An Awful Charge

A little 'combiiuition freight and passenger train that runs from the ontrance of the great Hoosac tunnel away up throoigh the inountains aJomg the bank of the Deerfield river, walto patiantly on ita narrow gauge eáde track until ifcs larger contempo rary from Boston cumca up and emptiea out whatever of its ircigUt aoid whoever of its passenger are deatined for the little villages farther up in the mountains. As soon as the Titchburg train has pulled out oí tbü station and into the tunnel, the smaller combinatiou is left master oí the field, and, after backing coquettishly from its Hide track with rnanv a pulí and flutter and much ringing of a not untuneful bell, it starts sturdily around the curve and begins ite journey af tewlve miles over au upgrade track. One evenins in the earlier part of July a young woman, accompanied by a girl who seemed to act in the capacity of inaid rather than companion, allghtófl from the 5 o'clock train from Boston, made some inquiries of am ofiieer at the Fitchburg statiom and then made her way across the tracks to the other train whitii wae waiting respectfully at a distaace. Just as the train from Boston was about to start, a younj; man came hurriedly to the platform of the car, looked eamostly across the tracks and then disappeared Lnside tlie car to return a moment later wíth a tan leather eatchel, an umbrella and a cañe. He looked nervous and annoyed, but crossed the tracks and climbed into the single passenger car on the narrow gauge road. The car was a combination lassenger and baggage car, and he climbed in at the baggagii car end. Presently the train backed-form the side track and started alonx up its grade jovirney. The young man touk up a positdon before the open ide door of the bagguge oud oí the car and eeeined to givc himself up to admiratiou of the country through whlch they were pae i.g, though he cast turtive glaucos toto thj other end oï the car, where the young woniau had taken her place. She was seated near the middle of the car, on the sunny side, and her maid was two or throe aeatfi behlnd her, willi wrups and umbrellas and the yarioue other parnphernalia that a fasiidious young wonian carries with her even on a short journey. Havlng made these üb.servations the young man gave inore perfect attentlon to the landscape and looked les frequently into the car proper. The girl waa evidently unconsuious oí his preeence, or at le.ist unmiudEul of it. fcihe looked steadily out of the wlndow and seemed to be enjoying also the beautiful eoenery. But pi-esently the young man began to grow more nervous and restáve. He moved iineasily íroin his positiou to the open doorway and eat down on a box in tbc middle of the car. Thm. he went lack tO' the door and Leaned away out, and looked up th! track. TUen he went back to the box agaln and arrang&d hia fourtn-hand nervuu.ly. Suddcnly }ie got up aaid walked reso.lutely down the car to where the youug woman was aeated. He walked mucli in the mannor of one who ha-s determined to taka a bath in rary ctld water aiul goes at it with hls aerves at the eticking point and lus eyeü sliut. The joung tornan was mucli intL'rested in tlu.' laiidiscape as he carne tp, and Bhe düd mot noticc him. He was obligcd to cali her attention. "Oraoe," he Baid. ühe turaed irom tlie window wlth wondering eyea and looked at him a moment. Then the liglit oi reeognition drove the wonder elowlj from lier eyes and she held omt her hand languidly. "W'hy, hcnv d yuu do, Mr. Marden ?" she Haid. He took hier hand slowly; He alm(st gropod ior it. He had been trylng all ttoe way trom Boston to get up courage, to speak to lier, and now hier cool, Burprieed "How do you do" was ulinodt too much' ior him. Tliere was n o t oven a traoeable note oí resentment in it. There certalnly was nothing of pleaeure. However, he pulled himselt together and book the Beat which ehe made foT him beslde hr. "It nsed to be 'Fraaik,' " he sald in aniswer to her "Mr. Marden." She laughed eaelly. "Oh, yes, but that. was ever so long a "It was long ao," said tli? young man; "it s erna au a.e." Mis.s Grenville made no reply. Shè eat tlwre brown eyed and seli eontained, and pieesntly looked out of the wlndow agaiu. The young man mail' anoith