The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1907-12-20

| 1t was real Russian sable, and had cost
$500.
They became very social, and talked Of
great many things. They vowed that
they both liked the same authors, and
this. of itself, is a wonderfully strong
bond of sympathy. By and by they
wandered to religion. and then to poll,
tics, and on both subjects their opinions
agreed. After that it was plain sailing.
A furious snowstorm set in, for it was
in New England, and the month was
January and the wind blew gale from
the Northeast: but our young friends
were so much occupied in getting &C.
quainted that snowstorms were of no
occount whatever.
After awhile it began to get very cold
in the car. The small stove was entirely
insufficient to send out heat enough to
combat successfully with the streams OF
frigid air rushing in at every crevice; and
to make things more uncomfortable, the
locomotive foundercd through the ia st
increasing drifts in a way which showed
the passengers that ere long snow would
assert its power over steam.
Night was coming on, too, for the DAYS
in January are very short, you know
and the train was just entering upon the
stretch known as Brownslow's Com
mon, and there were not half dozen
dwellings from one end of this desolate
waste to the other.
Fanny began to feel very nervous.
She wondered what she should have done
without this gentleman who occupied
the seat with her, and who wrapped his
travelling shawl round her so carefully,
and insisted on sitting next to the win
dow, to keep off the cold draught of air.
Fanny thought that if only Mr.. Earle
Rochefort, of whom aunt Mildred prated
so much, had been like this interesting
stranger, how easily she could have
stayed at Elmwood. and married him,
and made Aunt Mildred happy.
The storm increased, the drifts became
more and more formidable, and at last
the engine gave plunge forward, which
shook most Of the passengers out of their
seats, and demoralized things generally.
They were off the track, and no more
progress could be made that night.
Fanny cried, and chung to her stranger
who did not appear bit sorry that the
accident had happened. He comforted
the young girl, and drew her down on
his shoulder to finish her crying, and
took off her hat so that it would not be
crushed-it was Paris hat-and wound
her soft, white CLOUD" over her curls in
such delicate skillful way.
All, WE'LL Fanny had lost her heart to
him before the crash and now she was
com pletely subjected.
After all, it was very delightful night
Fanny dozed little, and her stranger
sat beside her and kept her wrapped up.
The other men in the car swore over the
vile situation they were in, and occa.
sionalIv went out on the platform to
smoke cigars; and the women fretted,
and the two babies who were along
squalled at intervals all night, but none
of this disturbed Fanny Shawmut.
In the morning aid came-an extra
train, with a snow plow attached, and
a car with troops of men with shovels
and baskets of provisions. The stranger
secured all the incest things for Fanny
and she had never enjoyed anything be-
fore as she enjoyed these sandwiches and
seed cakes.
But everything delightful must have
an end, and in due time the train was
put on the track, and Derby was reached
The stranger put Fanny in a cab, anc
went with her to cousin Bentley's ant
asked permission to call on her, and SC
they parted He had not thought tc
ask her name, neither had she though
to ask his.
The next day cousin Martha received
Aunt Hildred's letter, and that evening
when Fanny's stranger called, oddly
enough, cousin Martha herself opened
the door for him. and took his card
Then she showed him into the parlor
and followed him in, and shut the doc
behind her, and stayed there talking
to him fully 20 minutes before she callet
Fanny.
The stranger was introduced as Mr.
Fort, which Fanny thought yer.
singular name. But then, after al
whats in a name?"
Ofcourse. they had very delightful
evening, which was but the beginning c
series of delightful evenings.
Mr. Forts heart held out just fort
night, and then he told his love in word
too glowing for the cold point of GU
cynical pen to write, and the two youn
people did very desperate thing-the
engaged themselves, and set the weddin
day just one month ahead.
Fanny wrote her aunt very graph
account of the whole affair, dwelling o
Mr.. Forts kindness and devotion durin
the snowstorm, and ending with sayin
that her lover was so far in advance {
that odious Earle Rochfort in all til
virtues and graces that she was sui
Aunt Hildred would be delighted tha
her disobedient but ever-loving niece di
not stay at home and marry that Cal
fornia bear.
| When Aunt Mildred read the lette
she laughed till the tears came an
= dimmed her spectacles, and she huge
| the cat, and shook hands with Betty tt
/. cook, and proved herself true woman
] and in her right mind, by overturnin
her wardrobe to see if she had any dre'
a suitable to wear at the wedding,