Ruby's Reward — page 249: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

and storm, maturing a plan to ruin the young man, The storm continued throughout the night, but the morning broke as clear and tranquil as if no cloud had ever obscured the sky. Walter arose with the dawn, and stole quietly from the house, in order not to disturb any one, and made his way as rapidly as possible back to the city, where he partook of an early breakfast, after which he took the six-o’clock train for Chester, where he was super- intending the erection of a handsome edifice. As he alighted and turned to leave the station, he saw_au elderly woman just getting out of the South- ern Express, She was tall and commanding in figure, with bright, pleasant black eyes, and rather massive features, yet upon the whole yery attractive, while her forehead was crowned with clustering niasses of snow-white hair, which gave her a yery venerable appearance. She was richly, though not showily, clad, and she moved with an air of dignity and pride. She stopped as she stepped from the car, and ap- peared to be looking for some one. At this moment a heavily loaded baggage truck came thundering along. The platform was a little on the down grade just at that point, which gavea sudden impetus to the truck, and the woman, seeing it, stepped back against the car to be farther away from it and out of danger. But whether the man who had charge of it was careless, or something in the formation of the plat- form sent the truck out of line, no one was eyer able to tell; butit suddenly veered to the right, and be- fore Walter, who instantly saw the danger, could spring forward torender assistance, it had run di- rectly into the noble-looking stranger and pinned her close against the car. “What are you thinking of?’ Walter shouted to the truck-man, as he dashed to the rescue, and, ex- prens all his Tee, Pushed ne heavily laden vehicle to one side, and released the gutter er from her perilous and painful situation. SSDS