The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-12-24

Der Jane and / had been bound by a
promise to the arays Of Princeton, who
were To give an old fashioned Christ
mas party in their historic mansion.
OF course we could not go under the
new order of things. I had written a
note Of. regret. with some mild false
hood as my excuse, but I understood
shat Jane had told the truth in her own
letter of declination to Mrs. Gray.
At the last moment I was seized with
q desire to go Perhaps it was impossi-
BILE for me to face the prospect of spend
ing The day alone. Whatever may have
been the impulse, ! wrote again to Mrs.
Gray and begged to be allowed to
change my mind.
Ny friendship with them all was
close enough to permit of such an I'M
conventional act and to justify me in
expecting the cordial reply which I re-
ceived by the earliest possible mail.
Thus it happened that I took a train
from New York on Christmas forenoon
with a heart so heavy that I don't see
how the engine managed to haul it.
would not positively assert that this
overweight was responsible for the dis
aster Of the day, but whether from that
or some strictly mechanical cause the
train on the little branch from the
Junction to Princeton jumped the track
about 800 yards from Princeton station
and distributed itself crosswise upon
! the rails.
/ No one was hurt, but there was con-
siderable excitement. A woman who
was sitting behind me clasped her large,
warm arms around my neck and yelled
into my ear that we should all be killed,
and if her husband had not come to my
rescue / should never have breathed
again.
This incident delayed me SO much
that I was one Of the last to leave the
train. Looking ahead from the plat
form Of the car. / saw the passengers
walking the track in a long procession,
and among them, to my inexpressible
surprise. was Janei
She was not more than twice a cars
length from me and was looking back
when my glance rested on her, but she
Immediately turned away and began
/ to walk with the others toward the sta
tion.
The sight OF her filed my mind with
confusion. OF course she could not be
j~ourneying to Princeton on that day
with any other goal than the Grays
Christmas party. It was equally ob-
vious that she would moi have come If
she had had any idea that / was TO be
present.
Undoubtedly she had been deceived
by my doolination Of the Invitation, as
/ by hers.
Such being the case, it was my plain
duty to flee. | could not subject her TO
the annoyance of meeting me. NeiaAer.
to be perfectly frank, could l stand sucn
d collision myself.
The best course seemed to be to loiter
\ Qulll Jdu6 Hdu Illatu away III OIC "
the Grays' carriages that would surely
be waiting at the station, and then to
look up some conveyance that could take
me back to Princeton junction.
approached the station warily, for /
lid not wish to be seen by any one who
would report my presence to the Grays.
/ saw one of their equipages moving
away filled with people, but could not
BIO sure whether Jane was of the num-
Der.
Inqniring Of q baggage man, whom !
found in an obscure corner Of the station
platform, I learned that two coaches
were already waiting for passengers
who wished to ride over TO the Junction.
He pointed put an ancient and ponder
Gus hack, and, after a word with the
driver, / climbed in.
There was already one passenger, a
J lady who sat on the rear seat. ! did not
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