The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1898-11-03

pul SNS1 DOlN hAN"
u that it never con-
aaRs> tanned anything of
5ose2ss II special value. 1t
c served we'll enough
to hold the books and papers of the
office and o little loose change; there
was practically no business done at
Dumphy's. If it had been otherwise
the station would never have been left
in charge of mere girl like Lena
Stearns.
Fifteen years ago it was quite aa-
other story. At that time Dumphy's
Glen was the midst Of its boom as o
prospective summer resort, and when
Lena's father bought the barren little
plot of gravel and bare granite upon
which he had erected his store he had
paid for it at the rate of $40 front
foot, and had trouble in getting it at
at that. But he had died long since,
broken in fortune and in spirit. The
big, dismantled "Sanatorium" on the
hill was utterly abandoned. Half the
glass in its dark, dirty windows are
broken; squirrels scurried over the
sagging veranGas; the warping
shingles blew down from the roof in
every storm; the caves were hive fo.
wasps and hornets. The streets that
had been so hopefully laid out led
nowhere. "Park avenue" started
well, but soon lost itself among bram-
bles and bushes; its pretentious name
hung askew from its rotting post, held
by one rusty nail.
The store, however, was still kept
up, for there was a little country
trade. Mrs. Stearns lived with her
daughter in the upper story and man
aged to sell or barter, across the dingy
counter, cotton thread, nails, ,molasses
and patent medicine enough to pay
the interest on the mortgage and live.
Lena, who was eighteen, had to do
something. Of course, and as she was
Enthusiastically bright girl and had
mastered bookkeeping and telegraphy
she easily obtained the unimportant
position of station agent at Dumphy's,
where she sold half a dozen tickets a
week, tagged train when there was
a passenger, and boarded at home.
Lena was not only bright and eff
cient. but decidedly pretty. This fact
had been discovered by John Sturgin,
the station agent at Pine Ridge, ten
miles above; it was source OF regret
to him that he was not the only dis
coverer. As it was, he perversely
turned his back on the well-stocked
stores at the Ridge, and did sus-
picious amount of trading at the Glen.
He also did more telegraphing at
times than business seemed to require.
The wires must havefelt queer thrill
as some of those messages pulsed
through them, though the words were
as trivial, and as remote from the
sentiment they voiced, as in any other
rustic courtship.
Though scarcely any money ever
found lodgment at Dumphys Glen, a
good deal passed through it. About
twelve miles below were the great saw
mills at Sabine Falls, and every week
a heavy cash box was expressed
thither from the city to pay the men.
The train which conveyed;t, however,
scarcely ever stopped at the little flag
station; but there was one notable ex-
ception.
1t was about the middle of March,
and heavy rains had stripped the hills
of their white winter cloaks "They're
just like folks who lay off their wraps
too soon," thought Lena, drawing her
feecy "fascinator" more closely about
her neck and shoulders-for the sky
had cleared and the air was growing
frosty-''They look as if they were
catching their death of cold"
She was standing on the platform
watching the belated express as it
rounded the curve. To her surprise,
it slowed and came to stop, though
she had not tagged it. The door of
the baggage car slid open and the agent
jumped out. dragging the cash box af-
ter him.
"Shall have to leave this here to-
night, 'he.explained "Bad washout at
Tamarack Greek, three miles down, and
we can't getthrough to Sabine possibly;
orders are to run back at once. Have
wired to the mills to send men around
by the road and they'll be here soon.
It'll be all right; nobody else will know
the stufi's here. Come, we'll put it in
the safe for you.
SO Lena opened the safe, while the
agent, with the help of q brakeman,
brought in the box. 1t was snug fit,
though she pulled out allsthe books to
make room forit. Then the men boarded
the train, which slowly backed up the
line until it was out of sight.
The girl re-entered the depot, locked
the door, threw fresh supply OF coal
! on the fire and waited alone for the
messengers from the mills. An hour
passed, and another and another; at