Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1888-09-27
A MAKE-BEIIEVE STORY.
A Clever Woman's Ruse with a
Supposed Detective.

George Dunlap was hurrying through the
railroad station at Springfield to catch the
train for Montreal. He was little late
and the knowledge of this fact so heightened
the susceptibility of his nerves that, when a
tall woman with her arms full of parcels
fell heavily against him, dropping her par
GELS, some of which burst and scattered
their contents in every direction, only the
sense Of the politeness due to her sex kept
him from using an ejaculation that would
at least have expressed great Impotence
she 1ad clutched him nervously as she
slipped and he supported her a moment
while he inquired if she was hurt.
Il don't know" she-said, painting, 81
turned my ankle-I feel terribly Jared"
When she recovered herself sufficiently to
stand without his help, he could do no less
than to offer to gather up her parcels, and
he had the satisfaction of feeling that he
was doing his duty, and seeing his train
steam out Of the station at one and the same
time.
'Well, as 1 have lost my train-'' he be-
gan, as he stood holding some of her bundles
in his arms.
''Was that your train?'' she exclaimed,
still visibly agitated. 1T was mine, too, 1
Think am not sure-I am a stranger, 1
want to go to Hartford"
''This was not your train then.n he an
swered; ''yours starts from the other siden
Il was late, l had no time to get a ticket
What time does the next train go to Hart
ford:' she murmured, brollenly, lifting APP
pealing eyes to his.
II will find out for you" he said, feeling
quito compassionate toward her, though
she was neither young nor pretty, and there
fore had no legitimate claim to a strangers
protection.
He conducted her to the waiting room
and presently returned from the ticket Office
with the information that she would have
10 wait over three hours-until after dark
in fact, for the train.
"Three hours alone!" she exclaimed, with
an unconscious naive stress on the 'salone"
that Mr.. Dunlap found very interesting
Il, too, must wait until evening for nv
train" he said smiling. land as it rains so
that we shall have to stay in the depot, if
you will permit me to sit here, will do my
self the pleasure of waiting with you for
time at leaSt.n
''You arc very kind" she answered sim
ply, moving some OF her bundles so that he
could sit closer to her than he had perhaps
at first intended, land that too, after nv
awkwardness made you miss your train
You heap Goals of fire-which ought not to
be the less hot because they are getting
rather tritc-cheStnut Goals in fact. if Won
will pardon the eXpreSsion-upon nv head"
Mr.. Dunlap had already made up his mind
that she was neither young nor pretty: he
now, as she looked at him with a bright
audacious smile, revised his opinion to the
extent of adding that she looked interesting
She was tall, slender and very thin; with
sharp, old features, but her eyes, he de-
cided, were her strong point they were so
changeful in expression and exhibited the
different phases of her emotions with such
an intensity, such sing leness of purpose
from the appealing gaze of frightened,
helpless child, to the humorous quizzica,
glance she had thus given him.
will the delay incommode you very
much?' she added seriously.
Il did think it was quite necessary for me
to be one of the passengers on that pa-ticu-
lar train, but now l am not sure. / think
shall be happier here"
II hope you will forgive me-" she said.
gravely, ignoring the implication of the last
remark.
Il most certainly shall If you continue to
be as agreeable as you have already been,''
he said, with boldness which even some
d
woman they meet under unconventional cir
cumstances.
She colored deeply, and he felt that he
had risked losing her society by his last re-
mark. For a moment she looked very grave
and nervously fumbled with tho leaves OF a
book she held in her hand. Then she seemed
to him to swallow her annoyance and take
sudden resolution. 1t was as if she said to
herself: "Life is too short and the periods
spent in waiting for trains too long to waste
the one and prolong the other by seryile
difference to useless conventionalities.
Il hate waiting in railroad stations" she
said, presently.
Mr.. Dunlap lived back among the Berk-
shire hills where the only communication
with the outside world was by means of a
rickety, rumbling, gathering old stage which
connected his town with the nearest rail-
road station
He was country farmer of very moderate
means, but for ali that, he had read, he had
observed, he never doubted but that he was
much more man of the world than others
who had had much better advantages for
becoming So The very bulk of his CONVEX
sation was carried on in the common YER
nacular, but he felt that he could be courtly
and ceremonious to the last degree. When
he read sentence that seemed TO him TO
be the thing in the way of polite repartee or
gallant address, he reread it until he had
made 1t his own. That sort Of thing was