The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1900-04-12

| Sne s0unueu NE frequently Oh my
ambitions, and l told her freely what
were my hopes.
"'You are welded to your work. she
said to me one day.
g" 4 am replied.
"Then she looked at me with an ex-
preston which l did not understand
and changed the subject. never saw
her outside OF the office. l was prac-
tlcally penniless, and she was accus-
toned to luxury. l was not in society.
Our lives had little In common. l loved
her. The thing for me to do, as sensi-
BILE person, was TO make the best OF 1t
silently, and | did so. Did l do right,
Perk?'
"Preclsely. Billy. Get along"
"Well, after n while her engagement
to one of the great men of the city
name Jones-was announced, and II fell
upon my narrowed soul with much the
gentleness Of thunderclap. felt bad,
Perk, but at the same time l felt glad
glad that had not made an ass of
myself.
"I had been sorely tempted, heaven
knows. At the first opportunity-she
had dropped into the office to reload her
camera In the coat closet-I shook
hands with her and told her as clearly
as l could-not knowing what TO say
how delighted was, and, sir, she turn
ed squarely about without word and
left me high and dry, looking every bit,
doubt not as foolish as | felt. That
was In January. The wedding was TO
occur in June.
81 worked like cold weather fly and
tried to forget her. I succeeded pretty
well. Her visits TO the office had ceased
with my well-meant congratulatory
performance, and this made II easier
for me, although my heart beat like
shorthand whenever l heard a female
voice from the private office. and the
sudden swish of skirts caused me to
lump violently. But did not see her
again until May-three weeks before
the wedding. She had been In Chicago,
l believe, paying a farewell visit to a
schoolmate, and Incidentally"
"Neyer mind that Billy" interjected
Perkins. "You don't know what she
was doing incidentally. Come to the
point"
widger bowed gravely. "Ail right,
Perk. thank you. was alone In the
Office one stormy night, fixing up .
string OF airy falsehoods for the next
day, when the telephone bell rang like
forty fires. l put the receiver TO my
ear, held 1t there for perhaps a minute,
yelled yes into the transmitter, bolted
into my oyercoat and turned out the
light.
81 was at G., s. and X. shops FIVE
minutes later, and, swinging onto the
rear platform of the caboose attached
to a wrecking train, In an hour l was
on the scene of the worst railway
smash-up In the history Of Minnesota.
ever see splintered passenger train
at night, Perk-white faces staring at
you by lantern light, groans seeming
to rise out Of the earth. steam. smoke.
horror? | never realized until that
night what an awful thing darkness is
darkness to which there Is no limit
that almost suffocates a man and
strikes him blind. Time and again
Involuntary passed my hand before
my face to clear a way In the black
ness for my eyes.
There was a station not far away,
and after getting what information
could l took my way In that direction
to get off some dlsptches for the first
editions of the morning papers, STUN
bling along as best l could. yearnlng
for light. light. light. And, Perk, IL
there was light.
Celestial fire. Billyr
something like 1t. stumbled over
n body finally. I had been dreading II
and praying that I might be steered
clear of that sort of obstacles. 1t gave
ont the falntest kind of a moan when
I struck II, and recoiled as much as
fifteen feet, l think. Then l took a
firm grip on myself and approached II
again. because that seemed to be my
duty.
.sThe man or woman, whichever II
was. had evidently crawled out of the
wreck and tried to go somewhere. II
had failed wretchedly. 1t was lying In
the long, wet grass at quite little dis
| lance from the track. 1t might not be
| found for hours II passed II by. New
ertheless, l hesltated. confess 1t with
shame.
"Then knelt by Its side and passed
my hands over Its cold, rain-washet
face and bedraggled hair. 1t was
woman. put my finger to its pulse
1t was alive.
"The fiutter of the straining hear
acted like n strong stimulant upon me
| lifted the limp form In my arms and
felt my way onward to the station. II
was long walk and hard one, moi
unfraught with danger. for there was
bridge to be crossed, but I reached
the end at last and passed into the
light of the waiting-room, and-and-
and, Perk. 1t was she. | had been
carrying her in my arms all that dis.
lance.
II believe they considered me insane
when laid her upon the operators bed
and looked into her face. For an In.
slant my strength went from me to the
last ounce and all but collapsed; then
1t came back In a mighty wave, and
suppose did act like O maniac.
"She had an old-fashioned locket in
her hand, fastened about her neck by
a ribbon, and she held II to her lips
rigidly, as she had held II when she
was fainting in the long. wet grass
Perk, l cannot tell you how 1 felt
l."
| anop,t trv ntlly Koox a. 1900