The Press., 1892-06-30
were taken to the Presbyterian hospital

lswero taken to the PreSDyteflan nosplIai and"-
 He stopped suddenly, and, rushing from his little den, ran out on the plat form and caught Lizzie in his ;rrnls just as she reeled, fainting.
 She did not remember much after this, and an age seemed to have passed when she finally opened her eyes in her own shabby little chamber at home, to find her mother, her father and the doc tor bending over her.
 The first question was about the acci- dent, but they put her off. and it was not until she was able to sit up that she learned the whtr' .truth. Her lover had. ,s,t one of his legs, and, being no longer useful to the railroad company, had bs@s discharged. They did not ln her that several let ters had come from him, nor did they inform her that her father, being for once in his life sober, controlled and in fluenced by his wife, had written letter to the crippled brakeman, informing him that Lizzie was shortly to be mar ried to MT. Isaac Mercer. The latter called upon her several times while she was convalescent, but she invariably refused to see him, and would never eat the tempting delicacies that he sent to her bedside. |, One evening when her mother was busy in the lower part of the house, and her father had gone as usual to the sa- loon, Lizzie put on her hat and cloak and stole from the house. l. -1>< t,r,1 f1,f, f1roo the door of Charlie Hancocks little den opened, and man came out on crutches.
 As he approached, Lizzie rushed for ward.
 "Ned, Nedr' she cried, and when the cripple looked up and caught sight of her face he halted and his own grew very white.
 ''I beg pardon, Liz-Miss Kane." he said, lowing stif1y.
 "s'Miss Kane?" repeated Lizzie, draw ing back. 'You used to call me Lizziel Whats the matter! Oh, Ned, I've been very sick, and all through the delirium saw you lying crushed and mangled and crying for me to come to you"
 ''I was pretty badly crushed said Howell, and he glanced ruefully at his crutches, '.and l guess l must have called for you; but that was before learned that you were going to marry Isaac Mercer"
 'Marry Isaac Mercerl" repeated Liz zie; "why, hate him!"
 "What?' cried Ned, and his face frightened. "Why, heard that you were going to be married tomorrow, and l couldn't resist the temptation to come up and look on your dear face once more before losing you forever"
 'It's all monstrous liev' cried Lizzie hotly. Il wouldn't marry him if he was worth ten times as much as he is. :"
 q thought it must be true." said Ned "when you didn't answer my letters"
 "I never received them."
 ''And you don't mean to say that you still love such a poor, crippled wretch as amp
 "Td love you if you'd lost both your legs?' cried Lizzie, and she could hardly restrain herself from kissing him right then and there.
 One of Ned's fellow sufferers by the railroad snashup was high official of the road, and learning that the crippled brakeman was of more than average in telligence, had secured him position in the general office of the company. where he was bound to rise
 Lizzie needed but little urging to con sent to a marriage that night, and itsbe- ing too late to procure license they sought that Mecca of runaway lovers Camden, and were made one
 When Isaac Mercer read the marriage notice the next morning he was the mad dest man in Kensington and closed up his grocery store for the balance of the Philadelphia Times.