The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-06-07

tlSed, and while, there on business | met
a young lady that was greatly: attached
to on first acquaintance. This attraction
appeared TO be mutual, and the lady
seemed to"be the personif1cation of hon
esty and sincerity. week or two that I
passed there then largely in her company,
and again on two later visits. were the
happiest hours of my life, and no harsh
experience that may ever come can rob
me of the exquisite pleasure of those
! days. 1t was to man of my hard eXpeN-'
ence in life what q storm tossed mariner
must feel when he realizes that after
years of peril he is safe home. But as
this may weary you, will pass over these
happy experiences and tell you that in less
than year we were engaged and the
wedding day set for just one year from
the time we first met ,es '.s =
- 1t was arranged that I was to ar
rive on the wedding day, the train getting
to R at $50 in the morning. I took
the Milwaukee mixed train a Chamber,
lain Tuesday morning and reached Sioux
City that night. going by way of Canton,
| An hour or two after. our train arrived in
Sioux City l was speeding eastward In
one of the magnificent sleepers on the
Illinois Central. We crossed the M1ssis-f
sippi about daylight, and with many
whistle from the locomotive and the al
most continuous ringing of the engine
bell. the train pulled along the river bank
and then up a sluggish. muddy strea m to
the east. The day was dark and gloomy,
characteristic of bleak December, and
when ! stepped off the train at Galena
the platform was covered with sleet and
drizzling rain was falling and freezing
as It fell.
From the station at Galena there is
| little to be seen of interest except the
monument erected to the memory of Gen
eral Grant. while the town lies half a
mile to the left, almost obscured this
| morning by cloud of soft coal smoke
| which slowly ascended from a multitude
OF chimneys. 1t was but few steps to
the Chicago & North Western train that
started in twenty minutes for R and
l made my way at once to coach and
secured seat. Only few passengers
came on board Among tn others a styl-
! lshly dressed young man V no had hardly
| taken his seat when he was recognized by
| another young man who had stepped into
the car few minutes before. I could not
| help overhearing their conversation,
| which was carried on in loud tone. From
this talk I learned that the late comer's
| name was Tom. that he was from Omaha,
where his business in insurance was good
and that he was on his way to R and
| that he had made up misunderstanding
with his girl Mary. and that. in fact. their
marriage was to soon occur. At this part
| VI tie' CONVERSATION LQe Train started ana
heard no more Nor did I need to. At
the time of our engagement Mary b
had told me of previous engagement to
| a gentleman whose first name was Tom,
that he had gone to Omaha and engaged
in insurance, but assured me that she
cared for him no longer.
" Stranger. I have faced death a dozen
times and been in many dangerous adven-
lures, but no stab of knife ever wounded
mr. toll al, Il -
effect l can only compare to the agony
inflicted by knife blade heated red hot
and thrust to the heart You can see
plainly what had happened. The old mis-
understanding had been made up-and
here was all my happiness turned to the
bitter ashes of Dead Sea fruit. I sat like
one in a trance while the train sped on
around curves and through tunnels until
it had gone ten, twenty, thirty miles,
when at little station it was side
tracked and l learned we had to wait
few minutes for the down train to pass.
A shrill whistle from the engine of the
approaching train aroused me, and start
ing like one aroused from a dream,
clutched my grips and started for the
platform. In five minutes more I was
speeding back to the west. and that's why,
stranger. you find me here alone ...;-
Il had been paying close attention to
the story and at it's close the whole truth
flashed over me. l jumped up and danced
about the room, shook my hosts hand.
and as quick as I could sober down, ex-
planned all the facts. Mary B. was my
schoolmate. The town of R was my
birthplace. The young man addressed as
Tom on the North Western train at Ga
lena was no doubt Mary's former lover.
He did come back on a. visit about this
| time, but Mary B had refused to see
| him or speak to him. Mary B. was
one Of the truest and best girls in the
world. and as my sister was her intimate
friend letter from me to that sister at
| home would fix things. The letter wrote
that night and my host started with it
the next morning for the postof1ce- at
Chamberlain, while I went across to Bad
river and on to Fort Pierre where we