The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-09-10
TIL SPEN d ERS
A TALE OF THE THIRD RATION
By Harry Wilson
CHAPTER vi.
A MEETING AND CLASHING.
THE THIRD ERA
By Harry Leon Wilson

AS they stepped from the cage at the sur
face Percival became aware of a group Of
strangers between him and the open door
of the shafthouse-people displaying in dress
and manner the unmistakable stamp of
New York. For part OF a minute, while the
pupils of his eyes were contracting to the
light. he saw them vaguely. Then, as his
sight cleared, he beheld foremost in the
group. beaming upon him with an express
sion of pleased and surprised recognition.
half year peopled his lovers solitude with
fair visions and made its silence to be all
melody.
Had the encounter been anticipated his
composure would. perhaps. have failed him.
Not few of his waking dreams had
sketched this, their second meeting, and
any one of the ways it had pleased him to
plan 1t would assuredly have found him
nervously embarrassed. But so wildly i'm
probable was this reality that not the dar-
INCEST of his imagined happenings had APP
preached 1t. His thoughts for the moment
had been not of her; then, all at once, she
stood before him In the flesh, and he was
cool, almost unmoved. He suspected at
once that her father was the trim, fastidi-
ously dressed man who looked as If he had
been abducted from morning stroll down
the avenue to his club; that the plump,
ruddy, high-bred woman, surveying the
West disapprovingly through a lorgnon.
would be her mother. Shepler he knew by
sight, with his big head, massive shoulders
and curiously short. tapering body. Some
other men and woman were scanning the
hosting machinery with superior looks.
The girl, before starting toward him, had
waited hardly longer than it took him to
eye the group. And then came an awkward
two seconds upon her whose tact in avoid
ing the awkward was reputed to be more
than common.
With her hand extended she had uttered,
why, Mr.. -" before it flashed upon her
that she did not know the name of the
young man she was greeting.
The Mister was threatening to prolong
itself into an ''r'' of excruciating length and
disgraceful finality, an ''r'' that is termi-
mated neatly by no one but hardened hotel
clerks. Then miner saved the day.
Mr.. Bines," he said coming up hurriedly
behind Percival with several specimens Of
ore. you forgot these
"-r-r-r. Bines, how do you dor concluded
the girl with an eye-fash Of gratitude at the
humble instrument that had prevented an
undue hiatus in her salutation.
They were apart from the others and for
the moment unnoticed.
The young man took the hand so cordially
offered, and because of all the things he
wished and had so long waited to say, he
said nothing.
Isn't it jolly! am Miss Milbrey," she
added In lower tone, and then, raising her
voice, Mamma, Mr.. Bines-and papa" and
there followed hurried and but half -ac-
knowledged introduction to the other men,
bers of the party. And, behold, in that mo-
ment the young man had schemed the edi-
fee Of all his formless dreams. For six
months he had known the indispensable
luxury of wanting and of knowing what he
wanted. Now. all at once, he saw this to be
a world in which dreams come more than
true.
Shepler and the party were to go through
the mine as a matter of sightseeing. They
were putting on outer clothes from the
storeroom to protect them from the dirt and
damp.
Presently Percival found himself again at
the bottom of the shaft During the descent
of twelve hundred feet he had reflected
upon the curious and interesting fact that
her name should be Milbrey. He felt dimly
that this circumstance should be ranked
among the most interesting of natural phe-
nomena-that she should have a name, as
the run Of mortals, and that it should be
one name more than another When he dis
covered further that her Christian name
was Avice the phenomenon became stupen-
dously bewildering.
They two were in the last Of the party to
descend. On reaching bottom he separated
her with promptness and guile from two
solemn young men, copies of each other,
and they were presently alone. In the dis
lance they could see the others following
ghostly lamps, From far-off mysterious re-
cesses came the muf1ied, musical clink of
the sledges on the drills. An employee who
had come down with them started to be
their guide. Percival sent him back.
I've just been through; / can find my
way again."
"Ver' WELL" said the man, with the ex-
ception that 1t don't happen something
yes?" And he stayed where he was
Down one of the cross-cuts they started,
stepping aside to let car of ore be pushed
along to the shaft.
do you KNOW" began the girl, at am so
glad to be able to thank you for what you
did that night"
"I'm glad you are able 1 was beginning
to think 1 should always have those thanks
II might have paid them at the time, but
it was all so unexpected and SO sldden-it
ratified me, quite.
II thought you were horribly cool
headed"
81 wasn't"
Your manner reduced me to groom who
opened your carriage door,
But grooms don't often pick strange la
dies up bodily and bear them out Of a pam
demonium of Waiting cab horses I'd never
noticed before that cab horses are so friyo-
lous and hysterical"
"And the grooms know where to look for
their pay"
slowing furtive side looks upon each other.
IF I'd not seen you" said the girl.
glanced at you-before-that evening,
shouldn't have remembered so well; doubt
less I'd not have recognized you to-day"
IT didn't know you did glance at me, and
yet l watched you every moment of the
evening. You didn't know that, did your
She laughed.
"Of course / knew 1t. A woman has to
note such things without letting it be seen
that she sees.
"And I'd have sworn you never once SO
much as looked my way"
Don't we do it well, thought
And in spite of all the time I gave to
a study Of your face / lost the detail Of 1t.
1 could keep only the effect of its express
sion and the few tones of your voice I
heard. You know / took those on record
so 1 could make em play over any time
wanted to listen. Do you know, that has all
the memory of it-SO vague and sweet"
Aren't you afraid we're losing the 9TH
ers?'
She halted and looked back.
mo; I'm afraid we won't lose them: come
on; you can't turn back now. And you