For Woman's Love Part- 2 by Mrs. E. D. E. N. Southworth (i love reading books txt) 📕

Blessed Sabbath,  Before Me,  I Only Waited To Close The Works At Six

O'clock,  As Usual,  And Then I Hurried Away,  Packed A Carpet Bag And

Caught,  By Half A Minute,  The Six-Thirty Express For Baltimore And

Washington,  And Came Straight Through! It Was A Twelve Hours' Journey,

My Dear,  Without Stopping Except To Change Cars,  Which Connected

Promptly,  And So You See I Have Lost No Time! I Have Just Arrived,  And

Did Not Have To Wait Five Minutes Even To See You,  For You Were Here To

Receive Me! And Now That I Am Here,  My Dear,  I Shall Stay To See You Off

With The Nevilles. You Go To-Morrow,  As I Understand? There Has Been No

Change In The Programme?"

"We Go To-Morrow,  Uncle Clarence," Replied Corona,  In A Grave,  Sorrowful

Tone,  For She Was Sympathizing With Him.

"By What Train,  My Child?"

"The Eight-Thirty Express,  Baltimore And Ohio Railroad."

"Then I Need Not Part With You Here In Washington. Our Routes Are The

Same For Some Hundred Miles. I Shall Travel With You As Far As The North

End Junction,  And Take Leave Of You There. That Will Be Seeing The Very

Last Of You,  Up To The Very Last Minute."

Just At This Moment Mr. Fabian Entered The Parlor,  And Recognizing His

Younger Brother And Junior Partner,  Approached Him With A Shout:

"Clarence! By All That's Magical! Pray,  Did You Rise From The Earth,  Or

Fall From The Skies,  That I Find You Here?"

"How Do You Do,  Fabian? I Came In The Most Commonplace Way You Can

Imagine--By The Night Express Train--And Have Only Just Now Arrived,"

Replied Mr. Clarence.

"And How Goes On The Works?" Inquired Fabian Rockharrt.

"Admirably."

"Glad To Hear It. And What Brought You Here,  If It Is A Civil Question?"

"It Isn't A Civil Question,  But I'll Answer It All The Same. I Came To

See Cora Once More,  To Spend The Last Sabbath With Her And To Accompany

Her As Far On The Journey To-Morrow As Our Way Runs Together,  Which Will

Be As Far As The North End Junction."

"And You Will Not Reach North End Before Monday Night! A Whole Day Lost

At The Works,  Clarence! Ah! It Is Well You Have Me To Deal With Instead

Of The Father--Heaven Rest His Soul!"

"See Here,  Fabian," Said Mr. Clarence,  "For A Very Little More I Will Go

With Cora All The Way To Fort Farthermost,  As Her Natural Protector And

Helper In Her Missionary Work. What,  Indeed,  Have I To Keep Me Here In

The East Since The Father Left Us? Nothing Whatever. You Have Your Wife

And Child; I Have No One. Cora Is Nearer To Me Than Any Other Being."

"Come! Come Down To Breakfast. You Have Been Traveling All Night

Without Food,  I Feel Sure; And Fasting And Vigils Never Were Means Of

Grace To A Rockharrt. Come!" Said Mr. Fabian,  With A Laugh.

"I Must Get A Room And Go To It First. Look At Me!" Said Clarence.

"You Do Look Like The Ash Man Or Blacksmith,  Certainly. Well,  Come

Along; We'll Go To The Office And Get A Room,  And Then You Can Get Some

Of That Dust Off You. It Won't Take Ten Minutes. After That We Will Go

To Breakfast."

The Brothers Left The Parlor Together.

The Next Moment Violet Entered It,  And Bade Good Morning To Corona,  Who

In Turn Told Her Of The New Arrival.

"Clarence! Oh,  I Am So Glad! What An Addition He Will Be To Our Party,

Cora,  Especially After You Have Left Us,  My Dear,  When We Shall Miss You

So Sadly," Said Violet.

Cora Made No Reply. She Disliked To Tell Violet That She,  Violet,  Would

Lose The Society Of Clarence At The Same Time That She Would Lose That

Of Herself,  As Her Uncle Was To Leave Washington By The Same Train.

While They Were Still Talking The Two Brothers Re-Entered The Parlor.

When Fabian Demanded Whether They Were Ready To Go Down To Breakfast,

And Received A Satisfactory Answer,  He Drew The Arm Of His Wife Within

His Own,  And Led The Way Down Stairs. Clarence And Corona Followed. When

They Entered The Breakfast Saloon,  The Polite Waiter Came Forward And

Ushered Them To A Table At Which Captain And Mrs. Neville Were Already

Seated. Morning Greetings Were Exchanged,  And Mr. Clarence Was

Introduced And Welcomed.

After Breakfast All The Party Went To Church.

Then Clarence And Corona Spent The Afternoon Together At One End Of The

Long Parlor,  Which Was So Long And Had So Many Recesses That Half A

Dozen Separate Groups Might Have Isolated Themselves There,  Each Without

Fear Of Their Conversation Being Overheard By The Others.

