up, as a motto:
Get all you can, and don't fret about what you cannot get.
He went into the smoking compartment, and sat musing by the window for
some time before he lit his cigar, feeling a glow of happiness that was
new in his experience. The country was charming at twilight, but he was
little conscious of that. What he saw distinctly was Margaret's face,
trustful and wistful, looking up into his as she bade him goodby. What
he was vividly conscious of was being followed, enveloped, by a woman's
love.
"You will write, dear, the moment you get there, will you not? I am so
afraid of accidents," she had said.
"Why, I will telegraph, sweet," he had replied, quite gayly.
"Will you? Telegraph? I never had that sort of a message." It seemed
a very wonderful thing that he should use the public wire for this
purpose, and she looked at him with new admiration.
"Are you timid about the train?" he asked.
"No. I never think of it. I never thought of it for myself; but this is
different."
"Oh, I see." He put his arm round her and looked down into her eyes.
This was a humorous suggestion to him, who spent half his time on the
trains. "I think I'll take out an accident policy."
"Don't say that. But you men are so reckless. Promise you won't stand
on the platform, and won't get off while the train is in motion, and all
the rest of the directions," she said, laughing a little with him; "and
you will be careful?"
"I'll take such care of myself as I never did before, I promise. I never
felt of so much consequence in my life."
"You'll think me silly. But you know, don't you, dear?" She put a hand
on each shoulder, and pushing him back, studied his face. "You are all
the world. And only to think, day before yesterday, I didn't think of
the trains at all."
To have one look like that from a woman! To carry it with him! Henderson
still forgot to light his cigar.
"Hello, Rodney!"
"Ah, Hollowell! I thought you were in Kansas City."
The new-comer was a man of middle age, thick set, with rounded
shoulders, deep chest, heavy neck, iron-gray hair close cut, gray
whiskers cropped so as to show his strong jaw, blue eyes that expressed
at once resolution and good-nature.
"Well, how's things? Been up to fix the Legislature?"
"No; Perkins is attending to that," said Henderson, rather
indifferently, like a man awakened out of a pleasant dream. "Don't seem
to need much fixing. The public are fond of parallels."
Holl
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