The Republican., 1892-04-22
A CHANCE MEETING.
The Pretty Little Romance Of a
Railway Journey.

u dCiiS JHt
other day. l witnessed the fifth act of
little drama in real life that made me
as happy as if it had been some con-
cern of my own. The plot was very
old one, but one that never loses its
freshness or its charm. OF course /
shall not call the actors by their real
names; shall not even tell where i
was going or where came from; but /
was on vestibule train bound some
where, and t was about three o'clock
in the afternoon. There were only four
other passengers in the car, two sisters
of charity, an unmistakable drummer
and a large-sized young man with a
blonde mustache, who sat Immediately
in front of me. He was a manly-look-
ing fellow; and took a decided liking
to him.
But this was all before the curtain
went up That event took place when
we stopped at city that shall be
nameless, and a self-possessed and
singularly attractive young woman en-
tered the car at the rear door. The
porter walked ahead. carrying her
satchel and umbrella, and established
her in the section opposite mine. She
was dressed with that severe elegance
and faultless fit that woman imme-
diately recognizes as implying Red
fern. There was something ineXpres-
sibly refined about her. "An admirable
product of our upper circles" reflect
ed. Il wonder if she is doll?" There
Oh l>.~
made me decide in the negative.
After the train had emerged from
the covered station she laid her book in
her lap and looked around the car.
When she came to the young man with
the blonde moustache she gave barely
perceptible start Come" thought
this is growing interesting. She has
seen him before-or thinks she has. :"
The young man, twill be remembered,
was a seat ahead of her. and as he was
looking straight before him, he had
not noticed her as yet. / could see she
did not think it was proper to stare at
the back of the young mans head, and
that she was making heroic efforts not
to do so; but it was no use in the
look out of the window, she tried to
close her eyes: but, willy nilly, rAev
wandered back to the blonde hair and
the dark blue coat of the young man.
Once she got up; but her heart failed
her, and she only took down her coat
to throw around her shoulders. 1t was
absolutely Incredible that she could
h,
usual, heated to the point of suffoca-
tion.
At last She could stand il no longer
She tossed her book onto the seat with
an impulsive movement. threw her
coat down beside it, and crossed over
to the young mans section. She hesi-
tated for a moment The two nuns
watched her with Interested horror.
Her courage almost failed her, but she
had gone too far to recede.
81 beg your pardon" she said, but
] can't be mistaken. Isn't this Mr..
Carter?"
He started at the first sound of her
voice as if he had heard a ghost. and
before she had finished he was on his
feet looking at her eagerly.
Miss Van Buren!" he exclaimed
and stood there still looking at her.
| never saw so many emotions so
plainly legible in mans face at once
Hope and fear and great Joy and in
tense pain. | read just as plainly as if
they had been written in black and
white. But the girl had taken it all
into her own hands. / suppose she
read his face as well as did, and could
interpret it a little better. With a
frank smile she held out both her
small gloved hands AS he took them
and pressed them firmly, the fear and
the pain passed ont of his face, and the
red blood passed into hers In anoth
er moment he had recovered his self
possession.
"Sit down" he said. II must not
keep you standing" She looked a little
dubious He saw it. How stupid |
am Where isyour section?"
She smiled up at him and led the way
TO her seat. He picked up the book and
the coat and sat down beside her in
their stead.
OF course after this ] didn't hear
much that they said. l shouldn't have
had any particular scruple against lis
tening if ! could have done SO without