The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1894-09-27

OHHuenb-runnlnR away from Z hoSC'
on that road, was surely beyond me.
While waiting for another flash !
| tried, vainly, to reassure myself by
thinking the apparition was nothing
but a barked and bleached stump, and
even if = ghost, only that of young
woman, not of pirate or slugger or
/ headless horseman or some other in
herently dreadful creature. But how
earnestly wished it might be only a
| stump!
The next fash came. 1t was not a
stump, and it was not ghost 1t was
q woman! She had sunk down in a
sitting posture on rock, with her
| face in her hands. dismounted, went
to her-dragging my unwilling horse
along-and laid a hand upon her
shoulder, whereupon she slTang up
again and let out another of those
banshee yells. 1t was a minute or two
before ! could restrain the horses
frantic eagerness to go somewhere:
but when had hauled him up so close
that he could touch his nose to her, he
did so, and from that on seemed salts
fed to behave himself. being finally
convinced that she was simply another
human being. The noise of the rain,
! even when there was no thunder, was
such that had to shout in the woman's
ear to make myself heard, and in that
gentle way l sought to reassure her.
Don't be alarmed" said, II don't
intend to bite you"
Perhaps | unconsciously put most
vehemence into those last two words;
at all events she affirmed afterward
they were all she heard. and naturally
she shrielled louder than before. But
when the lightning occurred again and
she saw me. her senses seemed to re-
turn, and in little while | had her
calm enough to mount my horse, when
| resumed my Journey, trudging ahead
of the beast and leading him. By good
luck | remembered d hunters shelter
in a ravine crossed by the road. not
more than a quarter of mile from
where | ut the woman. and to that
directed my course, hating when we
reached the ravine, until the lighting
showed it to me- The shelter was
merely leally roof of clapboards sup
BOl uCA ny pOkCS OlI IOI hCNl sd ping =,
but it kept off most OF the rain, and
was welcome.
Having hitched the horse and put
the saddle on the ground, under the
roof, for the woman to sit on-clearly
explaining to her each step in the pro-
ceedings to spare her unnecessary
alarm stood aloof in the darkness,
as far as the limited shelter would per-
NIT, and waited for her to commence
talking. Of course l did not have to
wait long. AS soon as her fear was
dissipated she spoke freely enough;
and. well-her voice was that of a
young woman. melodious and fresh;
her speech. the utterance of a lady.
Under pretense of lighting cigar,
with her permission, got a good look
at her face. and found her decidedly
pretty; also | obtained glimpse of
her dress, and saw she had been hand
somely attircd, though her summer
fnery was now in a sadly bedraggled
condition.
II am ashamed to tell you how l
come to be in such plight" she said,
but | do owe you an explanation in
return for your kindness, and doubt
less | deserve even more punishment
than that for my folly. The fact is,
you see before you-or. more correctly,
YOU hear near you-the wretchet re-
mains of a wrecked elOpement."
An elOpement of one or two?'
"Only one is left, but there were
two"
Tell me about it. and you shall have
my sincerest sympathy"
"Oh, There's no sympa Thy deserved.
I was a goose. and l know it, now.
But l have no objection TO telling you.
particularly as we are in the dark. |
am stopping at the Royal. A young
gentleman, also stopping there. paid
me great deal of attention, an for
lack of anything better to do. sup
pose-I actually made myself believe
l was in love with MIN, as he protested
to be with me. But papa-you don't
know how violent papa can be when
anything crosses him-papa said if the
nonsense between us was not stopped
he would break the young mans back
and sp-punish me. Well, it made me
mac TO ne talked 10 III Ilidt way, as II
were only a child in pinafore. and as
for the young man, he was really
alarmed for his spine: SO we made up
our minds to run away and get mar
ried.
1T was the most foolish thing in the
world, as l have been SAYING to myself
for two hours: but it was all papa's
fault. If he had not interfered, the
affair would have passed off as a mere
ordinary summer Irritation: but, of
course, when he put his oar in he
made mischief. l thought it was
awfully romantic to elope; and so. this
afternoon, while | was supposed to be
botanizing, was really scurrying
through the woods with Clarence, to
reach the point in the road where he
| had told a man to meet us with a car
riage. But the man must have mis-
taken the road. or else we did; any
how he did not appear, and we walked
on, and on, and on, until | was so
tired l was ready to drop Finally, |
just sat down by the roadside and
said ! would not walk a step farther.
if | never got married. Clarence sat
down by me, and said he felt a good
deal that way himself; and he used
real violent language about the man
who hadn't come with the carriarp