Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1890-08-02

De done Make some idiot remark,
obpropos of nothing? No, a hundred
dimes rather keep still. | had immedi-
ately discovered, with the instinct of
the old Partisan, that my companion
was woman of position. To suddenly
address her, without an introduction, in
any such manner, would have set me
down in her eyes as the most contemp-
tible of commercial travellers.
The only way to manage it was to find
something magnifcently original to say
to her. But what? What? | searched
in vain.
| was still searching when the train
was suddenly stopped with that new
patent brake, SO good for accidents and
so bad for passengers.
'Tonnerre. Twenty-Five minutes for
refreshments, sang out the conductor,
as he opened the door.
Ny neighbor got up, freed herself
from her rugs, which she left in the
carriage with her three little bags and
got out 1t was noon. She was begin
ming to get hungry. She took her way
to the buffet at the left, on the other
side of the track.
/ followed her, admiring at my ease
her charming figure, we'll set off in a
long cloak which fitted her to perfec-
ton. [ noticed also the pretty little
dark curls under the knot of hair at
the back, a hat of gray felt and pair of
very little feet.
The proprietor Of the restaurant, ar
rayed in a yellow cap, and who bore a
wonderful resemblance to Napoleon
Ill, stood at the door and pointed out,
with much dignity and wave of his
napkin, the long table which the travel
ers were to take by assault. [ was
hustled along with throng of dishev-
eled passengers-the typical crowd
of a fast express, essentially grotesque
and utterly impossible from the stand
point of beauty-rushing to be fed.
/ sat down and hastily devoured the
succession of courses which were put
before me. AS for my fellow traveller,
she took cup of bouillon at a table by
herself.
l was one of the first to finish, and
went out to smoke a cigarette on the
platform. The twenty-five minutes, re-
duced to twenty as usual, would soon
be up. The travellers in groups were
leaving the restaurant and taking their
places on the train. ] had settled my
self in mine. My little traveller had not
appeared. | could see her at the little
bookstand, on the other side Of the
track, looking at the books spread out
in row. Her hair seemed little
lighter to me than before, but that was
doubtless the distance. Everybody was
on board; the guards were slamming
the doors.
thought. 'ss6e is mad -
'NIadaml Madam - | called out of
the door A shrek of whistIe-the
train was going!
What was to be done? 4 thought
struck my brain like flash oflightning.
She was going to be left behind in this
frightfully cold weather, without her
baggage or her wraps. She might at
least have her own belongings, the poor
little thing.
took up in one armful her three bags
and her rugs, and threw them at bag
gageman who happened to be standing
on the track next the train.
'"ro that lady over there" | cried.
The baggageman took the things and
started off toward the lady at the book
stand.
At the same instant in the other end
of the carriage, the side next the plat
form, the door opened and my fellow
traveller appeared, frightened and hus-
tied along by a cross conductor, threw
nGTSStl mo tue Sedt duu the tram de-
parted. Horrors | had mistaken the
woman The lady at the bookstand
was not she after all-same cloak. same
hat, same way of holding her head, but
1t was not she.
1t was traveller who was not travel
ing. How absurd that two women
should look SO alike. I had made fine
mess of it.
She hardly entered the carriage be-
fore she uttered cry: My bags-mv
bags have been stolen. And tor the
first time she looked at me, but. good
heavens, with what look I'll never
forget that look, you may be sure
No, madam" I stammered. your
bags are not stolen; they are-they are
left at Tonnerre -
AT Tonnerre? How
| explained it all to her. Lord, /