The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1902-03-18
CHAPTER XXVI.
A BLOW IN THE DARK.

swer. Al night he felt sure it would
come.
When the wagon dashed up to the post
office that night it was fifteen minutes
late. He was walking up and down the
street on the opposite pavement along
the square, keeping under the shadows
of the trees. He turned quickly across the
street and stood inside the office. listen
ing with a feeling of strange abstraction
to the tramp of the postmaster's feet
back and forth as he distributed the
mail.
At last he drew himself up. walked to
his box and opened it. His heart leapedi
A big square-cut envelope lay in it ad-
dressed TO him in her own beautiful
,hand He snatched it cut and hurried
TO his office. The moment he touched it,
his heart sank. 1t was light and thin.
Evidently there was but q single sheet
of paper within it.
He tore it open end stared at it with
parted lips and half-seeing eyes. The
first word struck his soul with a deadly
chill. This was what he read:
My Dear Mi. Castor: l write IN
obedience to the wishes of my parents to
say our engagement must end and our
correspondence cease. | cannot explain
W rCN' '-AN 49, - t''h- = ~
guessed in their judgment, that it is
best.
/ return vour letters by tomorrow's
mail. and mama requests that you return
mine to her at Oakwood Immediately.
/ leave tonight on the limited for At
lanta. where | Join a friend. We go 10
Savannah. and thence by steamer to
Boston, whore l shall visit Helen for a
month. Sincerely,
SALLIE WORTH.
Fer a long time he looked at the let
ter in a stupor of amazement. That her
father could coerce her hand into writing
such a brutal commonplace note was q
revelation of his power of which he had
never dreamed. And then his anger be
gan to rise. His fighting blood from
hundreds of years of soldier ancestors
made his nerves Jingle at this challenge
He took up the letter and read it
again. studying each word. He open
cd the folded sheet, hoping to find some
detached message. There was nothine
/ inside. But he noticed on the other side
of the sheet a lot of indentures as though
made by the end of a needle. He turned
it back and studied these dots undel
| different letters in the words made BY
the needle points. He spelled:
My Darling Unto the Uttermost,"
And then he covered the note witt
kisses. sprang TO his feet and looked al
| his watch.
1t was now ten-thirty. The limited
left independence at eleven o'clock anC
made no stops for the first hundred
miles toward Atlanta. But just to thu
south where the railroad skirted the foo
of Kings Mountain. there was a watel
tank on the mountain side where he
knew the train stopped for water abou
midnight.
With a fast horse he could make TIT
eighteen miles and board the limited
at this water station. The only DANCE
was if the sky should cloud over and thu
starlight be lost it would be difficult t.
keep in the narrow road that wound owe
the semi-mountainous hills, densel.
wooded. tina must be crossed to make it
"IIl try it," he exclaimed. Yes,
will do it," he added. setting his teeth
'TH make that train"
He got the best horse he could find il
the livery stable, saw that his saddl
girths were strong, sprang on and gal
Hoped toward the south. 1t was a quar-
ter to eleven when he started. and /
seemed a doubtful undertaking. Tn
''limited" would make the run from In
dependence. ffty-two miles, in an hou
at the most. If she were on time !
would be a close shave for him to max
the eighteen miles.
He pushed his horse to the utmos
speed he could maintain for the frs
twelve miles, that he might have NOR
time to pick his way in the darkness
among the overlapping trees near tn
stopping place. The sky clouded owe
slightly before he reached this marrow
way running through these forests wit
many crooks and cross roads. In spit
of his vigilance he lost his direction an
had gone d quarter of a mile before
rift in the cloud showed him the mort
star suddenly, and he found he had take
the wrong road at the crossing and wa
going straight back home.
Wheeling his horse, he put spurs t
him. and dashed at full speed bac
through the dense woods. He lay 10
over the saddle to save his face frol
overhanging limbs. and at last, tired {
his cramped position, he raised his hea
Just in time to strike a limb Whlc
caught his necktie and tore it off. II
t did not dare to stop to hunt it in til
dark, and urged his horse faster.
just IS he got within a mile Of tt
tank he heard the train blow for tf
FREDERICKSBURG at the river near by.
:, Wow, my boy" he cried to his hors
patting him. Now your level best"
The horse responded with d squirt
I, desperate speed. He had a way
. handling d horse that the animal II
sponded to with almost human sympatf
and intelligence. He seemed to breatl
his own will into the horses spirit. I
flew over the ground, and reached Il
train just as the fireman cut off the wat
and the engineer tapped his bell TO star
a He flung his horses rein over A hitcl
t ing post that stood near the dark silel
d little station house, rushed to the trac
7 and Sprang on the day coach as it passe
4 He had intended to ride fifty miles
this train, see his sweetheart face