San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-09-18

the clerk at the telegraph Office remem-
bers young lady leaving a telegram
last night, to be sent ON first thing this
morning"
HAS it been sent yet?
Eyes, sir; some time" aE.f
Where was it sent top
"That is against the rules, sir. The
clerk has no right to give information.
Anyhow it is as good as certain from
what you say that the party was in the
train, and at all events you will not be
kept in doubt much longer" and he
pointed to the long expected puff of
white smoke in the direction in which
all eyes had been so anxiously turned.
The train came slowly round broad
curve and crawled into the station.
Ralph had come up, and his eyes were
fixed intently upon it. The hand he laid
on Charles arm shook little as he whis-
pered in hoarse voice:
II must speak to her alone before any
thing is said"
You SHALL" replied Charles, and he
moved forward little and waited for
the passengers to alight. l felt that any
chance of escape which lay in eluding
those keen light eyes would be small in
deed.
Then ensued a scene of confusion, a
babel of tongues, as the passengers
poured out upon the platform. What
was the meaning of it all?" hotly de-
manded an Infatuated little man before
he Of ha
had train been allowed to start if it
was to be overturned by snow drift?
What had the company been about not
to make itself aware of the state of the
line? What did the railway officials
mean by-etc., etc.
But he was not going to put up with
such scandalous treatment. He should
cause an inquiry to be made; he should
write to The Times; he should-in short.
he behaved like a true Englishman in
adverse circumstances, and poured forth
abuse like water. Others followed
some angry, some silent, all cold and
miserable. 4 stout woman in black who
had been sent for to dying child was
weeping aloud; dazed man with bound
up head and terrified wife were bounced
upon Immediately by expectant friends
and borne off with voluble sympathy.
One or two people slightly hurt were
helped out after the others. The train
was emptied at last. Aurelia was not
there. Charles went down the length of
the train, looking into each carriage, and
then came back, answering Ralph's
glance with shake of the head. The
man in black, who seemed to have been
watching him, came up.
Have all come back by this train?"
Charles asked.
"All, sir, except"-and he hesitated-
Except a few. The doctor who went
has not returned, and the guard says
there were some of the passengers badly
hurt-that he would not allow to be
moved from the farm when the train
came for them. The engine driver and
one or two others were"-
Charles made sign to him to be 81
lent.
How far is it," he asked.
Twenty miles, sir"
care the roads practicable?"
mo, sir. At least they would be very
uncertain once you got into the lanes"
ave can walk along the line" said
Ralph. That must be clear. Let us
start at onoe."
Gould not the station master send us
down on an engine?" asked Charles.
I'VE would pay well for it,
The police inspector shook his head,
but Charles went off to inquire never
theless, and he followed him. thought
him very pushing inquisitive kind of
person. have always had a great dis
like to the idle curiosity which is con-
tinually prying into the concerns of
others. Ralph and l walked up and
down, up and down the now deserted
platform. spoke to him once or twice,
but he hardly answered, and after
time gave it up and we paced in silence.
AT last Charles returned. His request
for an engine had been refused, but
further relay of wOrkmen was being sent
down the line in a couple of hours time,
and he had obtained leave for himself
and us to go with them. After two
long, interminable hours Of that ever
lasting pacing we found ourselves in an
open truck, full of workmen, steaming
slowly out of the station. At the last
moment the man in black jumped in and
accompanied US.
The pace may have been great, but to
us it seemed exasperatingly slow, and in
the open truck the cold was piercing.
The worl1nen, who laughed and talked