Miss Dividends: A NovelGunter, Archibald Clavering
General
Miss Dividends: A Novel
Gunter, Archibald Clavering
Latter Day Saints -- Fiction
A moment's cogitation and he says to himself: "She was wounded because I
hadn't come to Tintic after her. I'll chance a walk through the car, and
see if the darling'll cut me again."
Acting on this impulse, he gets off the train, and walks to the forward
end of her car, Miss Travenion's stateroom being at its rear.
"I'll give her the length of the car to meditate upon me," he thinks.
As he enters the main portion of the Pullman, her stateroom door is
open, and as he comes down the aisle, Erma rises. He knows she has seen
him--something in her face tells him that.
Then intense surprise falls upon him:--the young lady steps out with
extended hand, and says brightly: "So you have discovered I was on the
train _at last_? I had been expecting a visit from you all yesterday."
At this tremendous but most feminine prevarication, Lawrence fairly
gasps. A second after, he discovers the wonderful tact displayed in it,
which calls for an explanation from him, and does not require one from
her.
However, he is too awfully happy to stand on little points, and seizing
the taper fingers of the young lady, and giving her tact for tact, and
prevarication for prevarication, remarks: "You most certainly would
have, Miss Travenion, but I only discovered that you were on board this
morning, from Buck Powers."
"Why," cries Erma, "I saw you at--" She checks herself suddenly, biting
her lips a little, and then goes on: "We've been near each other a whole
day, and have not spoken."
"That's a great pity! But we'll make up for lost time, now!" answers
Lawrence, gallantly. Then he suggests: "What did you breakfast on?"
"Pies!"
"So did I--our tastes are similar," he laughs, for there is something in
the radiant face looking into his that makes him think this snow
blockade, privations and all, is the very nicest thing that has come
into his life.
A moment after, for he is too earnest for any more light comedy
fencing, he comes to the point with masculine abruptness, remarking:
"Mr. Powers told you--God bless him!--that I have been in California?"
"Yes."
"I got this little note"--he produces her card with the "I have seen my
father. Good-bye" sentence on it--"in Salt Lake City, and presumed you
had gone to California with the Livingstons. I was then poor. Four days
afterwards, I suddenly found myself astounded and rich. I did not ask
how it came--I was too anxious to make use of my money. I thought a tour
of 'the Golden State' would please me."
Then he goes on hurriedly and tells her of his wanderings in pursuit of
the Livingston party, and his unexpected interview with Ferdie at the
Grand Hotel, omitting, however, his journey to Tintic and his rescue of
her father, as he doesn't wish to alarm or make Erma think she is under
obligation to him.
"Ah!" falters the girl, very pale, and turning her face away from him.
"Then you know--I'm the daughter of Tranyon--the Mormon bishop?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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