The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1892-09-14
CHAPTER vi.

IN THE SHADOW OF DEATH.
| As the carriage containing the unhappy
). bride whirled swiftly onward toward
Forty second street, Mildred sat bolt up
right on the back seat, her hands clasped
in her lap, her lips tightly compressed,
and her eyes fixed and staring before her,
but seeing nothing.
She had merely said, in answer to the
hackman's careless Where to, miss?"
The Grand Central Depot, and then
had sunk into q state Of apathy. from
which she was at length aroused by the
stopping Of the carriage, the opening OF
the door, and the waiting drivers busl-
ness- like Here You are, miss"
She accepted his profered assistance,
and, as she stood upon the sidewalk,
hastily took out her portmonnaie and
dismissed him with liberal fee. Then.
after hasty glance around. she went
| into the waiting room by the ladies' en-
| trance.
The window of the ticket Office was
open. She hurried toward it.
when does the next train that stops at
| Riverside leave here, if you please, sir?"
she asked, in a low and trembling voice.
Eleven thity-fve, answered theticket
agent, glibly.
aOh! 30 late? Is there none before
that?"
The distress and bitter disappointment,
made plainly manifest by the tone in
which the words were uttered, fixed the
agents attention, and, being human, he
was affected.
mo, miss" he said, not pnkindlv, the
train you should have taken has been
GONE some little time.
There is no other that stops at River
side until eleven thirty FIVE, but the nine.
thirty train, which will leave very soon
now, stops at Cos Cob, and that, you
know, is only just across the river"
oh. thank you, sir; will take ticket
to Cos Cob, and having secured it she
! seated herself in an obscure corner to
wait until the door should be opened and
she should be permitted to take her seat
in the cars.
From the very moment she had de.
scended from the carriage, by that mys.
terious intuitive feeling which, in o
greater or less degree we oil possess, she
had heen made painfully aware, without
seeing any one, that she was being close.
ly watched.
Now, for the first time, she mustered
courage and looked about her.
All at once her eyes rested upon a man
a. 10 great dist nee from her.
He was leaning. in studied attitude.
against one or the huge t1uted columns,
and his gaze-indeed, his whole attention
seemed fixed upon herself.
Mildred shuddered, why she knew not.
She had never seen this man before.
and there was nothing about him to sug.
gest that he was in any marked degree
! different from other men; and yet hel
pure womanly instincts made her shrink
from his gaze.
Minute after minute passed, and still
he stood there. with eyes, apparently, fol
nothing but her face.
At length the gong sounded, the dool
was thrown open, and loud voice called
out:
"Nire-thirty! New Haven way" and
with feeling of intense lelief Mildred
rose and hurried forward.
For one instant she was stopped at the
door while she showed her ticket. and
then, after being directed 10 her train
she hastened onward.
At last she had found the right car and
secured seat.
The one directly in front Of her was
not occupied.
In that next forward was middle aged
lady and beautiful young girl.
About my own age, thought Mildred,
-and, indeed looks very much like me.
Il wonder who she can be? Oh! hone
hers will be far happier lot than mine. "
Then, as she sank back into corner by
the window:
"She has her mother with herl Oh! if
can only reach my home and throw my
self into my mothers arms, before Eu-
gene finds me. shall be so
And then she stopped short. and a thrill
Of terror shot through her being, and al
most made her heart stand still.
There, directly opposite. sat the very
man who had watched her persistently in
| the waiting room, and now, as then, his
, eyes were fixed steadfastly upon her.
The sight of this person made her for
| get for time that Eugene might surmise
she would hasten ut once to her mother;
! and it was not until after the train had
| started, that she wondered if he were
aboard, and, curiously enough, if, in case
this wretch continued to persecute her
with his attentions and should offer her
further insult, he would defend her.
On and on flew the train. Faster and
| faster it sped away in the darkness.
Station after station was passed so
! quickly that they seemed almost close
together rather than miles apart. At
length Port Chester was passed. The next
station would be Greenwich, and then
i Cos Cob.
Mildred was thinking what she would
do in case the obtrusive stranger should
leave the train at the same time with her.
| self, when all at once a shrill whistle
broke on her eur, then came I'LL appalling
cry from far ahead, and the next nome Mt
the chr she was in 8, emed o shrink up into
/ nothingness.
For one moment she retained her fa "ul-
| ties, and in that moment she saw a lmber
| fall and crush in the head of the leauti-
fpl Rrl in front Of her, she saw the mother