The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1908-04-17
Copyright. by Daily story Pub. Coz

she was reading TO the whirling land
scape without. There was distinct
pucker between the pairs of golden
brown lashes that all but met over
the wide-set, surprisingly black eyes.
She tossed aside the volume in de-
spair, and blinked aggressively at her
vibrating likeness in the mirror at her
elbow.
The porter came through at last
flourishing a premonitory whiskbroom,
and the girl assailed him eagerly.
"Huw much further is it to the juno
tion?" she asked, Just how late are
we? and are you perfectly sure | can
make safe connection with that
through train to New Orleans?" She
pulled out her watch. Il mustn't by
any manner of means reach there later
than Six" she urged as the ebony in
dividual made mumbling calculation of
the answer to each of her rapidly-fired
questions.
We'll get to the junction now IN
about ten minutes, miss trains al
most an hour late. Your train IN
generally meets this one, but it's 70
minutes behind"
Thank you. Then | shall be in
plenty of time, / suppose And you
may brush me Off" She rose with
palpable sigh of relief and submitted
gratefully to the deft, 1ourishing
strokes of the broom. Then she
slipped a coin into the porter's hand
and began TO take inventory of her
baggage.
When Miss Sheplar stepped out on
the deserted platform. Is minutes
| later, a fine drive of snow had set in
that whipped her face like thousands
of tiny lashes. She quickly pulled
down her heaviest veil and hurried
into the waitingroom. The usual
crowd of intoxicating, fagged-out
travellers and motley-faced children
was there, and the room was sicken-
ing from the suffocating heat of a
mammoth stove. She found seat
in deserted corner, and endured the
torture for exactly five minutes. Then
she started up impatiently, intending
to take a short walk while waiting for
|
paused to ask the operator exactly
what time the southbound was due.
1.-TWO hours late, now, miss. Guess
she'll be along at about four o'clock.
The girl caught her breath in alarm
Four o'clock. 1t was a three hours
run to New Orleans, and the wedding
was to take place at half past seven
| Of vi of .
but it was followed instantly by a
feeling of intense relief and thank
fulness. The whole thing had been
intolerable to her from the first; and
had il not been for the faithful prom
Use she had made to act as maid-of
honor at the marriage of her best
friend, Leona Stoddart-given when
they were at college together, and
renewed at each recurrent visit be
tween them, she never would have
consented to the immolation. Here
was a possible escape!
Out in the biting air, she quickened
her footsteps and walked rapidly fol
several squares. till she could fee
the tension of her nerves relax and the
blood pulse warm and free in hel
body. Something like exhilaratior
came TO her suddenly, and with the
tonic of it racing through her veins
she walked on and on, totally unmind
full of the passage of time. WheI
at length she came to herself, sh'
must have been fully mile from thu
station. She jerked out her watch
and noted with a paling face that onl!
Is minutes remained in which to catcl
her train For in spite of the fac
that she had viewed the prospect o
being belated, as a blessed releas'
from her obligations. the thought o
having to be left and be forced I,
spend the night in a place like thi
filed her with CONSERVATION. Sh
turned on the impulse TO cast abou
for some, any possible, means of~eon
veyance and came face to face wit
very good-looking young fellow Il
gray plaid suit, with the brim O
his pearlgray alpine pulled down a
most over his eyes. A thrill wen
through her.
"Katrinal"
"You!" The pronoun was all-compr'
hensive.
why are you so anxious to escap
, me?" he asked, matching his step wit
hers, as she hurried along the sogg
pavement.
1T seems we both ought to be !
something of haste" she answere
I over her shoulder, "if we miss tina
y train"
; Young Prescott FASTENED to reassur
e her. "Oh, she's lost another 30 mil
utes: it'll be as by the time we reac
the station
y Mise Sheplar paused and conten
{ plated him dazedly. And tins
I means" she said in a Mortified wifi
" per. that we shall not arrive In tim