Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1902-10-07

Hello, DICK! Nhere olu Nouconle
from, old man|
A man near her had called to him IN
hearty welcome, as men always wei
coined Dick. Holcombe paused and
gave good-natured account Of him
self.
IL came from the smoker. Present
destination, the sleeper about three
cars on, to find my mother and get
some dinner. We have the nuisance
of nights journey ahead OF us.
Come on and we'll all dine together"
The man arose and went with
him, and as Holcombe turned he
caught sight of Charlotte, and start
ed slightly. Reluctantly enough she
raised her eyes and bowed, and he re-
turned it formally and passed out.
For the merest fraction of second,
he seemed to hesitate, but now he
was gone.
His motherI A tinge of the old
bitterness came back to Charlotte.
His mother had not accepted her as
prospective daughter-in-law with
out a struggle. She was proud and
stately old lady, and had centered all
her wishes on brilliant marriage
for Dick, whereas Charlotte, with all
her fair face and a name no less hon
orable than his own, could bring him
nothing of worldly advancement or
influence. 1t had been Mrs. Hol-
combe's attitude, which the world
knew as. well as she, that had made
that bitter quarrel possible, and had
hardened Charlotte's hurt pride into
a thing of steel and ice.
1t was foolish to think Of those
things now. They were past, far
past. Charlotte turned back to her
listless contemplation of the win
dow and its reflections. She had seen
Dick but once before since that day.
He seemed a little thin, too
Out Of darkness there came a
| deafening roar, a resistless shock
which hurled strong men from their
seats like toys, and the grinding
crash of splintering wood, and iron
on iron. On the heels of this a second
dizzy jerk, a second bruising crash.
and the car lurched again and pitched
heavily over on its side.
When her dazed senses came back
to her, Charlotte lay huddled
bruised, and terrified in a corner Of
the overturned car. Fearful noise;
were in her ears, the shrieks Of WON
en- and the hoarse shouts of men, cru
ely hurt or imprisoned under heavy
weights. The sound Of splinterinl
glass was close to her, and on trem
bling hands and knees she crept W
the slanting floor to where a man
groaning under his breath with the
pain Of a broken ankle, was using hi;
heavy dress-suit case as a battering
ram against a window.
at will come in a minute" he
called, encouragingly, smashing al
the framework and the sharp corners
of glass as he saw her white face neal
him. "I'll get you through. Therep
The stranger was thin and wiry.
and he worked his head and Shout
ders through and pulled himself
slowly out, drawing his breath sharp
ly as the broken ankle winged again
Then he reached in for her. 1t wa:
not large opening, and the little bits
of glass caught and tore her clothing
but he pulled her safely through anC
Charlotte gaspcd in breathless thank
/ fulness as she reached the cool even
ing air.
"Oh, curse this ankle! Look a
that" The man groaned at his owl
impotence to aid. What can a lam,
man do against that, and with all the
poor wretches pinned under thes
timbers."
S Charlotte pressed her hands to he
r. temples as she followed the direction
e Of his eyes. A creeping tongue o
= flame had shot up from the far end o
. car she had left, and the cries of tn
4 prisoner broke out with renewed in
! tensity. She looked at the strange
!, with new horror in her eyes.
= "Dick" she whispered. "Where j
he? Suppose"
h She arose dizzily and ran with lii
t tie stumbling steps picking her wa
d over the scattered debris. TIL
e wrecked cars lay in terrible confusion
+ around her, and ahead were two tel
= escoped engines, scarcely more tina
t SCRAP iron now. And naarer he