The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1900-01-27


had been for her. Every ounce of the
shining 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 not Pit had
been as one remembers a delicious
dream, which has melted into and
been absorbed in the subtle mistiness
of the past.
To-day, his wedding day, Ward
well was in new suit of blue fan
mel, rose in his button hole, his face
clean shaven, his hair well brushed,
and his knotty hands trembling with
the strong emotions of anticipation.
His brown eyes were soft, and his
fine, sensitive mouth was as sweetly
wistful as that of child longing for
its mother.
"What if anything should happen
that she didn't Gomez" said Jim Bow
en-, otherwise known as "the Crow"
because of his habit of prognosticat-
ing evil.
"There is no fear of her not COM
ing," said Wardwell, loyalty; Gear
oline would not disappoint me to-day.
1t is our wedding day, boys"
ttXIIO11,o,1 fc xr,0@,,ot1 - coid I'm
whose wife had run away from him to
elope with mine boss over Flagstaff
way" can't depend on them no more
than you can on bucking broncho. ;"
Just then the train was seen COM
ing round the long curve by the
bridge over the San Estello, and the
men rushed down to the little station
to watch the arrival of Wardwell's S
bride. Wardwell had hurried off at
the first sound of the whistle.
The train halted and the passen-
gers alighted. 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 accompany 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 go ahead,
and Caroline had not come.
Wardwell's swart cheek was ashy
white. His breath came in labored
gasps. He rushed forward to stay
the progress of the train.
There is some mistake p cried
he; "she must be on board. She
wrote me she would come. Conduc-
tor, there is lady who should have
stopped here. She must have mis-
understood the name of the place.
IN MS hite1rs5e ext1rendren ne grasp
ed the rail of the Pullman-the brake
man waved him back, but it was too
late. The train had gathered consid-
cradle headway and Wardwell had
not calculated on its resistance. He
slipped and fell beneath the car. A
cry of horror went up from the by
ISLANDERS, and for a second it seemed
as if he must be ground to atoms be-
meath the wheels. But the young
woman who had alighted from the
train leaped forward and, seizing him
by the coat, pulled him back.
His right hand hung helplessly by
his side, and the blood dripped from
his crushed fingers slowly down on
the platform.
"Great Heavens - he cried, as he
saw the pale, excited face of his pre-
server, cit is-it's Adelaide Raj
ston -
And then the world seemed to reel
dizzily around him, and everything
grew dark. For the first time in all
his strong healthy life, Grant Ward
we'll had tainted.
When he came to himself, he was
in his own home, which the miners
had christened Saints Rest. His
friends were around him. Miss Raj
ston was sitting in Caroline's rocking
chair. His arm had been bound up,
and Symmes had been to the post
office, and was waiting with letter
in his hand.
"Cheer up, pardner," Symmes
said, kindly. "There's letter for
ye. It's from her, maybe. It's a
woman's writin'. ("
Wardwe1l snatched the missive
from him and tore it open. He glanc
ed at the page. There was but few
lines. A mist came over his vision.
He gave the letter back to Symmes.
"Read it for me-" he said, family,
"I-can't seem to make it out right.
Symmes was a slow reader, but he
managed to spell out the contents of
the sheet. He read it in a monoto-
nous voice, interspersed with profan-
ity at the sentiments of the writer.
Caroline wrote Dear Mr.. Ward
well, 1 have changed my mind. do
hope you will not be so very badly
disappointed 1 have married Mr.
George Martin, who has been want
ing me for some time. He is we'll
to-do, and 1 don't think l am suita-
bic to be a poor mans wife. My
folks don't think SO, either" Signed
"Caroline.
"Confound her p cried Synmes,
savagely. "Jest like all the rest of
the onsartin sex ~
Wardwell did not speak, but his
broad chest heaved convulsively, and
he clenched the fingers of his unin-
injured hand in the folds of the bed
clothes.
cts blasted shame p said "the
Weasel" drawing his big fist across
his eyes-"all them six years wasted
building house for a woman that
warn't suitable. If it was mine, I'd
burn it to the ground"
No." said Wardwell, drearily ;
"I'll keep it to remind me that in all
the world no one cares enough for
me to live in it, and make it home
for me-"