The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1892-01-27

HlliS ku6W Iudt IH0 u6HC Train ulu
not stop until toward 9 o'clock, SO that
the quiet and silence seemed not un-
natural.
No one was there. The door into the
ticket Office was open, but the seat in
front of the desk was empty.
Phyllis looked around in some per-
pleXity.
"Mr. Belfield!" she called
The steep mountain-side sent back
her voice in mutfled echo. A sense
of sudden terror came upon her-a
blind instinct for flight. In the same
instant she thought she heard grQan.
Once more she looked all around her.
Surely that groan had risen out of
the very depths of the earth; and
there, almost at her feet, was the iron
ring of trap-door leading to the eel
lar below.
1t was the work of an instant for
her to lift the door and look down in
to the black depths.
Help! help! moaned feeble voice.
And Phyllis saw lying there, in a
cramped attitude. bound hand and
foot with his pallid face streaked with
blood, the Door young express agent.
rs it you. Phyllis?n he murmured.
Surely, Providence has sent you to
my aid! Get a knife-a sharp stone
something cut these cords! They
are tearing their way through my
flesh! And drink of water, Phyllis,
for heavens sake! And then-then
you must hang out the red light
track Just this side of the sharp curve
fn 10 fro inf
night, and the paymaster is coming
down from San Francisco with the
money to pay off the railroad hands.
They'll be waiting not far away for
the crash, but you must 60 on as far
up the track as you can run and signal
the engineer"
"And leave you?" She had been
hurriedly cutting the cruel bonds with
her pocket-knife, and now helped the
victim to struggle into a sitting pos
ture. ''Oh. David, you must come,
too. l can't leave you here to perish!"
He passed his hand vaguely across
his forehead.
''They struck me down." he said,
"when l would not give them the keys
of the safe. l suppose they thought 1
was dead when they flung me down
there"
She brought him some water in a
gourd shell. He drank eagerly, and
then she bathed the cuts on his fore
head and washed the clotted blood out
of the fair yellow curls.
Now try to stand" she said. "Yes,
you are better now. I'll carry the
lantern, and you shall lean on me.
The air is delightfully."- cool and dewy
now and the SIM has set u
You are brave girl" said he. a
spasm of agony passing over his face,
land if you can be so firm l should
| not shrink from little pain. Yes,
will try to walk. Don't touch my
arm; I think it's broken. I'm sorry
that I can't carry the lantern; it's q
heavy old-fashioned thing. Now, if
you'll let me lean on your shoul-
| der
But you are so pale!'
'Onlv from loss of blood. Go on!
The farther up the track we get the
safer we are. What should I have
done if But" with sudden per
picked expression of his countenance
'I don't think | quite understand now
| how you came to be here"
Phyllis lifted her frank eyes to hi!
face with innocent surprise.
''Your letter." she said. "Didn'
you write?"
II writeP Certainly not.n
But you did,
She pulled the crumpled half-sheet
of paper from her pocket-the lette1
that had sent such a joyous thrill
through her heart.
See! Will you deny your owl
handwriting?"
'It isn't my handwriting at all
Some one has played joke on you
or me,n he said.
But, oh, what blessed joke. for
should have died if it hadn't been fo
you-for you, Phyllisr'
That night the red finger of warn
ing pointed from the signal Lantern
along the track, the train slowed III
before the point of danger was reach
ed, and the evil designs of the wreck
ers were frustrated.
An additional man and plenty O
firearms were put on at San Jean sta
ton, and an impromptu vigilanc
committee sent up from among th
saw mill hands and sturdy corps {
lumbermen down on the river shore.
But wasn't it stranger" said Phylli
pose wrote the letter?"
II can tell you." said Mrs. Mantor
} 'It was Millicent who wrote it.
''Wrote that letter?n echoed PHYLLIS
Eyes, Millicent Manton! To hoa
you. 1 was so angry when | heard it!
Phyllis blushed to the very roots o
her hair.
Yes" cried a merry, mockin
voice, lit was t.
! And Millie came out, in her whit
l serge dress, with blue forget-me-not
in her belt. looking very lovely an
9 very inappropriate to her surroun'
ings.
Didn't 1 fool you beautifully? An
y to think that you never suspected!"
i Phyllis drew herself up with unco1
J scious dignity.
, Il could hardly suspect" said sh
/ that lady could be guilty of such
trick as that! But l ought to be graf
: full, for l was able to save Mr.. Be
/. fields life
II And she turned away and walk'
quietly home.
y There's something more to tell
} said MillY, her blue eyes glistenil
ominously. She has not told ne
/ there's something she has kept bac
II But I can guess it. She has not on
a saved his life but she has won |
le heart. Well, 1 can't say much for
taste, that's all"
N She shrugged her shoulders angril
Hugh Manton, who had come in
a leather buckle, smiled grimly
III himself.
le ''Why are you laughing?" Mi
" wrathfully demanded.
m "Oh, for no particular cause" " 81
~ Hugh. Only it seems to me tt
cd your joke didn't work exactly as y
eT thought it was going top
A Strong Subject.l
L. A ,,ninte1, had heen commissioned