Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1890-10-24

stalled with my feet upon hot-water
bottle, / attacked the pile of newspapers,
bought at the station, to pass the time
At eleven-twenry-one, Laroche. The
train stopped. The official gentleman
arranged his papers, rose, bowed and got
out. Barely had he stepped down when
he was received by the station-master,
who called him Monsieur PInspecteur.
The lady traveller came to the door.
'Station-master! she called.
s'Madame9'
'sYou have been telegraphed from
Paris for sleeping -berthf'
"Yes, madame; I have forwarded the
dispatch" -
"What, forwarded i'll Am not to
be given that sleeping-berth immediate
ly?"
impossible, madame; we have no
Lyons"
"At Lyons! At what hour2"
"Five-forty-fve madam.
"The whole day, then! I cannot re-
main in this coach until that hour. It's
impossible. I will not"
"Take care, madame, the train is
starting" And the train drew out.
She flung herself in her corner, furi-
Gus, without throwing a single glance IN
my direction. plunged into the perusa
of my tenth newspaper.
I should have liked very much to en-
gage in conversation with her, but the
pretext, the opening subject, where was
was it to be found2 Considering the
temperature, the threadbare pretext of
windows to open or close was not to be
thought of. What then was to be done!
My neighbor, had discovered imme-
diately, with the scent of an old Partisan,
was woman of the world, and of the
best. To speak to her without knowing
her, would have made me appear in her
eyes as the lowest of commercial travel
ers. The only way to solve the difficulty
was for me to find something strikingly
original to say to her. But what3 l
cudgeled my brain in vain.
! was still searching pretext for
opening conversation, when the train
stopped.
''Tonnerre! Twenty-Five minutes for
refreshments! cried the porter, open
ing the door.
My neighbor arose, relieved herself of
her rugs, which she left in the coach
with her three little bags, and de-
scended. It was noon, and her hunger
evidently began to make itself felt. She
went in the direction of the buffet, to
the left, on the other side of the track.
I followed her. I could then admire, at
my ease, her elegant figure, we'll out
lined in long sealskin cloak. also
remarked the pretty black ringlets at the
nape of her neck, her gray felt hat, and
her tiny little feet.
At the entrance to the hall stood the
steward. Bedecked with velvet skull
cap, he indicated with his hand and q
napkin long table to be stormed.
entered with the tide of unkempt, I'M
gloved, Hurried travellers, and hastily
swallowed the succession of dishes served
to me; the lady traveller took some broth
at separate table.
got up among the first and went out
to smoke cigar on the platform. The
twenty-five minutes would soon be
passed. The travellers, in groups, came
out of the eating-room and returned to
their coaches.
also reinstalled myself in mine. My
lady traveller had not yet returned.
saw her in the little station book-stan on
the other side of the track, looking at
the books displayed. Though saw her
from the back, recognized her easily by
her pretty style, her sealskin cloak and
her gray hat. Her hair seemed to me
to be little lighter, but that was owing
to the distance, no doubt.
Everybody had re-entered the coaches
the porter shut the doors tumultuously
'She is going to be left" thought
and threw open the window.
"Madamel Madame" cried.
was too far off; she did not hear me
The whistle blew. What was to b.
done?
An idea flashed through my brair
quick as lightning. She was going tx
stay there, in that horrible cold, without
baggage She should have at least hel
small belongings-the poor little
womanl I made an armful of the three
bags and the rugs, and throwing it all tt
man in uniform, who was near thu
coach upon the road, cried out: "Tt
that lady yonder!"
The man in uniform took the things
and went toward the lady of the book
stall. At the same moment, at the op
posite side of the coach-the side of th'
platform-the door opened and my lad
t-orolor roart,1rbp1 bI1stled bV a Crum