The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1902-02-01

can stand the chance of seeing half q
dozen working girls enjoying their va
cation, for I expect to keep the house
full of them all summer" 4
A word of thanks az he lifted his hat,
then he jumped aboard the already
moving train and soon settled him
self for the hours ride back to town
Geoffrey had been in his office less
than an hour when the door burst
open and Dick Williams, who lived in
the little town from which Godfrey
had just come, came hurrying in. He
was evidently very much excited.
Say, old man, you haven't heard
anything yet, have your" Williams
questioned breathlessly.
"Anything-about whatf" Godfrey
asked calmly. "Oh, you poor fellow.
4 see you haven't How shall l tell
you. Maitland, old man, you must
brace up and prepare yourself for-the
| worst"
Hang It all, what are you driving
att" asked Godfrey.
Il have just come in from Elmcourt,"
Williams said significantly.
Have your" said Geoffrey pleasant
ly. $50 have I-only 1 took the 8.11
train"
You did? I hadn't heard of that
though l remember now they did say
she had driven some one over to the
station and was on her way home. It
must have happened almost directly
afterwards"
"She?" cried Godfrey, now beginning
| to feel a strange alarm. What has
happened? Tell me quick"
'The very worst; prepare yourself.
my dear fellow. 1t was over instantly
she was killed"
"Who?" gasped Godfrey in a strange
choked voice, grasping at the frail
| straw of some possible mistake.
your own Miss Wright" said Will
liams pityingly. IT knew you'd be
dreadfully cut up, you were so fond
of one another and had been engaged
| so long"
The little ring in Geoffrey's breast
| pocket seemed suddenly to pierce him
like knife. Oh, that 1t had never left
| her hand
What happened?" he asked again
hoarsely.
"She was driving home. they told
me, and on the road she was overtaken
| by one of those Internal locomobiles.
Her horse took fright and bolted, she
was thrown out-neck broken-picked
up-dead."
Godfrey sprang up and the express
sion on his face made the other man
suddenly fear that he was going mad.
He stood staring blankly at the Office
| clock
'If you want to go out there on the
noon train I'll arrange to go with you"
Williams said kindly.
I'm goin-on the 1896"
But, my dear fellow, you can't pos
sibly-you've only seven minutes"
He ended abruptly when he found
himself talking to the empty air, for
Godfrey had seized his hat and was
gone.
Out into the crowdedetreet rushed
Godfrey, and never in old college days
when he was in training did he run as
he ran now. Broadway was at It's
worst-a confusion of rapidly moving
cars, carts and carriages-but Godfrey
stopped for none of them. He dashed
under the heads of horses and ran be-
| tween cable cars. escaping SO narrow
ly that the gripman yelled at him In
a sudden chill, but he plunged on and
gained the opposite side unscathed.
Some one humorously raised the criy
stop thief" but no one attempted to
follow and none could have caught or
held him had they tried. On and on
he ran until the ferry house was
reached, but just the fraction of Sec
ond late.
The gates were already closed and
| the boat was just starting from the
slip Geoffrey dashed past the man
who was closing the wagon entrance
and rushed out to the end of the dock.
Two working girls in the waiting
room, who-on their way to Miss
Wright's-had just lost the boat, took
him for a would-be suicide and
shrieked aloud.
Geoffrey gathered himself for a
spring and shot far out in wild en-
deavor yet to catch the boat But he
was breathless now, and the space was
widening with every instant. He felt
himself falling short, but with des-
perate effort he clutched at the boats
deck and chung there until two men
dragged him up. swearing roundly at
him the while.
Painting and overweight, Godfrey
ventured into neither cabin-whO
knew who might be there to recog-
nize and speak to him? So he stood
in a narrow space between the vehi-
cles, breathing hard. and with his hat
pulled low over his eyes to hide the
slow tears which now and then coursed
down his cheeks
On the train he sought the smoking
car, where he pretended to fall asleep.
He was sorry now that he had
Jumped SO we'll II only he had fallen
short of the boat altogether and had
been drowned before they could get
him out of the water-that would have
been the most fitting ending. But
since he was still alive, II he could
only get the ring back upon Alice's
poor dead hand before 1t should be no.
ticed that 1t was gone, then no one
need ever know that even before death
came to separate them they had bid
one another goodby-for the last time.
The train stopped at Elmcourt and
Geoffrey, more than ever dreading rec
ognition. cast a swift glance about
him for some vehicle to carry him to
the house.
And there, right before his eyes and