The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1884-02-07

James drummer! He Is appearing
rather early upon the scene" are the
thoughts that fash through Kitty's
mind as she looks frig,d, unutterable
things through and beyond the new
conner, who passes on to the next seat
and dlsposeS of his portmantcau and
/ overcOat, pauslnG in his proceedings to
4 glance occasionally with a puzzled lrrk
! at the pretty girl opposite, But Miss
Kate has already sought refuge in
| Johns gin, and IS absorbedly following
/ the fortunes of Howells' heroine through
/ the opening chapter. So the puzzled
1 gentleman wis ly produces a paper from
| his poc6et and lets himself become alb
/ sorbed in its contents also.
! BY and by Kitty becomes aware that
! the ticket-Office isopen, and with a
/ warincss born of James warnings She
/ arranges her traps in compact pile,
and, clinging valiantly to her hand -bag.
| gets into line and patiently awaits her
turn at interviewing the ticket-seller.
This Is matter of considerable delay,
| since some one in advance inaugurates
a mild but lengthy dispute with that
/ Official regarding the claim to q section
/ that has been telcphoned for, or some
| thing of that sort. And when Kitty
! gets back to her place she finds that
/ certain Polish emgrants have come in,
| and virtually CYiCted-her: and that, oh
t horrors! lIer belongings have been I'm
/ tremendously transferred to the settee
occupied by that impertinent drummer
! And-dO her eyes deceive here mo: he
! Is actually reading her book, She can
| not see the title, but it is the same dun
! coiored volume, with the regulation
! gilt fl exc and publishers monogram.
! She could identify it il she saw it IN At
| RIGA, She is sure. Impudenceu' she
! eiao ulates, mentally, as she drops angri-
/ ly into her seat, and waits for him to
| return her book. But this he eviden' lv
/ does not intend to do; and, resolved on
/ her part not to ask for it, the ANNOYED
! young lady fcigns to be unaware of re
/ dark eyes that SO frequently desert the
/ pages of the borrowed novel to bestOw
long, steady and still puzzled look
! upon the face of their neighbor lie
certainly does look debOnnair and
well bred, she admits, reluctantly, and
she is stealing a second glance at him,
when suddenly:
Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago
/ train Is now ready. Passengers for Phila-
| delphia, New York and the East all
aboard! intones the train-agent, as
| though it were a cathedral, and he were
/ rendering Il GregOrian chant. And i'm
mcdiately there is a stampede for the
| stairs.
Kitty picks up her shawl-bag and
! duster and basket of fruit, with deiber-
ate slOwness. He shall have "a chance
/ to return that book unasked if he wishes
/ to, she determines, But evidently the
/ gentleman has no such intention. He,
too, is gathering up his traps, pausing
to put the fatclul book in his overcoat-
! pocket. To Kitty'S long-tried patience
/ this move IS the last straw.
Il beg your pardon, sir" she says,
coldly, but will you be 50 good as to
/ return my book?"
! The gentleman turns in establishment,
| and coUrteously raises his hat.
! Il should be delighted to do so, if
! your book were in my possession he
/ answers, gravely. MAY l inquire to
1 what book you refer? =
ITO HOwclls' Lady of the Aroos-
! took, which | left here on the seat
All" he answered, solemnlv, yours
was The Lady of the ArOostook e.;
! but mine, producing it from his peck
ct and displaying the title with an
amused smile that she feels rather than
sees, "mine is "A Chance Acquaint-
ancc.' If | mistake not l saw you put
! your hook in the pocket of your buster
/ just after l came in. Let us see" And
| taking the linen habit from the seat
where Kitty has dropped it, he triumph
! antly brings forth from one of its peck
cts the twin volume of Howels,
With a hasty and humble apology the
| blushing Kitty once more collects her
! possessions, and in very unenviable
/ frame of mind follows the crowd into
| the Pullman. She is almost CRYING at
] hnr- lfr1,,fIity- 10
at the coupon which she carries, and
| notices that it bears the number
six. She hardly chances at her opposite
neighbor 4 small boy and his big
| brOthcr-as she arranges her luggage
and tries not to see her new acluaint-
! ance who is coming down the aisle.
I To hersannoyance, he pauses gust ut her
| section, and scans his coupon with Il
| nonpused ain. But Kitty obstinately
! looks out Of the window, although she
i it Seenly conscious that, after an I'M
! slant $ hesitation. he takes the seat be
side her. And while she is still feeling
! hot and angry and uncomfortable, the
| train rushes out of the station and into
the wet, foggy streets beyond. H
Presently enters the white-Capped
! conductor. and one by one the paSsen-
| gers tickets are examined satisfactorily,
until it comes the turn of the people in
section six. Her three ucighbors pass
muster successfully, and unhappy Kitty
/ timidly thrustS forth her checks, only to
! be crushed with shame and consterna-
/ ton as the conductor turns the coupon
! upside down, and, piercing her with
| his cold, shiny eye, gruhly rOars:
Number nine, madam, number nine,
/ please! You have mistaken your see
! tion,N
Kitty's companion politely removes
! her bags to number nine, and leaves
/ her to her by no means pleasant med
/ itations. She can see him i'm the mirror
! of the panel beside her, deeply in crest
! cd in the misleading novel of HOwells.
/ She notices that he reads steadily until
suppcr-time, and then he goes off to the
smoking-car, and she sees him no more
! that night.
! Her vis-a-vis turns out to be wom-
an with n teething baby; and Kitty alb
/ dicatcs the lower berth in their favor,
and goes up aloft, where James evil
| prophecies have their due effect, and she
dreams of brigands and the Siciliau
malta, and all manner of horrible things
until morning.
Perhaps il is because the dark-eyed
| traveller orders breakfast in the train
| that Miss Kate disreCards her sisters
! commands, and decides to incur dys-
pcpsia at the railroad restaurant in Al
! lance. For the same reason she elects
to dine in Pittsburgh; yet her order is
scarcely filled when her ''chance ac-
quaintauce' walks lelsurely in, and is
allotted a place at the same table. That
he is gentlemanly and unobtrusive She
Is forced to admit before the meal
ends. Even Jane herself could hard Y
,.aN-il at his IprpqDO1-. he Is nOIitp. sim
ply that and nothing more. Neverthe-
less she does not liuger over the meal;
and at lis close she hastily makes her