The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1902-09-27
4 NIGHT in a DILIGENCE.

VVVvVV.VV.VVVV"'
The diligence was in waiting at thu
door of the hotel at Coir A tall
slim figure appeared in the doorway
an upliftcd face lightly framed in er
ratio tresses of brown-gold hair
crowned by a sombre Tam-o Shantel
travelling hat. The girl stood con
fronting an iron-gray world built vi
of mountains and storm clouds.
Really going to face the weather.
said a voice from behind her, and a
chilly-looking lady came forward, rub
bling her hands in self-congratulation
Elizabeth-that was the name in the
copy of Browning in her bag-thought
of the number of the guineas in her
purse, and Of her promise to the
Princess POmpilia to arrive at the
Palazzo Pompiliani at a certain mo-
ment.
81 am really going" she said. "a
storm on the Alps will be rather glo-
rious."
She got into the diligence and put
|
brows, an intelligent, inquisitive line
Of slender nose, and mouth with
elastic curves suggested that this
must have been a very piquant face
before the shadow of those, or other,
| storm clouds fell on it,
One good thing gained to her by
the weather was that she had the -
igence all to herself Her first i'm
preston after she had planted her
bag under her feet and settled herself
in corner was that she ought to
seize the opportunity afforded her for
a good cry" However, she reflect
ed that strength was to be in future
her only reliable friend. Now that
she was putting these hard, gray
mountains between her and the past,
scarcely one look back could be
safely adventured. Yet there was a
glance with shaded eyes. Only yes
terday size was a queen, in her own
world, queen of her fathers heart
and home. Now she was suddenly
dethroned and bankrupt, her girlhood
crushed under the ruins of her fathers
fortunes and the tragedy of his death.
She knew that like things had hap
pened before in the world she had
lived in. She remembered individ.
ually such a case. Her regret for the
sorrow Of those people had hung
about her the length of a morning.
but she had danced with spirit at
ball the same night. What, she won
dered, had become OF that So-and.So
girl? Probably she, too, had gone
out to be English governess to the
daughter of some other Princess Of
the Pompilianis.
Elizabeth opened her bag and rum
mayed for magazine, but it was the
Browning that came to her hand.
1t was not merely as Browning that
she was taking the book across the
Alps with her; yet she would hardly
have acknowledged that it was for
the handwriting of the word Elizabeth
in the front page corner. She held
the book close, though she did not
open it, and her desire for the maya
zine appeared forgotten.
Night came down early, the weather
darkness fastened its fall. At
point in the road long whistle sig.
nailed the driver of the diligence, who
thereupon came to q stop. A man
opened the door Of the vehicle, made
q step to get in, but drew back again.
"Only one LADY," he said, in Eng
fish. Then l shall not intrude. Il
shall do very well outside, driver"
Elizabeth felt guilty, though re.
lieved. AS the vehicle swung on and |
she lay back in her corner, she was
disturbed by an echo, something in |
the ring of the voice that had spoken |
1t the door out Of the darkness. She |
had pushed the Browning away from |
her. Now the storm came down in
dry. scattering wind, freez
ing as breath of icebergs; the dill
sence rocked and swung; it seemed to
her that at any moment coach and
lorses and freight might ride off on
he gale down the precipice.
AS the night wore on and the cold
grew more intense, she heard the
outside traveller coughing, the man
Who had equal right with herself to
he shelter of an inside seat. Was
The going to be SO selfish or so prud-
sh as to give over this fellow creature
o suffering, perhaps danger, for the
of her preference for
privacy? She watched her oppor-
unity and communicated with the
river.
will you tell the gentleman" she
aid in German, that the lady re-
luests him to come inside of the
oach?"
A safe hating place was chosen.
nd the outside passenger got into the
comfortable interior. He thanked the
ajy and retired into an opposite cor
er, and his few words were spoken
D German. There was no mistake
bout the voice this time What had
eemed mere echo on the wind from