Nevada County picayune., 1891-04-09

it had been hurriedly pushed. Fred
Emory stopped in his walk.
"That is her trunk" he thought.
81 noticed the white canvass cover.
inc when it was brought on board.
And there is her name on it, to be
sure: Miss Eckel. Carville, New
York
With a feeling of being better ac-
+ quainted already, the young man sat
down on the trunk and watched the
grand panorama of the Hudson, as
each moment some new picture was
framed in the battered old doorway.
He forgot all about Bessie Eckel and
her blue eyes; but he thought, in a
half-earnest and half-dreamy fashion
of the future-of his part in the
worlds work, of the wrongs he should
right and the good causes uphold.
For had he not just graduated from
/ Columbia College, and became a part
of the great legal-power of the land ?
! Unconsciously he was lingering over
and over scrap of ribbon that pro-
/ trudeel from the trunk. Gradually
he pulled it out further and further,
wrapping yard after yard over his
strong fingers, till, with a start of dis
may. he realized that he held in his
hand a roll of ribbon drawn from
Bessie Eckel's box. He glanced
. hastily about, to see if any one had
witnessed the act and would be
ready to proclaim him a thief But
no one had no.iced the young man
idly swiugly his heels against the
canvas covered trunk, He looked
again at the dainty ribbon.
Must Just suit her - Fred Emory
thought. But what was he do? How
he wished the ribbon back in its
rightful place. But how was he to
get it there? Just then, bright
thought came to him he would mail
it to her when he reached Albany.
so he placed the package carefully
in his pocket-book, and, copying the
young lady's address. went up to the
deck again.
Bessie Eckel had become so inter
ested in her book that size had be-
come needless of the lapse of time.
Glancing now at her watch, she
found to her annoyance that it had
stopped-she had forgotten to wind
it. Besides she had no means of
learning, and it seemed important,
nay, imperative, that she should
know the hour. Every moment, the
desire grew on her; she looked hesI-
tatingly around, and at the instant a
man at her left took out heavy gold
watch, glanced at the face, and
closed the case with snap. The
young lady's quick eyes took in his
appearance, and mentally checked
the items: "Respectable-looking,
well dressed, ard at least forty-Gv y
She had leaned slightly forward and
said, softly; Il beg your pardon,
but you will give me the time? Ny
watch has stopped"
Now what had gone wrong that
day, with the person, Bessie Eckel
never knew. Perhaps neuralgia was
sending little teIegraphic messages
of distress down those vibrating
wires, the nerves; perhaps some sud-
den Guctuatlon in stocks had brought
him face to face with the spectre,
ruin; or it might be that his daughter
had eloped with the coachman that
morning, and left his horses and
household desolate; or his wife had
discovered a letter from some old
sweetheart, and made unpleasant re-
marks. Bessie often made like char
liable coniectures. He could not be
brute at heart, but certain it is that
he put his watch back in his pocket,
replying rudely to the modest re-
/ quest:
If you wish to know the time,
you'd better go to the office. Do you
take me for porter|'
The amazed scorn which shot from
Bessie EckePs eyes fairly shamed the
man, and the indignant ring in her
voice completed his discomforture as
she answered, clearly:
mo! l beg your PARDON mis-
took you for a gentleman.
The rude speech and the young
/ lady's singing answer were heard by
twenty people near.
Half dozen watches flashed from
as many pockets, but Fred Emery
was the first to hold out his and name
| the honr. Bessie thanked him qniet-