The Elbert County tribune., 1903-11-19

the Passengers were thrown helter
skelter, and over and over as the
car rolled down a steep bank. There
was moment Of deathlike silence,
then shrieking. screaming. groaning.
with diapason OF loud curses. Soon
this uproar ceased and the victims of
a railroad disaster began feeling their
limbs 10 learn whether they were
whole.
The girl found herself pinned down
under a splintered seat, and face to
face beside her. with his arm under
a heavy timber, lay the young man.
BY a sudden inspiration he had flung
his arm out over the girl to protect
her, and, strangely enough. he had
saved her life at the expense of his
broken and crushed arm, for the tim
Der would have crushed the girls
head as though It had been an egg
shell. Both were badly bruised and
felt their last hour had arrived, for
cry OF fire was raised. and in their
helpless condition there was no chance
of escape unless chopped out. and
they could not tell the extent of the
accident So they lay facing death
ana IN anticipation or 1t.
Il have always loved YOU" blurted
out the youth. ever since that day
in Denver. 1t perhaps seemed silly
to you when | disappeared without a
word. but was held back by n reason
which ! feel justified in telling you
without committing a breach of con-
fidence- My father has destined me
since infancy for a young girl, whom
have never seen, and whom l have
never cared to see. Her praises were
rung into my ears so continuously
that ! hated her, and wandered away
/ from home to get rid of my parents
opportunities. As ! say, loved you
from the first. but believed 1t my duty
TO respect the wishes of my parent.
1t was for that reason that l disap-
pearedi but fate was stronger than !,
and now. in the presence of death. /
declare my love for you. and for you
alone
The girl listened with tears stream
ing down her cheeks. and confessed
her love
you have always been in my
thoughts since that day you saved my
/ life, your image has always been up
permost in my heart. Strange as II
may seem. my father destined me as
the bride of a man do not know and
whom never saw. do not even
know his name except that his name
is Jones, while mine is Smith"
Smith. Jones'" repeated the young
man. "Pshaw. 1t is mere coinci-
dence the reality of such a thing
could not happen in million years.
repeat that my heart is all yours. and
My Cod"
The girl had tainted from pain and
the dread of the fire which she could
see creeping upon them. In his fran
tic struggles to reach the girl. all the
while shouting for help. the young
man also lost consciousness, and when
he recovered he was lying on a bed
in a farm house, his arm bandaged
and suffering from a high fever. In
tho next room lay the young girl. who
was constantly crying out for her pre-
server They had been chopped out
Of the wreck and rescued in the very
nick of time. and happened 10 be the
only persons seriously injured.
There was no possibility of moving
the two for at least ten days. the
physician forbiddng it absolutely on
account of internal injuries received
by them. OF course, this was an OBJ
stacle In the way OF any Thanksgiving
day celebration with the Jones fam
lily, for the girls father refused to
leave her side, and her mother re
NAMED with her husband like a faith
full wife and mother
Urged by his daughters pleading
the father consented to see the young
man. What passed in that interview
is not known, but enough cropped out
10 acquaint the boy with the real
state of affairs, although he kept his
knowledge to himself for the purpose
Of creating a sensation.
When able, all the family. includ-
ing the young man. left for Chicago.
and on arriving in that city Mr.. Smith
gave him the address of the Jones at
whose house he contemplated stop
ping for an indefinite period. The
young man went to a hotel, hugging
his secret to himself,
There was much disappointment in
the two families the girl steadily
refusing to marry anybody but her
preserver. What to do neither OF the