Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1900-05-31

spending an hour or two each day at
the Office, and | had not talked with
her many times before / experienced
a strange sensation. / did not know
what TO call it. [ suppose it was love,
but L never said word about it to
her. l reasoned tE,t it would be too
preSumptUous-m might lose me my
situation.
81 did not know thon that 7 was
qualified 10 do anything better in the
newspaper line than to grind on the
Gazette at ground pay. made my
self wretched Mt times wishing she
would keep away from the office, SO
that | might forget her. Bat drew
a long breath of relief the next time
she appeared, and answered her ques.
tions about this and that thing Jour
n0listic, and listened to her blissfully
whea she told me what glorious pro-
fession she thought it aud what an
ornament TO it she considered me.
",$hc sounded me frequently on my
ambitions, and to] i her freely what
were my hopes.
"'You are welded to your york. ,
she said to me one day.
"'I am, replied.
'Thcn she looked at me with an
expression which L did not under
stand and changed the subject. I
never saw her outside of the office. /
was practically pemniless, and she
accustomed to luxury. 1 was not in
society. Our lives had little in com
mon. I loved her. Che thing for
me to 10, rs Il sensible person, was to
make the best of it silently, and / did
SO. Did l do right, Perk?"
"Precisely, Billy. Get along"
"We!l, after while ker engage
mcnt to one Of the great men of the
city-nnme Jones-was announced.
and it fell upon my narrowed soul
with much the gentleness OF thun-
derclap. l felt bad, Perk, but at the
same time / felt glad-glad that [ had
not made an ass Of myself.
Il had been sofoly tempted, heaven
knows. Az the first opportunity
she had dropped into the Office to re-
load her camera i'll the coat closet-T
shook hands with her and told her as
clearly as [ could-not knowing what
to say--how delighted L was, and,
sir, she turned squarely about With
out word and lett me high and dry,
looking every Bit, 1 doubt not, US
foolish as L felt. That was in Janu-
any. The wedding was to occur in
June.
II worked like cold weather fly
and tried to forget her. I succeeded
pretty well. Her visits to the office
mad ceased with my weli-meant COLI
SratuIatory performance, aud this
made 1t easier for me, although my
henrt beat ike shorthand whenever
hearu Il female voice from the
private Office, and tho sudden swish
OF skirts caused me to jump violently.
Ijut L dld not see her again until
Mey-three weeks before the we'd
ding. She had been in Chicago, |
believe, paying farewell visit to a
Schoolmate, and lncldentally-"
Never mind that, Billy" inter
lccted Perkins. "lou don't know
what she was doing incidentally.
Nidger bowed graveiy. "All right,
Perk. l thank yon. L was alone in
the office one stormy night, fixing up
a string OF airy iaIsehoods for the next
day, when the telephone bell rang
like forty Tires. | put the receiver TO
my ear. held it there for perhaps a
minute, yelled yes into the trans
mitter, bolted into my overcoat and
turned ont the light.
81 was at G., s. and X. shops five
minutes later, and, swinging onto the
rear platform OF the caboose attached
to wrecking train, in an hour was
on the scene OF the worst railway
smash-up in the history of Minnesota.
Ever see sp!intered passenger
train at night, Perk-whito faces star
ing at you by lantern light, groans
seeming TO rise ont of the earth,
3'ealn' smoke horrofE never real
lzeu un'ii thaf hlgnt what an aWiul
tnihS u"rhhess ls-oafEhesS 10 winch
mere Is no llmit-that almost suho-
.