Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1907-03-16
CHAPTER XVII.
Golden Butterflies.


Golden Butterflies.
II you are one of those captious peo.i
pie who must verify by the calendar
every new moon you read of in book,
and II you are panied to discover the
historian lifting anchor and spreading
sail contrary to the reckonings of the
nautical almanac, beg to call your at
tention to these items from the time
table of the Western and Southern
Railway for December, 1901: The
southbound express passed Annandale
at exactly SO minutes after four D. M.
1t was scheduled to reach Cincinnati
at IL o'clock sharp. This, trust, Is
sufficiently explicit.
To the student of morals and mo-
tives will say further word | had
resolved to practice deception in run
ming away from GIenarm House to
keep my promise to Marian Devereux
BY leaving I should forfeit my right
to any part Of my grandfather's es-
tate: but of more immediate import
ance was my absence from Glenarm
House at this juncrlIre, when the at
tacks of Morgan and the strange ways
of Bates made it clearly my duty to
remain. Pickering and were en-
gagged in sharp contest, and was
beginning to enjoy it to the full, but
did not falter in my determination
to visit Cincinnati. hoping to return
without my absence being discovered; /
so the next afternoon l began prepar-
ing for my journey.
Bates, | fear that I'm taking a Sc
we're cold and I'm going to dose myself
with whisky and quinine and go to
bed shan't want any dinner-noth-
ing until you see me again.
yawned and stretched myself with
groan.
I'm very sorry, sir. Shant I call
doctor?"
Not bit of it. III sleep it off and
be as lively as cricket in the morn
ing"
AT four o'clock / told him to carry
some hot water and lemons to my
rooms; babe him an emphatic good
night and locked the door as he left.
Then | packed my evening clothes in
a suitcase threw the bag and
heavy ulster from a window. swung
myself out upon the limb Of a big ma
pie and let 1t bend me to it's sharpest
and then dropped lightly to the
ground
l passed the gate and struck off to-
ward the village with joyful sense
OF freedom. reached the station
without incident-and. waited in the
freight shed to keep out OF sight or
the station loafers until my train drew
up, then quietly jumped aboard.
bought seat in the Washington
sleeper and after supper in the dining
car made myself comfortable and
dozed and dreamed as the train
plunged through the dark. The
through passengers about me went
to bed, and ] was left sprawled out
in my open section, lurking on the
shadowy frontier between the known
world and dreamlapd.
We're RUNNING into Cincinnati ten
minutes late" said the porter's voice.
and in moment / was in the vest-
bule and out, hurrying to hotel. At
the st. Botolph | ordered carriage
and broke all records changing my
clothes. The timetable informed me
that the Chicago express left at half
past one. There was no reason why
l should not be safe at Glenarm House
by my usual breakfast hour in the
morning if all went well. To avoid
loss of time in returning to the sta
ton ! paid the hotel charge and car
ried my bag away with me.
Doctor Armstrong; residence?
Yes, sir; I've already taken two loads
there"
The carriage was soon climbing
what semed to be a mountain to the
heights above Cincinnati. To this day
/ associate Ohio's most interesting city
with a lonely carriage ride that was
as strange to me as a trackless jungle
In the wilds of Africa. And my heart
began to perform strange tattoos on
my ribs. was going to the house OF
a gentleman who did not know of my
existence, to see a girl who was his
guest, to whom l had never. as the
conventions go, been presented. II
did not seem half 80 easy, now that L
was we'll launched upon the adven-
ture