Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-03-31
HOW SHE ELOPED.

The first time l ever saw Mollie sh,
was hanging out the clothes on Monday
morning. No. II was going along pretty
lively through the outskirts of littl,
farming town that lay next to the one
where our trip ended. had often no
ticed the farmhouse. This morning saw
Young girl come ont of the green side
door with a basket of clothes
Hard pull that for young one" say.
10 myself and took another look at her
She had on some kind of blue frock
with the sleeves rolled up, and her hail
was brown. shining goldlike in the sun
as she bent to the basket now on the
ground and drew out sheet and began
10 put it ON the line.
Well. p'raps You wouldn't believe it
sir. but l kept thinking about the girl all
day, and when | made my return trip
stared with all my might at the clothes
hanging there.
But the~ just tapped back, kind OF
diS,!ainful, and l didn't catch a glimpse
II what l wanted TO see.
was making then Il round trip and a
half Il day, so l staid every other night
i'll Chewboro, the town next that in
which my girl in blue lived.
/ Well. that being my Chewborn even
/ ing. l walked six miles and back TO pass
/ tie old gray farmhouse.
/ | saw her. too. for as l was sitting on
the stone wall opposite the house rest
/ ing and specializing as to who she was
] L.,
/ It the moon.
All the next day kept thinking how
pretty she looked with her arms raised
To- hang the sheet, and how the light
| .liStene,l ON her hair. and how she had
leaned forward 10 look up at the moon,
/ and that night-that WAS my Boston
night spent in rescuing her from the
coils of boa constructor, only to find
her the next minute in danger of being
/ crushed by 4 freight car. The heroic
/ acts | performed that night would make
/ I volume.
| The next day, on my second trip, /
thought l caught n glimpse of that blue
gown flying around Il corner. Says to
/ myself:
This thing must stop. Sam, or you'll
/ I've getting into trouble some day. You'll
be- forgetting to slow up over that tres
/ tie. and thercll be big headlines in the
/ paper. Owing to the CarelessneSs of the
Engineer Score of Souls Hurled Into
/ Eternity"
No" says l. this won't do. Either
/ the girls worth fretting about or she
amt. and best thing for You to do. Sam,
Is TO find out which right off"
So that evening at supper l opened
kinder gently with the landlady.
Good farming country round here.
says l. You see, hadn't been on that
/ branch very long. so the remark seemed
natural enough.
I'm" says Mrs. Grubb. hard at work
on a piece of beefsteak to set a good ex-
ample 10 the boarders.
L notice some fine trees along by
! Chew buro." says l. mentioning the town
where my blue girl lived.
Iva" from the landlady again hard
NJ work
There's one especially handsome one
in front of an old house beyond the tres
I tie on the right: ever notice it," says as
careleSsly as l could. but waiting quite
brrathleSs for her answer.
Deacon Stackpole's. yes"
''Stackpole:" l repeated aloud. Il
used 10 know some Stackpoles." which
was true enough. only they were two
young kids in the pOorhouse down in
Maine .'Stackpole, Stackpole. What
( the Gcacon's family"
Nothing but his wife and grand
daughter"
oh. yes says l. quite careless.
Seems to me I've seen little girl play
ing round"
Little girl" shouted Mrs. Grubb,
forgetting her beefsteak in her eager
ness Shes II if she's day, and a good
tall girl for her age, and a great help TO
/ her grandmother, l can tell you"
At which for some unknown reason l
felt much pleased.
/ She's all fired pretty" added Jim
/ Stokes, the engineer on 119, at which
felt an equally sudden desire to kick him.
/ put on my other suit and new blue
ueCktie-the girls used to say looked
pretty well in blue necktie-and l
started ont for my six mile tramp.
hadn't made all these preparations
for nothing. you may be sure. pro-
posed to do something more than sit on
the stone wall that evening.
There was light in the sitting room
when came in sight of the house, and
plucked up courage and knocked at the
door.
Idon't mind telling you that while
was waiting for somebody to come felt
kind of weak about the knees, and when
the door opened and there stood Mollie
holding the lamp up high and looking
out into the darkness, with her cheeks as
pretty as a peach, well, then l was clean
gone.
managed to stammer out the speech
I'd made about being out walking and
being tired, and might l rest and have a
drink of water? Goodness knows need
Ell both. for was that shaby was fit to
lrop.
Mollie told me to walk in and called
her grandfather. told him who l was
Sam Thorpe, engineer on Al, the best
engine on the road, too, strand he made
me welcome and treated me hearty.
This is my wife," said he, land this
is my granddaughter, Mollie," he added
as she came in carrying pitcher of cider
and some glasses, and with a pretty
blush on her cheeks.
sat down and had real pleasant
evening. and it wasn't the last spent
there either, for in course of time when
ever l spent the night in Chewboro.
which was every other night, you re-
member, spent the evening with Mol
lie.
One evening I gOttalking about names.