Perth Amboy evening news., 1905-10-28
EVENING SHORT STORY.
AT THE TRAIN.
FOLLOWING THEIR SEPARATE
DESTlNIES.
BY J. X.

n Dig eSOuBn, begging lne pdTuon VI
the ladies, for any one individual to
farry-alighted from mis- cab in front of
the entrance to the union station i'll
Canal street and moved down he steel
stairway to the trainshed below.
Lester B. Alden never was in haste
and yet he was ever in a hurry. He regu-
lated his movements with a watchlike
regularity and the result was that he
wasted as few moments by being ahead
as by being behind time. This may have
been the reason why at the age of 40.
despite an active, wearing career. his
typically American face bore no trace of
age and his step was as elastic, his tall,
slender figure as unbent as in early
youth.
1t was the verdict of his fellows at the
bar and his acquaintance at the club
that Lester b. Alden-to have dropped
the initial in his name would have at
tested inexcusable familiarity-wore
his heart neither on his sleeve nor in his
bosom. Just where he did conceal his
heart and what use he found for it, IL
he was Inconvenience by such an
article. bench, bar and club proclaimed
a puzzle. He was dry legal logic per-
sonifed, which, of course, implies that
his heart had been either petrifed or
desiccated while the work of %personit-
cation went on.
Just now the distinguished lawyer
was on his way to New York, whittier
he had been called to put the finishing
touches on a deal that mean millions
to his clients and a generous slice OF
that huge amount to Lester B. Alden.
He was exactly six minutes ahead of his
train-a leeways he allowed himself
partly out of habit and partly because
he believed the unexpected often hap
pens and one never can tell what will
occur anyway. The world, thank heav-
en-. is not as logical as Lester B. Alden!
The unexpected happened to-day. 1t
confronted him with al appalling sud
denness in the pretty face and 1.-THE fig
ure of Miss Jane Morrill,, clad in a black
tailor-made dress, who was ascending
to the ticket Office above as Lester u.
Alden was moving to his train below.
His fine head went back with a start; !
his cold, gray eyes expanded, lifting his
entire ridge of brow, and he was con-
scious that something like a thrill trav-
eled along his nerves-his nerves hard,
firm and reliable as the steel stairs on
which his feet rested.
Jane Morrill, blushed despite herself.
in a way that made her blush still
deeper afterward when she stopped AtoH
think about it. Then prettiness per-
sonifed extended a slender hand TO
logic personifed. standing there with
its hat off. What an allegory!
Seven years had passed since this
strong man and still stronger woman
had set eyes on each other, although
time was when they had found it diff
cult to take eyes off each other. Their
love story has been rendered trite by the
novelist, hard pushed for material, who
has used the situation SC often that even
the fresh paper on which he recorded it
has groaned out: Tell us something
newt" In brief-to save this very paper
a protesting ~pang-they loved; they
were engaged; lying. gossiping tongues.
never out of employment since the days
of Adam, provoked a quarrel and they
parted. For further particulars buy
any novel at the news stand and refer
to it.
The quick mind of the man of law
bridged those seven intervening years
in a flash. His thoughts darted back
and forth over the structure with such
a rapidity n in such haste that even
its calm engineer stood confused. Be-
sides, although he would have been the
last man in the world to have acknowl-
edged it to himself. and although there
was nothing in his face to show it. emo
tion tied his eloquent tongue. Lawyer,
plead your case!
Perhaps something akin to this same
process. with more stress laid on the
emotional and less IN the intellectual
side of it. divided Jane Morrill, into two
women. The one she was; the one, with
a just pride. she wanted him to think
she was. AT any rate. both of them
refuge in those -commonplaces
that we execrate for boring us to death
at one llIHS anu DleSS LOT Saving our
lives from utter stupidity at another.
you are still living with your aunt
at Pasadena?" he asked.
yes she answered. smiling. I'VE
have made a flying trip east, and We
for home in less than a quarter OF
an hour. There has been a misunder-
about the sleeper tickets and |
came upstairs to see about them. Aunt
is in the car now"
And my train leaves for New York in
about a minute. Good-by." he said, the
slightest tremor in his voice.
''Good-by." she answered, suppressing
tremor in hers.
In the half-hour that Lester B..
Alden, seated at ease in the smoker.
from business and gave to ro-
nance, 1t seemed to him that the two
trains-the one whirling toward tho
east, and other toward the west-sym-
hts life and hers. destined to
meet, to whlrl away on separate desti-
..I .a.t Arn.ro, NIsoc-. r\-.l.