The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1893-08-24
MISS, THURSDAY, AUGUST "a, 1sas

half grasped his arm as he started for the |
door In moment she could see him
crossing the Gem platform. 1t came into
her thoughts that it would be a real trag-
edy II he should get left at the station.
Her impatience developed into sgchy
when 1t began to appear that the train
would soon start again. She Knew it was
SILLY, but she got UP and went to the |
door. One or two passengers were get |
ting or. Then the porter climbed up
with the stool used as mounting step.
Plainly she thought Charlie was going to
be left behind. She stepped out on the
platform and caught the vestibule door.
EXcuse me, madame" said the per
ter, y but the train is going"
81 know it." gaspcd the girl, "and
my husband is over there"
The situation was grotesquely terrible
to her. With no satchel and no husband
it seemed simply absurd to stay on the
train. She would not stay on the train.
The wheels were already moving
when she eluded the porter and sprang
to the platform. AS she ran across the
platform to where the station masters
light was glaring, her husband, who had
hurriedly mounted the steps at the other
end of the car, was wandering in some
perplexty through the aisle. Could
he be in the wrong car 10, here was
her little travelling fan.
The porter came over. "Did you see
the lady, sir? She was afraid you weuld
get left, sir"
Charley Merrill rushed for the plat
FORM But the vestibule doors were
locked and the train was under good
headway. At that moment life began
to seem like a melodrama to poor Merrill
"When do we reach the next station"
he asked of the porter.
cat IL. SIR" was the answer.
Merrill dropped into seat in grotesque
despair. The twenty-five minutes to
Silver Hill seemed longer than the wait
of table d'hote. Merrill occupied the
time with more or less torturing specua-
tions as to what the girl would do when
she found that he had not been left be-
hind, and that they had been separated
by another ridiculous mistake. He did
not blame her for her blunder, for this
had been the result of blunder of his
own in forgetting certain necessary ar
rangcments at the station from which
they had started. He pictured her de-
spair at the separation, and then he tried
to think that the whole thing was comic,
but did not succeed very well in the
effort He could come to no conclusion
as to what she would do. She might
have taken the midnight train and fol-
lowed him if she had been supplied with
the money to buy a ticket. AS it was he
did not see that she could do anything
more than wait for him to come back for
her, as she must know that he would.
Merrill found that there was a train
from Silver Hill back to the station of
the mishap few minutes after IL. He
could reach the girl, he calculated, soon
after half past II. He sprang off the
train at Silver Hill in fever of impa-
tience. The northern train was due in a
quarter of an hour. Merrill hunted up
the station master, without thinking it
necessary to say anything about we'd
ding, yet he fancied that the station
master took a degree of interest in the
matter that might look as if he suspected
a sentimental side of the case.
Presently the telegraph instrument in
the station was ticking message.
think | can find out whether she is still
there" said the station master. Merrill
said nothing He did not wish to delay
for the space of u second the coming OF
the reply, if there should be one.
The answer was now coming over the
wire. For moment the operators face
was inscrutable Then he looked up
quickly.
"The station master down there" he
said, 'ixed it up with the conductor of
the midnight, and put her ON that
train"
"Good y" gasped Merrill, with sense
of relief that was abruptly terminated
by something in the look of the station
master at his side.
'The midnight does not stop here"
said the station master.
Merrill was ready to faint. His bride
would be carried through to Plttston
without him. GLOW soon can | follow
that train," he choked, as if with some
expectation that the station master
might have the decency to modify the
time table.
The station master looked commiser-
atinoly at him as he replied, "The next
train stopping at Pittson is $40"
Merrill sat down on the nearest bench.
He could not think. The situation had
become absolutely Supplying: He would
not be able to reach his wife for over
six hours. What would become OF her
in that dreadful interval? And now
could he live during such a ghastiy
period of waiting Merrill made up his
mind that he simply could not stand the
torture of such protracted uncertainty;
He would have liked TO hire special
train. People had done suon things,
Perhaps ill of his honeymoon money
would hire an engine to carry hlm 10
Pittston. He fancied himself rlhng
madIy across the country in the cab OF
snorting locomotive
Pretty soon he abandoned his thought
and began figuring on the distance 10
Pittston, They told him it was thirty,
one miles He asked to be directed 10
public stable They didn't know Oh
anvhodv but Gibbs and were very un-