The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1898-11-10
A NARROW ESCAPE.

tion of D. He was man TWEEN.
ty-six years Of age, upon whom nature
had certainly lavishcd an undue
amount of good looks, but whose face
was marred at present by look of
contempt for everything upon which
his glance might chance to fall. And
It was scarcely to be wondered at, for
in just nine hours, as time was told
by the large, slowly ticking clock in
the waiting room Mt the depot, Duke
Carlton was to be married. And here
he was forty miles from his destina-
tion, and had just been told by the
station agent that the trains had
changed time, his train having left at
precisely twenty minutes before his
arrival, and there would not be anoth-
Pr before eight that evening. Eight
the hour set for his marriage with
sweet LILA Houghton. What would
she, could she, think? What posi-
tion to put her in. Already he imag-
ined the crowded church, the sea of
eager faces, the waiting bride and no
Duke He must reach the city of
E. in time for the ceremony, but
how?
Presently he walked back to the lit
tie ticket office. where the agent was
iaboriously writing.
"Do you know if there is any sort
of conveyance around here that L
could get to take me to the next vii.
lage? l would pay well for one. as it
is imperative that l should reach E.
before night"
The agent calmly finished the sen.
tence he was writing, pushed the cap
he was wearing on the back of his
head still further back, and having
thoughtfully chewed the end of his
pen for about a half minute, re-
piled:
81 dunno. You nigh. be able to get
old Harmon's horse and buggy II
faint let. He keeps the tavern bout
stones throw from here, an some
times let's his horse; but he wants q
tarnation price. You can try him,
though; that's his chimney you see
Jest over the yeller house there" And
he rose azIly and pointed vaguely
down the street, where number of
small houses were visible, among
which the yellow one stood out dis.
tinctly, having been recently built and
just received its coat of printing.
Duke walked rapidly from the depot
and FASTENED In the direction of the
tavern" keeping the chimney in
view as a guard against mistake, and
soon found himself before n dirty, ILL.,
kept, Unlocking place, from which an
odor of boiled cabbage and onions was
now issuing. To his loud and twice
repeated knocking the door was final
ly opened by an untidy specimen of
wOmankind from which he would at
any other time have recoiled in dis
gust; but his necessity was urgent, so,
stepping forward. he raised his he
and courteously asked II he might see
the proprietor.
After n prolonged stare, as if men
tally digesting the word, she answered
with half grunt:
"Ain't t. home, but I'm is wife nd
we ain't no secrets. What du you
WANT"
Duke smiled in spite of his perplex-
ity. before hc replied:
II merely came to see If l could ell
gage some one to take me over to the
village east of here. l must reach
z tonight; / believe l can get 4
carriage there."
There amt no horse 10 huni," she
sa;d, "but Abe would take you over in
the mornin'. Du you want lOdgin' for
the nightT' she added. an eager look
taking the place of the previous va
cant stare.
"No, thank you" said Duke; "if |
cannot find vehicle of some dcscrip-
ton | suppose l must walk, for must
certainly get there tonight. Can you
tell me about how iar it is to the next
village, and which is the nearest way
to go?"
Its four mile an half by the
railroad, an nigh onto seven if you
take the road" was the surly answer,
as she saw there was not even Il re-
mote chance of "Ahe's" making some
thing in the morning. "1Sut 'tain't
many as likes to go by the railway,
on count of the narrer tunnel. though
it's dead nearer.'
Thanks. Then If take to the track
here and go straight ahead | shall
come out ut the village at the end of
about four miles,"
\ nod was his answer. followed, as
he turned away, by the words:
-Four an half, l said"
So Duke started to walk the four
and a half miles, concluding he must
take the shortest way he could. as
he had not superabundance of time;
there might be some little delay even
after he arrived at the village. So he
began his journey at once, without
even stopping for dinner.
He had passed the third mile post
when he reached the tunnel.
''Ah!' he said aloud. Here Is the
tunnel of which she warned me. |
wonder how long 1t is? What a Ounce
was not to ask. 1t does look like a
Ncklish place, that's fact-small one