Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1894-03-14
HOW SHE ELOPED.

~-~~
was hanging out the clothes on Monday
morning. No. AZ was going along pretty
lively through the outskirts of little
farming town that lay next to the one
where our trip ended. had often no
ticed the farmhouse This morning saw
young girl come out of the green side
door with a basket of clothes.
''Hard pull that for young one," says
I to myself and took another look at her.
She had on some kind of blue frock,
with the sleeves rolled up, and her hair
was brown, shining goldlike in the sun
as she bent to the basket now ON the
ground and drew out a sheet and began
to put it on the line.
Well, p'raps you wouldn't believe it,
sir, but I kept thinking about the girl all
day, and when l made my return trip I
stared with all my might at the clothes
hanging there.
But they just tapped back, kind of
disdainful, and I didn't catch glimpse
of what wanted to see.
Twas making then round trip and a
half day, SO staid every other night
in Chewboro, the town next that in
which my girl in blue lived.
Well, that being my Chewborn even
ing, walked six miles and back to pass
the old gray farmhouse.
1 saw her, too, for as I was sitting on
the stone wall opposite the house rest
ing and speculating as to who she was
she came to the window and looked out
at the moon.
All the next day l kept thinking how
pretty she looked with her arms raised
to hang the sheet, and how the light
glistened on her hair, and how she had
leaned forward to look up at the moon,
and that night-that was my Boston
night spent in rescuing her from the
coils of a boa constructor, only to find
her the next minute in danger of being
crushed by freight car. The heroic
acts performed that night would make
volume.
The next day, on my second trip, l
thought I caught a glimpse of that blue
gown flying around corner. Says to
myself:
''This thing must stop, Sam, or you'll
be getting into trouble some day. You'll
be forgetting to slow up over that tres
tie, and there'll be big headlines in the
paper, Owing to the Carelessness of the
Engineer Score of Souls Hurled Into
Eternityp
NO." says I, ''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 I. You see, hadn't been on that
branch very long, so the remark seemed
natural enough.
"Um," "says Mrs. Grubb, hard at work
on piece of beefsteak to set a good ex-
ample to the boarders.
81 notice some fine trees along by
Chewboro," says 1, mentioning the town
where my blue girl lived.
"Um," from the landlady, again hard
at work.
"There's one especially handsome one
in front Of an old house beyond the tres
tie on the right; ever notice it?" says as
carelessly as I could, but waiting quite
breathless for her answer.
deacon Stackpole's, yes"
"Stackpole?' I repeated aloud. 81
used to know some Stackpoles," which
was true enough, only they were two
young kids in the poorhouse down in
Maine 'Stackpole, Stackpole! What's
the deacon'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 girlr' shouted Mrs. Grubb,
forgetting her beefsteak in her eager
ness. "She's II if she's day, and good
tall girl for her age, and great help to
her grandmother, can tell you."
At which for some unknown reason
felt much pleased.
"She's all fired pretty" added Jim
Stokes, the engineer ON 119, at which
felt an equally sudden desire to kick hiIr.
put on my other suit and a new blue
pecktie-the girls used to say looked
pretty well in blue necktie-and I
started out 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 1
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 peach, well, then I was clean
gone.
managed to stanmer out the speech
I'd made about being out walking and
being tired, and might 1 rest and have a
drink of water? Goodness knows need
ed both, for was that shaky was fit to
drop.
Mollie told me to walk in and called
her grandfather. told him who I was
Sam Thorpe, engineer on Al, the best
engine on the road, too, strand he made
me welcome and treated me hearty.
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