Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-06-15

DO IN emergencies ike TINS.
Found your pocketbook ?" the conductor
asked at this moment.
Myra saw her neighbor hand him some
money and receive a ticket, which he stuck
in the back of the seat before her.
81 am already under pecuniary obliga-
tons to you, SIR" she said. my friends,
who will be very grateful to you, will, of
course, not allow me to remain so. Will
you kindly give me your card that l may
know where to"-
"All in good time" the gentleman inter.
rupted. Now try to forget your anxiety"
Myra made an effort to do so. She wiped
her eyes, removed her tear soaked veil and
soon looked herself again. Meanwhile
her neighbor talked on gayly, pointed out
the interesting places ON the road, amused
her in thousand ways. New York was
reached before she dreamed that they were
there. And now what was to happen9
What happened was this:
Her escort left her in the waiting room
for a moment, and returning placed
ticket in her hands
Express to Chicago" he said; but the
Chicago express does not leave for several
hours and we must have some dinner. |
know a nice little restaurant hard by; we
will go there"
Poor Myral All that she could do was to
| repeat her thanks and think what grand
mamma and the Misses Lipsett would say
| If they knew she had not only talked to
stranger, but was under obligations to him
and was going to dine with him. And,
moreover, since of course the gentleman
would be repaid the money he had so
| kindly spent in her behalf, she really quite
| enjoyed the adventure.
There must be something gypsylike
about me" she thought, lin spite of all my
| good bringing up, to feel this way"
But she could not help being delighted
with her afternoon. Such nice little din
ner; such nice little walk afterward.
| Then tea in the loveliest place Myra had
ever seen, and then off and away to the de-
| pot again. She felt as though she had
known her companion forever.
You will take this young lady to her
sleeping compartment" the gentleman
said to a porter, land see that she has all
! she wants" There was a CLEAN of silver
| between his glove and the black hand so
readily outstretched. Now, goodby," he
said, "and thank you for the most pleas
ant experience | have ever had" He put
parcel into her hands as he spoke.
''Oh, have enjoyed it very much my
| self, said Myra; "but-the pecuniary OBJ
| legation. Kindly give me your card-my
| family will'- The car began to move
Take care. sir" cried the porter The
| gentleman stepped briskly out of the way of
an approaching engine, only just in time.
Her momentary fright over, Myra saw him
| waving his handkerchief in the distance.
| Here was situation! But what could
| Myra do but go to her place, where later
| she opened the dainty white parcel and
| found a novel by the author she best loved
and package of the most delightful con.
! fectionery.
How oddly she felt-half happy, half
| frightened; how her heart was beating!
| How words this stranger had uttered,
! glances that he had given returned to her
memory! What did it all mean?
After she had tried to read awhile she
| tucked herself under the snowy linen of
her bed. The soft, pink edged blanket
wrapped her snugly, the car moved easily
| but she could not sleep.
Suddenly in the night she sat up. covered
her face with her hands and began to sob
| Il am in love with him." she said. land
shall never see him again, and | am 20
! ing home to marry Ben Cooper, whom |
| only like-a little. Oh, what shall do?"
| Oh, how she cried! But it was only nat
ural, her grandmother thought, that she
! should wear tear stained face after such
! frightful adventures. There had been the
| widest excitement over her nonappear-
ance, and Ben having gone away on bust
aess, something about property" Mrs.
| Ferris said. Il had not his assistance in
making inquiries What my feelings were
! you will never know"
| Poor Myra had enough to do to think of
| her own feelings
| Ben's absence, however, she was thank
| for, for now that she knew what love was
! no
| only liked
Both ladies worried over the pecuniary OBJ
| legation, and the browning touch was given
to Myra's modification when, in shaking
| out her travelling dress, she found her
| pocketbook, with all its contents safe be-
| tween the stuff and the lining There was
| neither rip nor hole, but a piece of the
drapery had been so placed that Myra had,
in moment of abstraction, thrust the
| pocketbook under it, and the mysterious
something" which had now and then
struck her ankle was at last discovered.
Oh, it was dreadful and yet but for the
supposed loss that happy afternoon would
never have been. Poor Myra, she was
very sorry for herself, sorry for Ben, when
in the course of a week she heard that he
| was at home.
They will be here to tea" Mrs. Ferris
said, and Myra wished that the floor would
open and swallow her. Still her resolution
was unchanged and when at last she had
dressed herself up in her pink cashmere,
| trimmed with white lace; pinned a rose
bud in her hair and was fairly on her way
to the parlor she resolved that Ben should
not for moment be deceived. Grayely
she entered the room, her cheeks pale, her
| eyes cast down. Some one rushed forward
to greet her-two hands caught hers She
looked up. Before her stood the stranger
who had won her heart.
You did not know me, Myra," he cried,
"but | knew you at once It was very
hard to send you home alone, but the law
yers needed me and | could not 20 with
you. Can you forgive me my foolish
joker"
| And Myra was, as you may imagine,
| only too happy to forCiye-Marv KYLE