The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-09-05
"What, sent It oni am not to have

'What, sent 1t oni lam not to have
the coupelet immediatelyr'
impossible, madame, we have no car
riages here. You can only get one at
Lyons"
"At LyOns-at what timer
"At five forty-five, madame"
"An day, then. But can't stay in
this carriage until that time. It is i'm
possible. don't wish to-
"Take care, madame, the train is leav-
ingw
And off the train went.
She buried herself in her corner again,
In perfect rage, and did not deign TO
cast the smallest glance at me.
As for me l set myself to reading as
siduously my tenth newspaper.
Shall confess it? It took me longer
to read that tenth paper than it had to
read the nine others. l read the same
line over twenty times. believe that
half the time l held the paper upside
down. But then, after all, French
mans Frenchman, and you can't ex-
pect man to take long journey with
a distractingly pretty woman and not
feel some kind of interest in her. I was
dying to talk to her, but could not find
or invent any pretext to begin CONVEX
sation.
On account Of the cold the old time
expedient of raising or lowering the
window was Of no avail. What was to
be done? Make some idiotic remark,
apropos of nothing? No, hundred
times 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 fashion would have set me down in
her eyes as the most contemplate 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
suddenly stopped with that new patented
brake so good for accidents and so bad
for passengers.
"Tonnere. twenty-five minutes Cor
refreshments" sang out the conductor as
he opened the door.
My neighbor got up, freed herself from
her rugs, which she left in the carriage
with her three little bags, and got out.
It was noon. She was beginning 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, well set off in long
cloak which fitted her to perfection. /
noticed also the pretty little dark crlrls
under the knot of hair at the back, hat
of gray felt. and pair of very little feet
The proprietor OF the restaurant, al
rayed in velvet cap, and who bore
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 travellers were
to take by assault.
| was hustled along with a throng of
disheveled and bundled up passengers
the typical crowd Of a fast express, es-
sentially grotesque and utterly impossi-
BILE from the standpoint of beauty-rush-
ing to be fed.
l sat down and hastily devoured the
succession of courses which were put be-
fore me. AS for my fellow traveller she
took a cup of bouillon at table by her
SELF
was one of the first to finish, and
went out to smoke cigarette on the
platform. The twenty-five minutes, re-
duced to twenty as usual, would soon be
up. The travellers in groups were leav-
ing the restaurant and taking their places
in the train. | had resettled myself in
mine. My little traveller had not ap-
peared. could see her at the little book
stand, 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
effect of the distance. Everybody was
on board; the guards were slamming the
doors.
'Is she going to stay here~ thought,
''she is mad"
Madame! MadameI'' l called out of
the door. A shrek Of whistle-the train
was going!
What was to be done? A thought
struck my brain like flash of lightning.
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 moor
little thing.
l took up in one armful her three bags
and her rugs, and, throwing them at
baggage man who happened to be stand
ing on the track next the train.
ITO that lady over there" cried.
The baggage man took the things and
started off toward the lady at the book