r Issue. "Wbat uu earth bringa you to this forsaken región '.'" ie asked. Miss (r.'ii looked at himinqulringly. "Is it iorsak :n ' "I tluiik it is i ry pret ty." "Well, 3 ty, bul u .; -Veil - exciinig." "Do you like exdtemeiit ? ' isked etly. "I do not. but you do- or ued to." "Did I ? I think l must h cliavi "Probably; you are chai . oung man bl The young woman made no reply. Marden 1 oked uncomfortably at hls boote ior aw I ■ made a i attempt. "Wlll yon pleasi teil me where you ;, Grace 1" he eald. ■ GrenTl'.le turn sd i rom uiiulow. "T thlnk you had better eall me Miss Grenville," site gaid. "Very well. Miss Grenville, wil! you please teil me where you are goLn ?" . "Certainly. I am going to visit my aunt at Wiliniugton. And youï" 'I am going to Wilmington, too - on business." "Are you ? Then you must know about tfoe coach from Iteadsboro." ■Well- er- the fact ie- I don't. I decided to go very euddenly- that Ie -I couldn't ilnd out about the stage." "Oh," said Miss Grenville. "I have no doubt it wlü be all right," obeerved Warden, ior want of aiiythiug better to eay. "Oh. no doubt," sald Miss Grenville, perhapa íor the sume reason. But whea they arrived at the terminus oí the road they found that it ivas ntrt all right. The stage was there, lut every available seat but ome had been taken. It was gro-wing late and Miss Grenville was in despair. "Ycra might go and let your maid come In the morning, euggested Marden horoically. i The maid was interviewed on this eubj xt, but was fearlui and obstinate. Th'Ln the young man made anöther suggestion. The maid might take the available place and he would drive Miss Grenvült' over. He was sure Ik eould get i hors:1. He would have to do it oa account of business anyway. Mies Grenville defended her tur position, but finadly surrendered. The mald took the place in the stage and Marden went in searcU oi a hortse. Half au h'our later, as the sun was going down behind thehills, a cadaverous looking liorse, with alraost a Buspicio-us dislilce to anything like haste, drew a single buggy out of EeadebOTO and along the pretty road toward Sadawga and Wilmington. Tliey passed the outakirts af the village, and the road began to grow prettier and more closely heinmed in with ti-ees. The cadaverous looking horse moved on with an uncertain jog that was a oross between a run, a trot and a walk. The result was a sort of hop. Miss Gremville made soine attenipts at conversation, but her companion rewarded her with eilence. She made several uncomplimentary remarks about the horse which were witty pnough for ají ordinary occasion, but Marden did not amale - he üid not seem to be paylng attention; so íinally she subsided into lier r-ide oif the carriage and said no mort'. Preeently Marden spoke. "Grac:1," he said, "do you know why I a ín up liL're ?" Miss Gnnvi'.le looked up innocentiy. "Oí coiirse," she said. You told míe you liad come on business." "Which was not truc, as you know. I carne beoause I followed you from Boston." "Fríuik, hiOW daré you!" said Miss Grenvi'.la indignaiHly. Marden went ooi quletly. "And while I was standing out there in the baggag.i car- " "I thought you were. goiug to fall out of the door," continuad Miss Grenvllle suddenly. Marden looked at her tJxen -n-ent on again quietly: "You did not see me. You were Kurp; ised that I was on the train whien I spoke to you." "Oh!" said Miss Grcaiville. "When I was standing iu the baggage car I made up my mind that you would have to 'talk to me. I am more th;i.n sur; oí it now. I have been trylng to see you for two months, ;uiil you liave been able to keep me from it. I know I am a brute, and that if you wanfced to throw me over and not teil mie why I ought to stand it, Uut I can't and I'm thpough trying." Miss Grenrille laughed uneasily. A bough from one of the trees that skirted the roiid hung witliin reach and nh snatched a eouple of its leaves a they passed. "I wonder what kind oí u tree that ie 1" she said. Mardem took the green bough from her hand and threw it into the raad. i "Graos," he said, "why did you tluow jnc over ?" Miss Grenville looked around as if íor eoine avenue of escape, but none preeented itself and shc leaned back in thie carríage. "Perhaps," she said at length, "perhaps