Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1897-03-29

up ana looked out OF the WINDOW.
'1t's him." he exclaimed excitedly.
"He must "a saw us get on.
Tom looked toward the road and saw
a man standing up in a blackboard like
a Roman charioteer, shaking his fist
and apparently hurting opprobrious
epitbets at the train.
"We can't stop this here train now, "
they could hear the conductor shout,
'for we've got to be in Davisville by
1.30." 1t was then 1870.
''Pll beat your old COW, then," the
man yelled back II derision. "Tell
'em I'll meet 'em at the Davisville
depot"
"Confound it," said Hink, II wisht
he hadn't seen us get ou."
The girl began to cry.
whats the row? Who is that fell
low?" Tom asked.
"Why, you see, Mr.. Hargrove, "
Hank replied, "he's Mury's brother
and he's took a full notion that she
sha'n't marry me-says our Bill
cheated him swapping watches. Mary
amt eighteen till July and I've got to
get back to I-oway to cultivate my
corn and SO her mother said for us
jest to slip away and get married with
out letting Durfey know. We come
to Nankitt this morning, got my
license and we was going to the Bap-
tist preachers when we seen Durfey
coming. We was near the depot and
SO we Jest skited and got on this train
and he must "a saw u.s."
"And now he's going to Davisville
to stop you?" Tom queried.
"Yes-and he'll beat us, for that
bay he's driving can outtrot any horse
around here"
"Well, he can't prevent her from
marrying you, can he?"
81 guess he oould-he's my guar
deen." Mary said, lifting her facs al
ready swollen with tears. "Then,
anyway. if he meets us and says l
must go off with hun / just know I'll
do it. | won't want to leave Hink but
1 always do what Durfey tells me-"
Tom wondered that any man should
want to marry girl with SO little
"backbone"-so he termed her timid
ity-but he kept this reflection to
himself, knowing the ways of BRIDE
grooms and their unreasoning fond
ness. "Perhaps We can get the con-
ductor to hurry up tue train," ne
suggested.
That parsonage was collecting fnres
in his shirt sleeves but wearing his cap
to give an official air. "CaI we go II
little faster, Abe?" Tom said, as he
gave up his ticket; "this gentleman
would like to beat that blackboard
man to Davisville. Runaways," he
whispered in conclusion.
The conductor frowned, punched
the ticket, then stuck it in Toms hat
band. "We can't go more'n nine
miles an hour" he answered. "We've
got strict orders not to kill no steers
nor horses an j they're Jest everlast-
ingly on this here track. But We'll
try to keep that smarty on the State
road in sight" he ended, vindictively,
for the insult of miscalling his train
COW rankled in his bosom. "When
we stop at Sage I'll get off and tell the
engineer"
Sage was a station where q grain
elevator reared itself about the sur.
rounding corncribs and where
weather beaten platform served as
depot. BY the time the train reached
there everybody in the car knew the
story of the runaways. At Sage the
Swedes clattered out and the conduc-
tor ran to the locomotive and told the
engineer to ''go mite faster"
The passenger could see the man in
the blackboard clipping along the road
about quarter of n mile ahead.
"Re's bound to beat you," Tom said,
drawing III his head after survey OF
their rival. Hadn't you better get
of at the next stop and try to get a
farmer to drive you back to Nankltt? /?
You say you have your llcense?"
"Yes," Hink answered, despond-
emily, "here it is" He drew it from
his pocket aud handed it to Tom,
'If we did get off we mightn't find
anybody willing to take us back"
"That's so," Tom responded. He
ran his eyes over the liconse-a new
idea came to him. "Would you let
Squire Phinney marry you?" be asked.
"He's there on the front seat. 1t will
bo legal if it's done before we reach
the city line.
"You can bet I'm willing to marry
if Mary is," Hink answered, ioyfully.
"I never thought I'd be married by
a SQUIRE" she said. "but guess it's
all right, for then won't have to go
back with Durfey." Sho wiped her
eyes, patted her back hair and smiled
at her lover.
The squire consented to perform the
ceremony, although he said he "disre-
membe7ed all the quirKs III the service,
not having his book" "But I'll make
stasger at it," he remarked, "aud it
will hold in law"
"All right said Tom. He led the
bride and groom into the aisle, both
looking very warm and timid. "Don't
be bashful," he counseled; "we're all
friends here"
Tbs passengers crowded around the
wedding party and the conductor put
on his coat in honor of the occasion.