The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1900-03-16

But when his ideas had taken shape,
and the pretty little cabin showed its
whitewashcd walls against the dull yel-
low background of tie hills, they adj
mired it duly, and declared, with many
we'll meant oaths, "that Wardwell's
shebang beat the band.'
The cabin had a wide veranda in
front, and Grant had planted wild Gu
cumber vines, and the yellow and GRIM
son climbing roses he had bought in
Los Angeles, and already the rough
redwood pillars were glorious with
color and fragrance. Caroline would
like to sit here, the foolish fellow told
himself, because she could see the mines
so WELL and perhaps she could some
times distinguish him from the other
men.
To-day. the elimination ofall his six
years of patient toll was at hand.
Caroline was expected on the noon
train from the east. She wanted to be
married as soon rs she arrived-it
would he the proper thing, her folks
said, seeing as there was no woman
friend to play propriety over her.
Wardwell had not seen her for six
wears. and in that time his hair had
turned gray on his temples, and there
were lines on his forehead that had not
been there when she had kissed him
goodbye. He wondered, as he il :
spected himself in the glass, it she
would think him much changed, and if
she would love him as well as she did
when all his locks were brown.
Caroline-the sweet, dainty creature,
with her sea-blue eyes, and her hair
yellow as the gold he had come to this
western wilderness to wrest from the
unwilling earth.
In all these years his loyal heart had
never swerved from its allegiance to
her Every stroke of his spade had
been for her. Every ounce of the shin
ing dust that he had ''salted down in
the bank in San Francisco had been
broken from the stubborn quartz with
thoughts of her nerving his arm to
greater endurance.
If he had thought of Adelaide Raj
ston at all-and being a man, who shall
say that he had motif had been as
one remembers delicious dream, which
has melted into and been absorbed in
the subtle mistiness of the past.
To-day, his wedding day, Wardwell
| was in a new suit of blue flannel, a rose
in his button-hole, his face clean shaven,
his hair well brushed, and his knotty
hands trembling with the strong emo
lions of anticipation. His brown eyes
were soft, and his fine, sensitive mouth
was as sweetly wistlul as that of a
child longing for its mother.
"What if anything should happen
that she didn't Gomez said Jim Bowen,
otherwise known as "the Crow" be-
cause of his habit Of prognosticating
evil
"Tbere is no fear of her not coming"
said Wardwell, Loyalty; Caroline
would not disappoint me to-day. 1t is
our wedding day, boys"
"Woman is woman" said jim, whose
wife had run away from him to elope
with mine boss over Flagstaff way
cant depend on them no more than
you can on bucking broncho."
just then the train was seen coming
round the long curve by the bridge
over the San Estcllo, and the men
rushed down to the little station to
watch the arrival of Wardwell's bride.
WardweIl had hurried off at the first
sound Of the whistle.
The train halted and the passengers
a'ighted. Three men, and one of them
the new mine boss, and one woman,
presumably his daughter, since it had
been reported that she was to accom-
pany her father.
The engine began to get up steam
the mailbag was thrown aboard-the
conductor spread his hands as signal
to the engineer to 90 ahead, and Caro-
line had not come.
Wardwcll's swart cheek was asby
white. His breath came in labored
gasps He rushed forward to stay the
progress of tie train.
There is some mistaken cried he;
| 'she must be on board She wrote me
| she would come. Conductor, there is
4 lady who should have stopped here.
| She must have misunderstood the name
Of the place. Stop a minute! /"
In his intense excitement he grasped
the rail of the Pullman the brakeman
waved him back, but it was too late.
The train had gathered considerable
Roadway and Wardwell had not calcu-
lated on its resistance He slipped
and fell beneath the car. A cry ofhor.
row went up from the by-staniers, and
for second it seemed as if he must be
ground to atoms beneath the wheels.
But the young woman who had alighted
from the train lcapcd forward and
Selling him by the coat, pulled him
back.
His right hand hung hclplessly by
his side, and the blood drippcd from
his crushed fingers slowly down on the
! platform.