RUNAWAY ROSE
Chapter Three
Rose didn't stop moving until she reached the
train station in the seamier part of Philadelphia. Hurrying into the station, she
asked the clerk when the next train was leaving.
"Two minutes, Miss," he told her,
staring. Rose wondered what he found so fascinating, until she glanced down and
realized that she was still wearing the Heart of the Ocean.
Clapping her hand over the gem, she asked,
"Where is it going?"
"New York, Miss," he replied.
"I'd like one third class ticket,"
she told him, pulling five dollars from her bag.
He handed her a ticket and her change.
"Better hide that necklace, Miss. Some of these folks might find it a nice
target."
Rose nodded in acknowledgement, then ran for
the train, unhooking the necklace as she ran. She dropped the necklace down
inside her corset as she rushed outside. The train was starting to pull away.
Rose raced after it, jumping aboard just as it was picking up speed.
Finding a seat, Rose sank into it, looking
out the window. She tried to ignore the stares of the other people in the car,
as they eyed her expensive silk dress and her red face. Rose sank back into the
seat, relaxing as the train left the city and headed for New York.