly to anything
the other might say; but the impetu-
Gus light OF wooing and being wooed
was no longer in their eyes, so what
could they be but couple who had
just passed through the perilous days
OF interdependendenc peculiar to a
honeymoon?
The man was tame looking crea-
ture, without a single strong feature
in his face, unless thin sprinkling OF
light whiskers- of the hue vulgarly
dubbed ginger could be so de-
scribed.
The wife was better. She was a
| pretty little woman OF plump home
ly type, dressed in clothes which
seemed a little too smart, though her
general appearance was not altogether
unpleasing.
But conversation was clearly out OF
the question with any Of them, and
Granard soon laid back in his seat
with q yawn, and presently gave him
self mp to enjoying TO the full what
seemed to him the best pace he had
ever known the train travel at. He
was just about to set himself to ascer-
tain the speed by counting the quarter.
mile post which the glare Of the mid
day sun was suddenly exchanged for
darkness as the flying Scud dashed in
to Dorton tunnel
"Dorton already didn't think
we'd got SO far" he said to himself.
Il haven't noticed the down fast pass
us yet. She must be pretty late,
! too"
/ IL Was USUAL IOr the Scud to pass an
express as sneedy as herself before
reaching Dorton, ana Granard never
! failed to notice with interest the rapid
swishing sound produced as they flash.
ed past each other.
When the daylight burst in on him
again, as the train rushed madly out
into open ground, he gathered up his
newspaper, and was settling down to
its contents, when suddenly violent
shock, q crashing, grinding, shiverine
shock, sharply reused him from list.
lessness to painful intentness. The
sudden conclusion and the continued
violent motion set him literally dane
ing on his seat. IS
He knew we'll enough what the caus,
was. He was railway engineer b.