Charlevoix county herald., 1906-09-29
TWO MEETINGS
BY e. G. 0IDLEY

| A railway station-filled with a
crowd OF folk. some laughing, some
crying, some pretending-somen not.
"Goodby, Jim, take care of your
self" The tall girl gathered her
worn cloak closer round her-the lady
who held the door handle of the next
compartment first class, was robed
in sables. II wish l were coming
too"
$50 do I, old lady" A handsome
man bent forward on the seat of the
third-class carriage, and his hand
closed over her slim ungloved fingers
with a tender pressure.
His blue eyes looked most suspic-
iously moist-but what of that? 1t is
not every one who can afford to be
callous.
1T seems such long time-three
years, JIM" the girl said again, and
there was a break in her voice.
"Goodby, Monica, my darling!'
A moment later, Monica Ward was
standing on an empty platform, with
A hand touched her shoulder.
Can l take you anywhere pleas.
ant, sympathetic voice said. 1t was
the lady in furs. Il always think the
| first few moments are the worst--af.
| terward-"
"Afterward," repeated Monica in
dull tones.
"Ohi afteruord ono gotc ,ooucto,,ad
to it" returned the other lightly, land
one wonders why one felt so much
Come, will you let me just drop you
| anywhere"
And for the next half hour Monica
bowled along in the lady's carriage,
behind a pair of prancing chestnut
horses.
She did not remember till she stood
once more in the little room, which
looked SO deserted now that Jim had
gone, that she never found out the
name of her friend in need
And the days slipped into weeks and
the weeks into months, and all the
while Jim Ward, in a distant country,
was trying to court the fortune which
had failed to smile on him in Eng
land.
Monica Ward, tall and slim, with
the pretty color coming and going in
her soft cheeks, stood once more on
the platform awaiting the train.
Was this Jim this man coming
toward her with Jims face. and yet
not his face-with a rolling gait and
unsteady eyes?
She shuddered; her color forsook
her cheeks, her eyes looked frightened
her feet shook SO that she could
! hardly stand.
After ALL as the other woman had
said, one gets accustomed to it, Bet
ter-far better-if he had stayed away
altogether than return to her like this!
Involuntarily she took a step back.
ward; the advancing man noticed it
and her.
"My pretty dear" he cried thickly
and Monica was just recoiling in
horror when a man laid his arm on
hers.
"Monica!" a well-known voice said.
She turned-Jim, the real jim. was
standing behind her smiling and hold
ing out his hands.
Monica" he cried surely you
haven't forgotten me?"
And then, somehow or another, she
found herself in his arms-sobbing
and laughing in one breath out of
sheer joy and relief.
THAT other man." she cried a lit
| tie inCoherently, "he was so like you
that / thought it was you, jim
"Monica!" returned her husband re-
proachfully, land that other fellow
was drunk Never mind, darling"
slipping her hand through his arm,
come home-somebody has come to
claim him-somebody- poor
devil of a somebody"
Monica looked half fearfully across
the platform. Not far away stood the
man she had mistaken for Jim, stand
ing surrounded by porters, and small
crowd of gapers-a footman was urg-
ing, imploring. BY his side. bravely
facing them all, stood some one whom
she recollected as in dream.
"Afterward, one gets accustomed to
it,"
All! she remembered. 1t was her
friend of that black day three years
ago, whom she had not seen since.
What chance-what irony of fate had
brought them together again.
"Jim," she said, suddenly. That
man over there-he won't move-they
can't do anything with him. Can't
you, won't you, go over and see if you
can get him away from those gaping
crowds? That's his wife-she was
kind to me-the day you left. All!
Jim, if it had been you!"
Jim Ward needed no second bidding.
With few steady strides he reached
the little group. The lady in furs was
pleading, scoldlng, threatening, but all
TO no purpose.
What she could not accomplish,
Jim's strong voice and steady author
itative manner did. In few minutes
he had escorted the traveller to the