The Argosy, Vol. XI No. 19 — page 1: what you’re looking at

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

THE ARGOSY | VoL. XI, No. 19. SATURDAY, APRIL 4, 1891. WHOLE No. 435, TRAIN AND STATION; THE RAMBLES OF A YOUNG RAILROADER* BY EDGAR R. HOADLEY, JR. CHAPTER V. A LEAF FROM THE PAST, ae HAT do you mean ?” faltered Dash, anxious for an explan- ation of the unexpected announcement that he whom he had regarded as his father was not so in fact, and that his grandfather did not know what his name was. ‘*T mean just what I have said, Dash,” replied Mr. Dykeman tenderly. ‘* I do not know your name, but Dykeman is as right- fully yours as any under the circumstances.” ‘* Grandfather, do you mean to say you do not know the name of my mother before she married your son ?” asked Dash in won- derment. ‘* That is it exactly, Dash.” ‘Why, how could that be ?” ‘* Easy enough, Dashwoud,” began Mr, Dykeman ; ‘‘and when you have heard my explanation of my ignorance you will under- stand how such a curious fact came about. ‘*When my son was twenty four years of age, and eight years before that, we had liv- ing with us an orphan girl, Lily Wood- bridge by name, whose father dying, had left her in my charge, with an inheritance barely more tnan enough to provide for her sustenance. We very soon came to regard her with as much affection as if she had been our own, and it was with much pride we witnessed her remarkably rapid advance- ment in her studies. When she graduated from the high school, we were much grati- fied to notice that our son began to take a keen interest in all that concerned Lily. He devoted himself assiduously to her for some time, and finally announced their engage- ment. This result had been the secret de- sire of our hearts, and we rejuiced accord- ingly. ‘* Their marriage had been postponed until my son should establish a business for him- self, and finally, when he was twenty four years old, he went to Michigan to look after some lumber matters there. He bade Lily and us an affectionate farewell, and I had noticed nothing that would indicate any change in his purpose of marrying her. ‘* Well, weeks, months, and finally a year, passed, and nothing was héard from my son by either ourselves or-Lily. The poor girl was dreadfully grieved at such neglect, for she loved him devotedly; and notwith- standing our anxiety as to our boy’s where- ' ° : . : 'f K *Begun ia THE ARGosy of last week. q : rt | - - : . ‘ — “ ‘ 7 7 ‘< i a) . ~~: abouts, and the cause of such a protracted silence, we were much in- censed against him. Finally a letter came, pleading as an excuse for his negligence that he had been off’in the pine woods hundreds of miles from a setttement, where he had been very busy, and had been ‘ill for several months.’ ‘Lily brightened up a little after that, and I wrote him a pretty sharp letter about the way he had treated us. He never replied to that letter, and we heard nothing from him for another year. Lily almost pined away to a shadow, worrying and waiting, and we hardly knew whether to be angry or mourn him as dead. Finally we received a letter from him dated at St. Louis, in which he made no mention of Lily at all, and deliberately stated he was about to marry a widow with one child barely two years old. — ee & IT WAS A RARE EXCITEMENT TO DASH AND THE DOCTOR, THIS RIDE ON THE ENGINE. S ECORNICLoOO COMA