El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-09-15
"A BELATED
OPPORTUNITY

| Parmelee's gate and sat patiently wait
| ing until she should make her appear
| ance. The wind roared through the leaf
| less trees. and Alonzo's rubber coat re-
| sounded with the beating of the heavy
| rain.
"Shouldn't wonder II she backed out,
after ALL" he unused, STOPPING to let his
| hat brim discharge its pent up Hood
| "Ain't many women would start out IN
| q storm like this just to go a-visitin. If
| they had made all their arrangements
| and wrote they was COMM
But all doubts as to Miss Jane Parme-
| lees strength of will to carry out what
| she had determined to do were presently
| dispelled by the appearance of that spin
| ster at the door of her cottage with
| large glazed travelling bag in one hand
| and an umbrella in the other.
Everybody had long supposed that
Alonzo and Jane 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 ques-
ton. Others declared it was because he
was jealous of a young fellow from the
city who boarded with James aunt dur
ing the summer and used occasionally to
see Jane home from church or take her
to a Sunday school picnic. At any rate
time passed without any formal declara-
ton 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 in the world, save for a broth
er, who was a miner in the far west.
Jane converted the little property that
had been left her into money and bought
a small cottage on the outskirts of the
village, where she now lived in genuine
old maid fashion.
Alonzo. who was AZ years old, still lived
with his aged parents and cared for them.
For ten years he had driven the stage be-.
tween Gilead and Gilead Station, where
q remote corner of the township was in
tersected by n railroad
He had never been to see Jane Parme-
lee since she moved into her own cottage,
but they were still "'Lonzo' and "Jane"
to each other whenever they met, and
the memory of n faded romance did not
seem to imbitter their present friend
ship. Jane, indeed. sometimes wondered
with n choking sensation in her throat
why Alonzo jackson had never asked
her to be his wife, but she had long since
got over the keen anguish of her girlhood
disappointment and schooled herself to
believe that, since God willed it SO. 1t
was "all for the best"
On this stormy March day Jane Parme-
lee was going to Gilead Station to take
the train for Lancaster. where lived her
lifelong friend. Susan Rich, in a pleasant
home whose welcome Jane had often
gratefully tasted. The day and train
having been set, Jane would as soon have
thought of betraying her friends conf
dence failing to arrive at the precise
hour named in her letter.
Jane was the only passenger that morn
her big umbrella, and AlonZo chatted in
termittently with her over his left Shout
der as they logged along through the
storm One would never have suspected
that these two sober, middle aged per-
sons had been lovers in the sweet days
gone by.
When they reached the covered bridge
over the river, il seemed IL all the
clouds of heaven had opened their sluice
gates together. a perfect torrent of rain
was falling.
"'Lonzo, can't you stop for n few min
utes in the bridge till the worst of this
shower is over?" asked Jane. MY new
bunnit is gettin awfully damp. The rain
drives right through this umbrel'."
"Eemme see." said Alonzo, consulting
his watch. Yes, 1 guess so. We've got
20 minutes to spare, and it does rain
middlin hard. My, but the river is high,
amt it? A little more, and it would be
over the floor boards of the bridge"
Alonzo drove to the middle of the
gloomy covered bridge and stopped his
horses. Then he and Jane sat listening
to the thunder of the storm over their
heads.
1.-THE bridge kind of quivers. doesn't
t?' said Jane.
Yes. it does seem to joggle some" re-
piled Alonzo. ''The waters up to the
floor beams and pushes kind of hard
n ~ IL:
Just then the steady vibration OF the
bridge increased to a sort Of convulsive
shudder. The structure suddenly lurch-
ed, gave a grinding slide. grated off its
stone piers and went whirlinG down
stream with the CURRENT
Jane uttered a cry OF terror and caught
hold of Alonzo's arm. He could feel her
strange thrill through him. His le-
thargic nature Mt last was stirred.
There. there!" he said soothiugly
Don't you be afraid. Jsne. There amt
any real danger. The bridge amt Ago
in to sink. Wen ground against the
shore somewhere. and then 1 can drive
right out again."
carccned, and the muddy water raced
along the floor Jane began to sob like
a frightened child.
Come. come" said Alonzo, drawing
the reins hard as iron over the plunging
horses with his right hand. don't be
scared. Ill THERE
His left arm rea ched over the back of
the seat and slid around Jane Parmelee's
waist. her head dropped on his shoulder.
her best bonnet Needless of the drippings
of the old felt hat. There now, there
nowr' murmured the strong man. ten
derby. "Oh, lane, il somethin of this
sort had only happe Aed 20 years ago."
Yes" whispered Jane, all of a treni-