The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-06-24

burden into some safe keeping. and then
10 resume her journey Doubtless she
could find kind woman who for mod
crate sum. would take charge OF 10, and
lucky-ah. her purse was not In her sat
chei, and the satchel on the train, and the
rain-no. she could not further follow
such a distressing train OF thought!
or one thing Miss Mobiles was morally
certain; II ever poor girl felt like Hagar
in the wilderness with Ishmael. she was
that poor girl. What a barren waste
surrounded her! A level stretch OF sparce-
ly-culuvated country. through which a
dusty highway ran, like a yellow ribbon
unraveling into thread, until 1t twisted
around the hills in the far distance. But
there was the stauon-a little brown box
like Noah's ark Doubtless IL had a
master. and perhaps. like Noah, he would
know thing or two about coming in
out Of the wet.
With some such agonizing clutch after
the straw OF joke, Miss Mobiles strove
TO keep her head above the waters OF
panic as she advanced. Yes. there was a
man. leaning against the doorpost. and
cycling her from under ragged straw
hat; n tall gaunt. cadaVerous man, whose
buttcrnut trousers were bounded on the
south by dirty boots and on the -ortn by
dirtier shirt His mouth was a crescent,
Jagged with fangs. which The faded wits
ker dripping from his chin seemed paruc-
ularly 10 continue.
-"Piease. Sir. will you kindly tell me-
began Miss Mobiles.
"G1ang, Re off, Interrupted re ma
with a rvrating hand. "Ef so be hadnf
TO flag the noon train I'd gev' yer III
charge. that / would. CHANG now! 90,
'sRut won't you inform me where am
pleaded Miss Mobiles. feeling more heip-
less than the baby. -.
Inform nawthin' Don't make no dit-
difference where you am. yerll he IN tie
lookup in n jiny eff yer don't make
tracks Didn't I seed yer at that den f9
teal winder a heavin out OF 'he o"oOy !
Miss Mobiles hurried down the dusty
road with the crying child IN her arms ms
The sun beat heavily on her head, the
sand chung tenaciously to her feet, ana
they seemed the forces of outraged au-
thority. From the meadows came the
twitter OF birds. out from the clouaiess
sky waited faint breeze, but neither
the voice nor the touch of nature com
forted her. She was shocked. she was
overwhelmed. The world was not that
world ready with sympathy. with COM
passion which she had imagined. she
herself was not that proud young god
dess advancing, fancy free. into ever
widening vistas Of noble deeds. Alas! she
was rather some poor lost creature
trudging through the by-ways OF me-
overburdened with shame.
Her aspirations. which but an hour
since had been so reasonable, so neces-
sary TO her, now seemed ike imaslnlhBs
about magical power All! there was no
Aladdin's lamp for her; nor, were there
one. would she have the energy 10 ruD
IL. independence meant misapprehensloh
and Insult and helplessness. II theIe
we're only some stout heart 20 cheSi'
some strong arm TO support, now VII
linglv would she abdicaie her tue 10 u
forever, And yet, a thousand times more
worthy of pity was the little estray tlds
the ruthless waves of humanity had
tossed within her grasp. The press OF us
tiny hand over her heart stirred WITHIN
the girl the hottest instinct OF her sex.
She would save II. though why OF nov w
she knew not, and so on and on she tollSu
i'm blind. dumb doggedness, until me
endless road made a bend and shot
around a spur of hills jutting with Grass
and crowned with thick gloomy VerauIe'
Meanwhile youthful atte,lip r., ~ sa1t
larity had approached the stauoh agent
1t was the telegraph operator. 49,
They've been calm yer up along the
line" said the master:
The operator tapped the Key aM ing, l ~,
tened TO the responsive clicks $40.
he exclaimed. Here's doings. Haworth
mss gal has gone clean off her base and
sloped with his Kid. Jim Haworth OF Ia
bina, you know, millionaire IN lie
s.SloDnd? Wharf
How kin tell? She took the local this
II knowd it," cried the agent, Shaping
his thigh. "She went around the I bend
not ten minutes sence, craZiern loon,
bv gum She throwed the child out the
W'inder and then lept arter, like a part
ridge. Thar be a reward, l reckon
Dom the noon train for a belated nui-
sance. But so. Jim, and seize her, ana
well whack up equal
"Iikeiy she's dangerous" hesitated the
II should say so; you jest orter see her
ewes the size of sassers. But thar's 81
and Reuben down the swamp, ana Ihe
Granger boys and the DeaSoh 80, I0i ~,
the public welfare and twill be rare
sport for the lads. G'wan, now ana
jim, taking a rusty musket from me
wall. went, again and anon looking De
Miss Mobiles rested in the shade against
a sheer ascent that cut of the brow OF
the hill. Above her OVerhang1nS Doushs
and buses formed canopy. AZ her ieet
the descent was very gradual. revealing
a clearing of considerable extent, Whlch
the dark wood line bordered into an am
phitheatre. She was resting Tor she So lha
10 no further, and why. indeed, had she
come so far! Were reason and self-pos-
session so fragile that the first emer-
gency of life could thus shatter them:
OH how ashamed she was, Dut YET now
frightenedi That man had been so ferce.
so uncOuth. his very voice had seemed
a proclamation. And then the change
wrought by her impulse had been so
complete; one instant. ana IRON tn ieoi ig
and comprehension she had plunged into
utter Ignorance and restitution. And yet
she did not regret her mad dash mat
dear little child, sleeping so peacefully
on her lap, doubtless had fond mother
distracted from its loss.
II she could restore il to those longing
arms. would she not nave achieved
deed noble for a mortal, since 1t was q
duty of the angels? IN! yes, in little
while she would be sensible and proVi-
dent. she would seek out some kind per
son and tell her story and be advised
In the meantime, she was iOOtsOre' ana
OH so weary The sunshine was pleas
ant and the rocks at her back reflected
it's warmth There was something con
soling after all, in the voice and the
touch Of nature. They brought the Dam
Of dropping lids and tranquil thoughts.
AS peacefully as that little chlld, so, 100
did Miss Mobiles sleep.
on the brow OF the hill there stood a
man, young, athletic, well made, reveal
ing in every lineament of his face and
movement OF his form the signs Of we'll
controlled power Across his shoulders
was strapped a wallet. In his hand was
that little hammer that taps 50 inteih-
gently for biologists; but now his at
tention was not concentrated on the
wealth of specimens around him, 1t was
fixed on the valley below, through which
a motley crew of men and boys
armed with guns and ~, scythe5,
and sticks was Fastening. What had
aroused the country side? The descent
Of a wildcat or an incursion of trampS:
Whatever il was, II behooYed nun az q
man Of authority 10 meet and direct
these people so visiDly excited LOT they
were a hardy, simple race. as rough OF
deed as they were blunt OF speech.
THE man swung lightly from bush and
branch down the face of the cliff that
had seemed so impossible 10 MISS
Mobiles. lie was about 10 speed across
The clearing when his eye caught the
f,,t.er of drapery He approached: he
stood with head reverently barred before