Middletown transcript., 1910-08-06
His Good Angel

as ne plo0ded along Gne tolAl On1
track muttering to himself, was
not an unusual sight, even late at
night, but q sad one nevertheless.
I'm almost starved-mighty
glad when / strike the next sta
tion. Hope the operator will
give me a warm welcome and
part Of. his lunch. Hello, there
is q signal lamp now. Didn I
think I was so close to an office
as that.
On he plodded till he reached
the station. Looking in he saw
q young woman sitting al the
table reading.
Heavens! she'll be scared to
death at me! he cried, with some
thing like despair in his voice.
Must 1 60 on until l strike an
other Office? There may not be
one in fifteen miles.
At that moment the young
girl-she was scacely eighteen
raised her eyes and saw the
haggard countenance at the win
dow. The kind expression OF
her face gave him courage to
knock at the door and the girl
opened it.
Yes, you may come in and get
warm, she responded to his re-
quest, but then you must go.
Well, that's the first kind
word I've had spoken to me for
months, thought the cold. hungry
man.
The girl frightened the fire,
then went on reading. Her
coffee can was on the stove, and
how tempting to him was the
savory: odor whichit emitted!
He eyed it for some time in
silence, holding out his blue
hands to the grateful glow of the
fire. Then a sudden thought
struck him.
l wonder if she would see me
if I took a drink of it? But no,
he added determinedly, l. have
some manhood about me yet; /
haven't fallen quite SO low as to
steal a lady's lunch. Here, miss,
he said aloud, your coffee is boil
ing over.
Thank you. I'll take it off, or
would you like to drink it?
No, thank you, I've had my
supper-six months ago, to him
self.
But you are cold. / am not
feeling very well this evening
and cannot eat anything. Here
is my lunch basket; you are per.
fectly welcome to what there is
in it.
She extended it to him with q
pathetic little smile that touched
his heart.
You say you are sickH he asked
kindly.
Yes, I've been trying to get
OF for the past week, but they
are short of men just now and
unable to secure any one to re.
lieve me.
The low, weary voice sent a |
thrill of pain through him.
It's too bad you cannot go
home and rest awhile, said be
sympathetically.
I have no home.
You have no home?
She had closed the book now
and laid it on her desk. There |
was silence for few minutes
while the man ate the lunch and
drank the steaming coffee, all
the while keeping his eyes fixed
upon her face. The golden hair
was like o balo around it; from
out the violet eyes shone the
truth, tenderness and purity of
q loving soul; the mouth had a
sweet, pathetic droop; the deli.
cate. graceful curves of the head
and neck, the slender figure in.
stinct with grace and refinement,
made picture that was seldom |
equaled.
For the first time in many
years q terrible sense of remorse
of the wasted years of his life
came over him. He felt at that
moment as if he could have kuelt |
at her feet. and kissed the hem
Of her gown; she seemed so fair |
and sweet and far above him that
he wished he had been a better
man.
Presently she spoke:
Have you a mother and a faith.
err
Yes; and good ones, too.
He seemed strangely agitated,
and she looked at him a little /
curiously.
Oh, II ! only had either lam
oil alone in the world-all alone
in the world She repeated the
.-o~le Isixn . 80 sa.:, AI