The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1900-05-30
A BELATED
OPPORTUNITY

| gied lion, when Al0nZo jackson, the
stage driver, drew up In front of
Miss Jane Parmalee's gate and sat
patiently waiting until she should
make her appearance. The wind roar
ed through the leafiess trees, and
AlonzO's rubber coat resounded with
the beating of the heavy rain.
Shouldn't wonder fshe backed out,
after all, F" he unused, STOPPING to let his
hat brim discharge its pent-np food.
"Ain't maRy women who would start
out In storm like this, just to go
a-visitil', If they had made all their ar
rangements and wrote they was
comin'."
But all doubts as Miss Jane Parma
lees strength of will to carry out what
she had determined to do were present
ly dispelled by the appearance of that
spinster st the door of her cottage,
with large glazed travelling bag in
one hand and an umbrells in the other
She set the bag down on the stone
doorstep, spread the expansive folds
of the umbrella over her head, took a
key from her pocket, and carefully
locked the door. The stage driver got
down from his wagon, opened the gate
and came rustling up the gravel walk
in his rubber coat.
''No need of your comm for that
satchel, 'Lonzo," cried Miss Parmalee
through the roaring wind, as she turn
ed and put the key in her pocket, after
final test of the locked door. "I've
got free hand, and reckon i could
carry it all right"
"Mebbe you could" replied Alonzo
eheerfully, "of course you could Jane;
but t amt my way to let lady passen-
gers tote their own baggage"
The quiet familiarity with which
AlonzO Jackson addressed Miss Parma
lee as "Jane" and her quiet, unsurpris-
ed acceptance of 1t bespoke a closeness
of friendship which was well under
stood in the community, and which
had now lasted for twenty years or
moreover since they were ''young
folks" and Alonzo had been said to be
waiting on" pretty Jane ParmaIee.
Everybody supposed that they would
get engaged and married In due time,
like other young couples with marked
preference for one another But years
passed, and for some reason Alonzo
failed to ''get to the point"
Some said it was because the awk-
ward, bashful boy could not summon
up enough courage actually to pop the
question. Others declared it was be- |
cause he was Jealous of a young fellow
from the city, who had boarded with
James aunt during the summer, and |
used occasionally to see Jane home
from church or take ber to Sunday
school picnic. AT any rate, time pass
ed without any formal declaration |
from Alonzo; and in the meanwhile |
James parents died, and she went TO
live with her widowed aunt.
Then her aunt died also, and Jane |
was left alone ia the world, for BROTH
er who was a miner in the far West. |
Jane converted the little property that
had been left her into money, and
bought small cottage on the outskirts
Of the village, where she now lived in
0anuipo a!d.maid f.ahion
Alonzo, who was 43 years old, still
lived with his aged parents, and cared
for them. For ten years he had driven
the stage between GiIead and Gilead
Station-where a remote corner of the
was intersected by railroad.
He had never been to see Jane Parma
lee since she moved into her own cot
tage, but they were still "Lonzo" and
Jane" to each other whenever they
met, and the memory OF faded ro-
nance did not seem to embitter their
present friendship. Jane indeed some
times wondered, with choking sensa-
ton in her throat, why Alonzo jack
son had never asked her to be his wife,
but she had long since got over the
Keen anguish of her girlhood disap-
pOintment, and schooled herself TO be-
ieye that since God willed it SO, it was
all for the best"
On this stormy March day Jane
Parmalee was going to Gilead station,
o take the train for Lancaster, where
lived her lifelong friend, Susan Rich. ,
q pleasant home whose welcome
Tane had often gratefully tasted. The
lay and train having been set, Jane
would as soon have thought OF betray-
ng her friends confidence as failing TO
Irrive at the precise hour named in ,
her letter. Fidelity was the bed rock
# her character. 1t would seem as il /,
Alonzo Jackson might have known
his, as he sat in the rain before her .
;ate.
Jane was the only passenger that I.
morning. She sat on the middle seat
lnder her big umbrella, and Alonzo
matted Internationally with her over