Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1910-03-09
CHAPTER TX.
The HaIcyon Breakfast.

me 7aICyon bfSakTdSts
We were still dazed, think, for we
wandered like two troubled children,
our one idea at first to get as far
away as we could from the horror be-
hind us. We were both bare headed,
grimy, pallid through the grit. Now
and then we met little groups of coun-
try folk hurrying to the track; they
stared at us curiously, and some
wished to question us. But we hur-
ried past them; we had put the wreck
behind us. That way lay madness.
Only once the girl turned and look
ed behind her. The wreck was hid
den, but the smoke cloud hung heavy
and dense. For the first time I re-
membered that my companion had not
been alone on the train.
ct is quiet here" suggested. eff
you will sit down on the bank I will
go back and make some inquiries.
I've been criminally thoughtless. Your
travelling companion"
She interrupted me, and something
of her splendid poise was gone.
please don't go back" she said. Ct
Il don't want to be left alone"
Heaven knows I did not want her to
be alone. l was more than content to
walk along beside her aimlessly, for
any length of time Gradually, as she
lost the exaltation of the moment,
was gaining my normal condition of
mind. I was beginning to realize that
l had lacked the morning grace of a
shave, that / looked like some lost
hope of yesterday, and that my left
shoe pinched outrageously. A man
does not rise triumphant above such
handicaps. The girl, for all her disor-
dered hair and the crumpled linen of
her waist, in spite of her missing hat
and the small gold bag that hung for
lornly from a broken chain, looked ex-
ceedingly lovely.
Then 1 won't leave you alone"
said manfully, and we stumbled on to-
gether. Thus far we had seen no.
body from the wreck, but well up the
lane we came across the tall dark
woman who had~occupied lower IL.
She was half crouching beside the
road, her black hair about her shout
ders, and an ugly bruise over her eye.
She did not seem to know us, and re-
fused to accompany us. We left her
there at last, babbling incoherently
and rolling in her hands a dozen peb-
bles she had gathered in the road
The girl shuddered as we went on.
Once she turned and glanced at my
bandage. Does it hurt very much %
she asked.
Its growing rather numb. But it
might be worse" l answered menda-
ciously If anything in this world
could be worse, / had never expert
enced it.
And so we trudged on bareheaded
under the summer sun, growing
parched and dusty and weary, logged
ly leaving behind US the pillar of
smoke. l thought knew of trolley
line somewhere in the direction we
were going, or perhaps we could find
a horse and trap to take us into Bal
timore. The girl smiled when l sug-
gested it.
1--WE will create a sensation, won't
WEI" she asked. isn't it queer-or
perhaps it's my state of mind-but
keep wishing for a pair of gloves
when I haven't even hat!"
When we reached the main road we
sat down for a moment, and her hair
which had been coming loose for some
time, fell over her shoulders in little
waves that we're most alluring. II
seemed pity to twist it up again
| but when suggested this, cautiously
| she said 1t was troublesome and got
in her eyes when 1t was loose. So she
gathered it up, while / held a row of
| little shell combs and pins, and when
it was done it was vastly becoming,
too. Funny about hair: A man never
knows he has it until he begins to
lose it, but it's different with a girl.
| Something Of the unconventional stu
alton began to dawn on her as she put
in the last hair pin and patted some
stray locks to place.
Il have not told you my name,
she said abruptly. II forgot that be.
cause 1 know who you are, you know
nothing about me. I ana Alison West,
and my home is in Richmond"
So that was it! This was the girl
Of the photograph on John Gilmore's
bedside table. The girl Mcknight ex
pected to see in Richmond the next
day, Sunday She was on her way
back to meet him! Well, what differ
ence did it make, anyhow? We had
been thrown together by the merest
chance. In an hour or two at the
most we would be back in civilization
and she would recall me, if she re
| membered me at all, as an unshaver
creature in a red cravat and tan shoes
with soiled Pullman sheet tieG
around my neck. I drew a deer
breath
"Just a twinge," I said, when she
glanced up quickly. TITS very good
| ~ voYY r. ar ma lxnnuy MiQd Vast