Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1891-06-26
THE LIMITED EXPRESS.
BY CHARLOTTE ROGERS.

tue air WITH occasional UurrlCS o.
snow, and night had long since come
though il was only six o'clock.
j. Weldon Bradshaw, attorney ant
counselor at law, stood on the steps ol
tic building in which ho had his office,
and buttoncd his overc lat as he looked
up and down the now deserted street
For some thirt" years hc had don,
the same thing at the same hour ever,
day, wien he was not ont of town OF
business-hc never went away fol
pleasure. lie was going out of tow
now, as soon as he had swallowed hi.
dinner. large and important busincs.
interests Of IL client called him to tho
northern part cf the state, and il never
occurred TO him to delay twenty foul
hours for what lc considered a mere
question of sentiment. SUNDAYS were
pretty much the same to him person.
ally as any other day, except that they
interrupted business.
True he had been wonderfully sue.
ccssful i'll life, but hc would have told
you ii was entirely owing to his own
efforts, and not through any inter-
vcntIon of Providence.
Shortly after nine o'clock that eve
ming he walked intosa passcngcr-car
on the northward bound express in az
great state Of irritation as he ever per-
mitted himself TO indulge in. lie had
neglected TO engage a berth in the
sleeper, and now found that hc must
make the best of Il night in chair.
lie settled himself with the expert
rcss and deIibcratiom born of age and
experience. Then hc took from his
pocket documents bearing on the
coming case and proceeded 10 read
them.
Presently he found his mind wan
dcring, thing it Lad not done for
years, and putting up The papers, lie
turned to look cut of the window. In
spite of shading the glass with his
hands nothing was to be seen, but an
occasional light flashed into view and
out again in an instant
He drew back and sat idly looking
before him till suddenly ho became
conscious that there was something,
after all, TO be seen III the window
his own reflection. lie looked at him
self with growing interest; it was the
first time in many years he had had
such protractcd opportunity for study
of the subject.
lie felt as if the face opposite him
belonged to some familiar stranger,
met every day but never known. A
man well advanced in life, nearing co,
perhaps, looked back at him. lair
gray, getting little thin now; aqui-
line nose; clear, shrcwd-looking eyes,
of no particular color, with innumcra-
bic fine wrinkles about the corners, as
If from constant contraction to enable
them tho better to see through other
men. The lips had narrowed almost
to line from long compression, and
made the entire face look hard.
He had fought the world single.
handed-thc hard, selfish, crushing
business world of a great city, and it
had marked HIM as its own. lie had
wrung from it wealth, position, rccog-
milton of his ability by other men; but
he had given in return youth, love,
pleasure, all aspirations after better
things. All those longiugs and hopes
which prove the existence in us of
some sparks of higher nature. His
very life he had given to become that
Nsost perfect mechanical production Of
the nineteenth ccntury-cntirely a
business man.
The train slowed mp at station and
a young couple got in. She was SO
bright and pretty and confding, he SO
increasingly attentive and protecting,
the other passengers watched them
with interest. The men smiled and the
women sighed. They sat in front of
Weldon Bradshaw. and something in
the girls face quickencd his memory
and sent his thoughts rushing back
into the past.
lie turned again to his windG~, but
the rast was with him and the face
that looked back was no longer old
and hard.
TWAS boys face, handsome, brave
and honest, with faith in those clear
eyes, and promise of noble deeds.
Other faces were there, too. A laugh
ing, winsome pair of eyes peered at