All The Members Of Our Party Sat Up Late That Evening To Eke Out The

Time They Might Spend Together Before Parting. It Was After Midnight

When They Retired.

The Travelers Met At An Early Breakfast The Next Morning. Their Baggage

Had Been Sent On And Checked In Advance. They Had Nothing To Do But Make

The Most Of The Few Remaining Minutes.

When The Meal Was Over They All Hastily Left The Table And Went To Their

Rooms To Put On Their Traveling Wraps.

Fabian And Violet Were To Accompany The Travelers To The Railway Depot

To See Them Off,  So That There Was To Be No Leave Taking At The Hotel

Except Of The Baby.

Corona Went Into The Nurse's Room,  Took The Mite In Her Arms,  Held It To

Her Bosom,  Caressed And Kissed It Tenderly,  But Dropped No Tear On Its

Sweet,  Fair Face Or Soft White Robe.

The Baby Received All This Love With Delight,  Leaping And Dancing In

Corona's Arms,  Then Gazing At Her With Intense Eyes,  And Crowing And

Prattling In Inarticulate And Unintelligible Language,  Of Some Happy,

Incommunicable News,  Some Joyful Message It Would Deliver If It Could.

"Come,  Cora. We Are Waiting For You,  My Dear," Sounded The Voice Of Mr.

Fabian In The Hall Outside.

Corona Kissed The Baby For The Last Time,  Blessed It For The Vague Sweet

Hope It Had Infused Into Her Heart,  And Then Laid It In Its Nurse's Arms

And Left The Room.

"We Shall Barely Catch The Train,  If We Catch It At All. And The Captain

Is As Nearly In A 'Stew' As An Officer And A Gentleman Permits Himself

To Get. We Have Been Looking For You Everywhere," Said Mr. Fabian.

"I Was In The Nurse's Room,  Bidding Good-By To The Baby," Replied Cora.

"Oh!"

No More Was Said. Baby Was Excuse For Any Amount Of Delay,  Even Though

It Had Caused The Missing Of Their Train And The Driving Of The Captain

Into A War Dance.

They Hurried Down Stairs And Entered The Carriages That Were Waiting To

Take Them To The Depot--Fabian,  Violet,  Clarence And Corona In One;

Captain And Mrs. Neville,  And Mrs. Neville's Maid,  In The Other. And So

They Drove To The Depot,  And Arrived Just In Time To Take Their Tickets

And Rush To Their Seats On The Train,  With No Further Leave Taking Than

A Kiss All Around,  And A General,  Heartfelt "God Bless You!"

The Train Was Speeding Away,  Leaving Washington City Behind,  When Our

Party First Began To Realize That They Were Really "Off" And To Take In

Their Surroundings.

Captain And Mrs. Neville Sat Together About Midway In The Car. Clarence

And Corona Sat Immediately Behind Them. On The Opposite Side Sat Mrs.

Neville's Colored Maid,  Manda,  And In The Rear Corner,  On The Same Side,

The Captain's Orderly--A New Recruit. About Half The Remaining Seats In

The Car Were Occupied By Other Travelers.

At Harper's Ferry,  Amid The Most Beautiful And Sublime Mountain Scenery

Of Virginia,  The Train Stopped Twenty Minutes For Dinner,  Which,  In

Those Ante-Bellum Days,  Was Well Served From The Hotel At The Depot.

After Dinner,  The Train Started Off Again At Express Speed,  Stopping But

At Few Stations,  Until Near Night,  When It Reached North End Junction,

Where Mr. Clarence Was To Get Off.

"Cora,  My Darling,  We Must Part Here," Said Mr. Clarence,  Gathering Up

His Effects,  As The Train Slackened Speed.

"Oh,  Uncle Clarence! Dear Uncle Clarence! God Bless You! God Bless You!"

Sobbed Corona.

"Keep Up Your Heart,  Dear One. You May See Me Sooner Than You Dream Of.

The Missionary Mania Is Sometimes Contagious. You Have It In Its Most

Pronounced Form. And I Have Been Sitting By You For Eight Hours,"

Replied Mr. Clarence,  Forgetting His Prudent Resolution To Say Nothing

To Corona Of An Incipient Plan In His Mind.

"What Do You Mean,  Dear Uncle Clarence?" She Anxiously Inquired.

"I Hardly Know Myself,  Corona. But Ponder My Words In Your Heart,  Dear

One. They May Mean Something. Here We Are! Good-By! Good-By! God Bless

You!" Exclaimed Mr. Clarence.

"Good-By! God Bless You!" Cried Corona,  And They Parted--Clarence

Jumping Off The Train Just As It Started Again,  At The Imminent Risk Of

His Life,  Yet With Lucky Immunity From Harm.

Corona,  Looking Through The Side Window,  Saw Him Standing Safely On The

Platform Waiting A North End Train To Come Up--Saw Him Only For An

Instant As Her Train Flashed Onward,  And "Pondered His Words In Her

Heart," And Wondered What They Meant.