"Because Ma always wants to talk, and would not think she had her money's worth without it."

They put the stamps on the cards and then mailed them in the large gilt mail box near the door in the corner.

"I guess it's most time for us to go back to the hotel for luncheon,"

said Aunt Betty.

"Almost," replied Ruth, looking at her small gold watch. "It's now just eleven-thirty."

"I want to get some blue ribbon," said Dorothy, "before we leave for the hotel."

"And I must get a veil," added Ruth.

The girls departed on their quests and in less than two minutes met Mrs. Calvert at the door and all went back together to the hotel for luncheon. It was a quiet mid-day meal, and as soon as it was over they had to devote their attention to their trunks, as they were to leave that afternoon for their next stopping place.

Mr. Dauntrey and Mr. Ludlow attended to the baggage and the tickets and very soon all were ready.

Just as they were leaving the hotel to go to the station, Mr. Dauntrey singled Ruth out, and approaching her, said, "Will you come and walk down with me?"

"With pleasure," said the girl, suiting her steps to his, and they started slowly to stroll down to the station.

"I have a box of Huyler's here for you," remarked Mr. Dauntrey. "I thought perhaps you would like it. I thought it would be nice for you to have on the train."

"Why thank you ever so much. You are very kind."

"Not half as kind as I would like to be, if you would only afford me the opportunity."

Ruth made some answer that turned the conversation to some less personal subject. She kept up a run of chatter about indifferent matters.

So many people were upon the streets and so many conveyances on the roadways that progress was slow, and when they reached the station they found Mr. Ludlow very much provoked that Ruth should have kept them all waiting, nearly causing the loss of their train.

"Couldn't you have walked a little faster, Ruth?" Mr. Ludlow asked.

"Or taken the stage to the station if you were so tired? This must not happen again."

Ruth, who disliked being reprimanded before everybody, angrily exclaimed, "Well, you didn't have to wait here for me, I am sure, for you might have known that Mr. Dauntrey is capable of taking care of me, and, aside from that, I think I can take pretty good care of myself."

Mr. Ludlow did not reply, but hurried them to their private car, the others of the party having preceded him. Very shortly they were speeding on their way.

Mrs. Calvert read a book, and Dorothy and Alfy were merrily chatting over their trip, so Ruth turned away from Mr. Ludlow and busied herself talking to Mr. Dauntrey and nibbling his chocolates and bon bons.

Mr. Ludlow, who had most of the time been looking out of the window, turned to Mrs. Calvert and said, "I think it looks as if we were going to have a bad storm. It looks to me as if the clouds have been following us up, and I'm afraid we are going to get it in a little while good and plenty."

Mrs. Calvert looked out of the window and saw the storm clouds approaching and gathering for the downpour, and then her eyes wandered to the river beside which the train ran.

"Just look!" she exclaimed, pointing to the water. "Look, quick, at the river!"

"That is quite remarkable," said Mr. Ludlow. "Just see how high the water is and how fast it is flowing."

"Why it seems to be rising higher and higher by the minute as we go along," responded Mrs. Calvert. "I can't understand it, can you?"

"Oh!" shrieked Ruth at this moment, clinging to Mr. Dauntrey's hand.

"Oh, what an awful flash of lightning! Oh, how I hate an electric storm! Lightning scares me half to death."

"I like it," replied Alfy, looking across the dark, turbulent, swiftly moving stream. "I always like to watch it. And 'up mounting' we do have some awful storms. You remember them, don't you, Dorothy?"

"Of course I do. Sometimes, though, I used to get a little scared.

They used to be so very bad," said the girl, and all the people in the car jumped as a loud crash of thunder followed a blazing streak of lightning. The thunder seemed right under their feet and was so loud and so sudden that all were startled for a minute.

Ruth jumped up and grabbed Mr. Ludlow around the neck and hid her face in his shoulder, moaning, "Oh, oh, I don't like this at all."

Mr. Ludlow, although he did not like to see the girl so overcome with nervousness, was decidedly happy that she should turn to him, and hoped perhaps that the storm would last forever, if he could continue to hold Ruth to him.

This awful clap was followed by another flash of lightning which lit up the car brighter than daylight. Mrs. Calvert, who was facing the window, looked out and gasped, "Oh, why don't they stop the train?"

Then they all heard a mighty splash and the train gave a terrible lurch and threw those standing over on the floor and those sitting had a hard time to keep their places.

All the lights immediately went out and Alfy shouted, "We are struck!"

Some of the party shrieked and one or two fainted dead away. None could see the others in the terrible, black darkness in which they were enveloped.

At last, after a prolonged silence that seemed ages, Mrs. Calvert said. "Is any one hurt?"

Everyone began to collect their scattered thoughts by this time, and Mr. Ludlow had managed to rise from his fallen position and get Ruth up and into a seat. He grouped about in the pitch blackness into which they had been plunged and finally found his chair. He deftly managed to retain Ruth's hand in his, in order to rea.s.sure her.

The answer Mrs. Calvert received in general was that everyone was safe and physically unharmed and mentally as near right as could be expected.

Mrs. Calvert then asked, "Did anyone see out of the window when the flash of lightning lit up this car?" And when she had received answer that no one had, she continued: "I happened to be sitting facing the window and when the flash came I saw out very plainly."

"What did you see?" questioned Mr. Ludlow, in a firm voice.

"The river," responded Mrs. Calvert. "The river was up to the tracks."

The fact was suggestive of further danger, and then Dorothy questioned, "What was the crash? And why did the train lurch so? And why are all the lights out?"

"Maybe," suggested Alfy, "maybe we were struck with lightning. Do you think so, Aunt Betty?"

"I don't know," she replied. "I can't understand where the train hands can be. They should be here to tell us what has happened."

"Do you suppose we have struck another train?" questioned Dorothy.

"Oh," groaned Ruth. "I wish we could have some lights. It's so dark I am afraid something will happen, and maybe some one will be killed."

"Hush, child," remarked Mr. Ludlow. "Just be thankful things are no worse than they are, that we are all safe alive and none of us are hurt."

Ruth subsided to silence and sobbed beneath her breath. Just then, George, the old negro porter, broke in on the excited party and endeavored to tell what was the matter.

"Lord o' Mercy, ma.s.sa!" he exclaimed. "De train am wrecked. The ingin and one ob de baggage cars did fall off these track, plump, splash, right in de water."

"That's what the crash and splash and jerk was that we felt. The water was so high that it probably came up on the tracks here, and the engine and baggage car jumped the weakened trestle into the water. I wonder how it was it didn't pull the rest of the train into the water also," said Mr. Ludlow.