Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-07-10
q, : vatcn Gordon and the elder

D0OA KY. Ssf
a9an Vii, be good to my little girl."
=. heard the woman's. voice pleauannS
..she III always been guarded; a .ha
she will miss Us all, even tnousn a,srh
has YOU, /" The voice went r,,eh
Gordon like { knife. TO stanu him
more Of this and not in,-
sen Neither could he keep ny
~ on IN the presence Of this wonaeI.
10 nnntherhood, q motherhood IIAs
annealed to him all the Ina.
M never known, a mother OF ms OWL
md mad always longed for re.
He mt up his hand and lifted NE
hat silently. guarding as nue. -
nas.;hie his own face from the view
pf The man on the station platform
who was still walking deliberately,
considerably, up and down. sa4
passing near enough to near wl4e
they were saying. In this revelene :.
titude, Gordon said, as thoush 10
were uttering a sacred VoW;
.s - = were-as If I were-yo4.-.
then he paused a moment and adoeo
snlemnly. tenderly-"Mother!"
:. He wondered il it were not desecraZ
tion to utter such words when all the
time he was utterly unable to per
form them in the way in which the
mother meant. "Impostor!" was Inc
word which rang in his ears nov. 4Ie
clamor about being hindered nae
ceased, for he was doing his best, ana
not letting even a woman's happiness
stand in the way of his duty.
Yet his heart had dictated ~
words he had spoken, while ms minu
and judgment were busy with MS
nerilous position. He could not gain
saw his heart, for he felt that IN every
way he could he would guard ana
care for the girl who was to be IN ms
keeninr at least for a few minutes
until he could contrive some way 70
get her back to her friends without
him.
The whistle of the train was sound
ing now, and the brakeman were
shouting. GAIL aboard"
He helped the frail little elderly
woman down the steps. and she
reached up her face to kiss him.. He
bent and took the caress, the nrst
time that a woman's lips a toucn-
ed his face since he was a little
child. a.,
Mother, I will not let anything
harm her." he whispered, and she
said: +
MY boy, I can trust you'll"
Then he put her into the care OF
her strong young sol swung upon the
train as the wheels began to move.
and hurried back to the bride. On
the platform. walking beside the
train, he still saw the man. Going to
the weeping girl, Gordon stopped over
her gently. touched her on the shout
der. and drew the window shade
down. The last face he saw outside
was the face Of the baffled a who
was turning back, but what for Was
would there perhaps be another stop
before they left the city, where OFF,
GERS or detectives might board the
train He ought to. be ready to get
off and run for his life If there was.
There seemed no way but to fee the
porter to look after his companion,
and leave her, despicable as it SEEM
ed! Yet his soul of honor told him
he could never do that, no matter
what was at stake.
Then, without warning a new situa-
ton was thrust upon him. The bride,
who had been standing with bowed
head and with her handkerchief up
to her eyes, just as her brother had
arms. limp and white. Instantly all
his senses were called into action. and
he forgot the man on the platform,
forgot the possible next stop in the
city, and the explanation he had been
about to make to the girl; forgot even
the importance of his mission, and the
fact that the train he was on was
headed toward Chicago, instead of
Washington: forgot, everything but
the fact that the ~loveliest kirl he had
ever seen. with the saddest look a
human face might wear, was lying
apparently lifeless In his arms.
Outside the window the man had
turned back and was now running ex-
citedly along with the train trying to
see into the window; and down tho
platform, not ten yards behind, came
a frantic man with English looking
clothes, a heavy mustache and goatee.
shaggy eyebrows, and a sensual face,
striding angrily along as fast as hts
heavy body would carry him.
But Gordon saw none of them.
Continued in tomorrow's
Evening Herald.