San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-06-27


The girl glanced across. Perhaps he
hasn't any people" she suggested, "or is
on his way to them" Then she added
alphabetically: Poor man! he does
seem dreadfully i'll. wonder who he
can be?''
So did the elder lady-so much, in
fact, that, being of decided character
and prone to get that which she wanted,
were it only information about her fell
low creatures, she put questions to the
conductor the instant he returned to her
vicinity. The facts elected were few,
but they served to deepen her interest
and at the same time to divert her
thoughts into more personal channel
The sick man was a DR.. Royal, and on
his way to his people somewhere in the
mountains of Virginia He had been
badly damaged in New York railway
accident several weeks before, and, al
though he had escaped with life and
limb, it would probably be many months
before he would be his own man again.
So much the conductor disclosed, in a
burst of unofficial confidence which he
was made keenly to regret by having to
combat womanly fears and prognostica-
tons, and also to pledge the honor of a
railroad man that no accidents of any
size or description had ever occurred in
the past, or would be likely to occur in
the future, to any train under his ad-
ministration.
Meanwhile DR.. Royal sat quietly in his
place, with his knees well covered and
his travelling bag beside him. At inter-
walls he would glance at his watch and
administer to himself medicines from
bottles which he manipulated with ema-
ciated but steady fingers. From time to
time the conductor would come to him
with offers of service, but he appeared
averse to giving trouble or making a stir
in any way, and, on the whole, kept him
self so quiet that the interest of the other
passengers waned, although each new
conner would treat him to stare of SYM
pathetic or stolid curiosity, according to
each individual nature. And so the day
wore on, eventless, into afternoon.
"Gibson's Landing."
The brakeman dashed open the door
of the rear car and sent his voice along
the aisle Nobody evinced other than
passing interest, and it was apparent
present. The door closed with bang,
and the brakeman $; pped back to the
platform of the forward Car. The en-
CINE gave a premonitory toot toot, the
train rolled forward :. little way and
then came to a stan,!3till. The invalid
lifted himself and lc,iel on the window
frame Away i'll front he could see the
dingy red round of the water tank, and
so satisfy himself as to the cause of the
delay He let his eyes wander hstlessly
here and there over the prospect spread
out before him.
represented the rather poverty stricken
aspect of the hill country in December
a stretch of hills in the background,
clothed with forest for the most part,
but diversified by cliffs and the jutting
forth of granite powders. At one point
nearly opposite the sick mans window,
a red clay road circled and sidled down
the hillside to the river at its foot-its
objective point, apparently, a small ferry
house upon the bank. The embankment
ON which the track lay was lifted above
the low grounds, so that the view was
unobstructed to the river, the landing,
and the hills beyond.
On the low grounds the corn stalks
stood in struggling rows, upright or in:
clined at various angles according to the
winds good pleasure, and the burrows,
surcharged with overplus of moisture,
showed long slushy puddles half hidden,
half revealed by tangles of cookie burrs,
Spanish needles and frostbitten pumpkin
and bean vines.
DR.. Royal looked about with dissatis-
fed recognition in his glance. Six years
had made no appreciable change in the
aspect of Upper Virginia, he thought.
The soil was as good-witness the crop
of weeds-the system of cultivation as
inadequate, and the general look of
things as peacefully thriftless as ever.
Had he been gifted with eyes in the
back of his head and focus through
the opposite window his opinion would
have been fully borne out by the dilapi-
dalton of the buildings near the station,
the stretch of broomsedge and sassafras
covered land around, and the joyous i'm
providence of couple of negro boys
who. with apples to sell and trainful
of possible customers at hand, suffered
themselves to be seduSed into inatten-
ton to business by dog fight.
Declared from this additional evil
dence, there was still enough within the
sick mans range of vision to produce a
feeling of encouragement which, in a
well man, fresh from different con-
2itic1,S ,ninl,t h,ra lauelarad into ax-