Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1895-06-22
The Enligrant Girl.

Down through the skylight of the
great emlgrant office the sun beat
like a gigantic burning-glass, the
blue flies buzzed noisily in the win
dow frames, and Honora Hough sat
uneasily on her hard wooden bench,
her heart throbbing restlessly at ev-
cry sound.
as that II o'clock striking ?" she
ventured to ask at last of a good ma
tured official who was writing at a
desk close by.
"That's - o'clock" he said, care
fully blotting page 81 before he turn
ed to page 80.
Sand no one has come for me
YETI"
"No one has come for you yet"
And the official commenced on
new page with a fresh dip of the
pen.
Honora's heart beat faster than
ever; sort of mist seemed to gath.
err over her blue eyes. Did she fall
asleep, or was it only a sort of walk
ing swoon from which she aroused
to hear some one saying close to
her
"Ever since this time yesterday,
and not soul has inquired for her.
1 think it's more than likely she'd
be glad of decent place. Wouldn't
you, young woman2 ?"
81 want some one right away,"
said spare, hard featured, elderly
woman, with a basket on her arm
and a crimp cap under her bonnet.
"My daughter is very sick, and 1
can't get along no longer without
help. The wages amt high, but it's
good home for any young woman,
that I'll guarantee"
Honora drew long breath glanc-
ed once more wistfully at tue win
dow, and then decided.
"I'll co." said she.
Perhaps it was as we'll that she ar
rived at that conclusion. The sick
ness incident to the sea voyage and
the long waiting for the friends"
who had not come had pretty we'll
undermined her nervous system, and
she was at least spared the shock of
the "fire," which, although not SER
ious-merely spark from the smol-
dering cigar of a gentleman visitor,
falling in scrap basket full of torn
envelopes and paper-was sufficient
to give all the employees good
fright, and to erase from the emf.
grant bureau all trace of poor little
Honora Hough's whereabouts as
penciled down on one of the slips of
paper that were destroyed.
She went home with Mrs. Carey,
helped nurse poor little Sarah Carey
on her weary journey out of the
world, took filial care of the old lady
herself in the days when rheuma-
tism racked every bono and joint,
and finally married Ben himself
Mrs. Carey's son and Sarah's BROTH
er-who, alas for the reign of ro-
nance was dealer in rags and
bottles, and daily drove a cart clam
orous with bells ard drawn by
a subdued old gray horse about the
streets.
81 always thought" confessed
Honora, "that l should marry cat
tie king when came to this coun-
try, or rich gold-digger, or some
thing of that kind. People get things
twisted all sorts of ways in the old
country. But am sure Ben is
nicer than cattle king could be !"
"If I was gold-digger, though"
shrewdly observed Ben, II might
have given you q bigger house than
this little one,storied shanty, and
something besides calico to wear"
81 don't want anything but you
Ben p said Honora, her pretty,
quaint brogue accentuated, as it al.
ways was, by strong emotion.
"And no millionaire of the lot
could love you better than I do,
Nora," said the young man, simply.
1t was all very well, this love-in-a-
cottage business while they we're
well and trade held its own. But
even in the rag-and bottle profession
there is competltion-and the horse
fell lame, and Ben Carey lay i'll for
weeks with low type of fever.
Then it was that, with nursing Ben
all day, and walking the floor with
the teething baby at night, and try
ing to edge in little clear starching
and fine needle work for neighbor-
ing ladies' furnishing store between
xrhilac en- khaf tho stora of monov In