The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1903-12-23
aAaN9aA4X
COPYRIGHT, 1901, bv Herbert s. stono

said to the conductor" cried the young
lady nervously.
"Tell them, Caspar, how alarmed we
We're" added soft voiced Aunt Yvonne.
Grenfall was n silent, interested spec
tator. lie somehow felt as If Il scene
from some tragedy had been repro
duced in that bricfcst Of moments.
Calmly md composedly, 4 half smile
now in his face, the soldierly Caspar
narrated the story of the trains run
from one station to the other.
I'VE did not miss you until we had
almost reached the other station. Then
your Aunt Yvonnc asked me where you
had gone. 1 told her l had not seen
you, but went into the coach ahead to
search. You We're not there. Then l
went on TO the dining car. .Ach, you
were not there. In alarm l returned to
our car. Your aunt and L looked every.
where. You were not anywhere. |
sen 1Iedrlck ahead to summon the
conductor, but he had hardly loft us
when the engine whlstled sharply and
the train began to slow up In a jcrky
fashion. 1 rushed to the Platform,
meeting Hcdrick, who was as much
alarmed as 1. He said the train had
been tagged and that, there must be
something wrong Your aunt came out
and told me that she had made a
strange discovery
Grenfall observed hat he was adj
dressing himself exclusively to the
young lady.
"She had found that the gentleman
1p the next section was also missing.
While we were standing there in doubt
and p%erpleXity the train came to Il
standstill, and soon there was shouting
on tho outside. L climbed down from
the car and saw that we were at n lit
tie station. The conductor came run
ming toward me excitcdly.
ais the young lady in the carp he
asked.
"No. For heavens sake, what have
you heard?' L cried.
""Thcn she has been left at o.
he exclaimed. and used some very ex-
traordinary American words.
IL then informed him that he should
run back for you, first learning that
you were alive and we'll. He said he
would be id IL he ~would-mrdon
the word, ladies. lie was very angry
and said he would give orders to go
ahead, but I told linn l would demand
restitution of his government. He
laughed in my face, and then / became
shamclnssiy angry. l said TO him:
"'Sir, / shall call you down'-n0t out,
rs you have said-'and / shall run YOU
through the mill IS
"That was good American talk, sir,
was 1t not, MIR. Lorry? l wanted him
to understand me, so L tried to use your
very best language. Some gentlemen
who are travelling on this train and
some very excellent ladies also joined
in the demand that the train be held.
His dispatch from o. said that you,
Mr.. Lorry, insisted on having it held
for twenty minutes. The conductor in,
suited you, sir, by saying that you had
more-ar, what is it?-gall than any
idiot he had ever seen. When he said
that, although I did not fully under.
staHd that it was q reflection on you,
so ignorant am 1 OF your language, !
took occasion TO tell him that you were
q gentleman and n friend Of mine. He
asked me your name, but as 1 did not
know it l could only tell him that lie
Wouiu iStih IL oOol cuoNSh. lllcu DS
said something which has puzzled me
ever since. He told me to close my face.
What did he mean by that, Mr.. Lor.
ry2'
well, Mr.. Guggenslocker, that
means in refined American stop talk.
ing" said I.orry, controlling n desire
to shout.
Zach, that accounts for his surprise
when / talked louder and faster than
ever. l did not know what he meant
He said positively he would not wait,
but just then n second message came
from the other station. / did not know
what it vas then, but n gentleman told
me that it instructed him to hold the
train IL he wanted to hold his job. job
Is situation, is it not? Well, when he
read that message he said he would
walt just twenty minutes. I asked him
to tell me how you were coming to us,
but he refused to answer. Your aunt
II l went at once to the telegraph
man and implored him to tell us the
truth, and he said you were coming in
a carriage over n very dangerous road.
Imagine our feelings when he said
some people had been killed yesterday
on hat very road.
"Whcn your aunt and / returned to
the train we saw the conductor holding
his watch. lie said to me, In just three
minutes we pull out. If they are not
here by that time they can get on the
best they know how. I've done all 1
cam / did not say Il word, but went to
my section and had Hedrick get out
my pistols. If the train left before YOU
arrived 1t would be without It's con.
ductor.
"Tlien came the sound of carriage
wheels and %galloping horses. Almost
before we knew it 'ou were with us. /
am so happy that y , u were not a min
ute later"
There was something 80 cool and
grim in tho quiet voice, something so
determined in those brilliant eyes, that
Grenfall felt like looking up the con-
ductor to congratulate him. The din
ner was served, and while 1t was being
discussed his fair companion Of the
drive graphically described the expert
ence of twenty strange minutes In u
shackledown mountain coach.
Somehow tine real flavor Of romano
was stricken from the ride by her can
did admissions. What he had consld-
cred a romantic treasure was being
calmly robbed of lis glitter, leaving
| for his memory fine blur of nm adyen-