it ís better ,to talk it o-ver. Though (liurriedly) you know it can never makt' aii3" di:ference now." ' 01 cours"," admitted Marden "'I never dared lo hope that." "It i.s very hard to tell," continued Mise i Mville. "Did you ever care lar me ?" asked Marden. Jlisw (ircnvillL' looked al him wlth wonderlng ej i 8. "Do you think tliat I wantod to (1) it ?" slie said. i Marden's face briglitened wonderfully. "Bo ycri mean tliat somebody I viu bo glve me up ?" lie osked. "No, aaly I liad to. One can't marry anyl o ly v. li n tliat person isn't vvllilt Ai y thought lu' -as," said llttla Mi - Grenville, nvii'i' confused a li r genera lization, bvit witli a very onaivincing air. Marden made no ■ and lila companion continued, "You tnow' I always said that I ■ i ii 11 marry anj body who waa ly gentlemanly and"- "Do ii that I amnotagentl 'man ?" said Marden. ■ "Yhy. i i, oí cours? nut. That was why I- why I likcd you." "Oh!" "And 1 always th a were th'3 n i man in that respect." "Ttoank j-oul T am very greatful; but win you teil me when it was l I fail.'d toba what you thought me ?" "And 1 alwaye thought you were the iimus and unselfish man I knew, and I am certain that I uever had any reaeoin to change that idea." "Well ?" "And jou know there was never anybody elee that I cared for." ■Well ?" "You were always so handsome and so brave a ml - and - yes, I will say it -and so loving." "Well ?" "So you must sce that I could not have wantod to do it." "Oh, but that does not explain why y ou did do it." "I know it. Only it is so hard, and, Frank, you are not helping me a bit." "I doai't see why I need to. You were independent enough to thrpw me over and raake me miserable for Ufe." "Have you been. miserable, Frank ?" "I think I have al moet died," said JI arden soíeninlj'. "Have you ? I have been miserable, too, Frank. And I have missed your steps aoad your voice and your laugh - I have mieeed yoair laugh very niuch, Frank." "We ueed to have such pleasant times fcogether, Grace." "Yee, and mother says that the house sounds so louely without you in th'2 evening." "I thought a great deal oí your mother." "I kno'W you did. Yes, wc (lid llave happy times. I shall never forget tliL'in. And to thüik that now they aore all over. I carne up here because I hoped I would forget about it, and no'w (trariully) yon lvave broughl It all back- again- and I know I ehall go on feeling worse and worse -and" Foor little Miss Gremville fell t eobbiiig as ií her heart would bi-eak. it was inore them Marden could stand. "Grace," he said, "don't. "!t's patch it up eo'inc way. Tell me what I did aad Íets fix it up." "We can't," eobbed the younj? womaii from her corner. "Well, tell me anyway." "It Avoa't do any good, Frank, but 111 try if yon say I must." "You really must." "I know you'll laugh at me aud say I'm a goose. You always did do that." "I wlll be as sober as- as a prayer meeting," vowed the young man. "Well, then, it was about that Miss Sangcr. You know what you said about her." 'I know I mus.tbe very stupid, but I don't quite remember all about it. You had better teil me. Where did I see her ?" '■At the poind, and it is really to your credit that you don't remember. I shall think oi 'that and bs gratef ui. Frank, in after years. I said she was hoi-iid, and you said she was clever ajid had beautiful eyes." "I tliink I do remember now. She was the girl who had suoh a fuimy equint, waen't she ?" "I don"t think I evec notioed that, Frank." "Wéll, slie did. And she didn't know who Ibeen was. That was why I eaid slie was clever and had beautiful oyes- I meant it the other Way, you know." "Did yon really, Frank ? Tlicn I have misjudged yon all this time." Half aji huur later Míüs Grenville liítcil a happy but tear stained face írom Mardon's shoulder and looked doubtfuily up at him. ''Frank," t-he said. "AVoll, sweetheart." "I don't bolleve I know wlio Ibsen was either. Was he txne oí those horrid niliilists ?" "No, cSear," said Marden, gravely, "he wa-ji't quite tliat; but I guess it doesn't make any difference now.' J. T. Neweomb, iu Sprlng.'leld (Mafie.) Henublican. If you want a live paper Take The Courier. If you waait all tlie news Taie Tlu Courier. If you waait to keep well posted Take The Gourier.