The record-union., 1891-06-13
CAUGHT EN- ROUTE.

Coast.
There were comparatively very few on
the Pullman 'Ingomar," and those few,
who were arranging themselves for life
of four or five days on the Sante Fe, stole
glances at each other and tried to make
up their minds who were agreeable and
who were not.
There were but three ladies-two in the
! drawing-room, and one who occupied
No. 10. There were four men-one a
friend of the two ladies; one tall, pale,
half sick young man; an aristocrat,
with a nothing good-enough-for-m air,
smooth face and small eyes, and one
silent fellow, about whom no one found
out thing; who absolutely refused to be
sociable, and consequently he was soon
| ignored.
The lady in No. 10 was in black; she
was petit and had a heavy coil of black
hair twisted high on a small head.
Her gray eyes were dreamy and tired
looking, but she seemed glad to become
acquainted with the other ladies, and
they exchanged cards. Hers read t'Miss
was Mrs. Hermann of New York, the
| younger, bright woman of about 81, was
Miss Ege, also from New York.
The ladies discussed lunches, the sup
| posed probabilities of good nature in the
porter, the apparent crossness of the con-
ductor, the different destinations of the
travellers, and the prospects for pleas
ant trip.
The men repaired to the smoking-room,
all except the tall, pale one who evil
IDENTIFY didn't smoke, and who seemed
deeply interested in a book, but whom
Mrs. Hermann actually caught in the act
of looking over the pages at the feminine
trio in No. 10.
''Girls''-Mrs. Hermann was tall and
handsome, and spoke quickly with vi
| vacity Of manner altogether charming
| What shall we do this afternoon? We
! have only been out day and things are
| tiresome already. We are the only
| things our own way. l wish we had
| bridal couple aboard so we could be
| amuSedr'
Miss Hanlill and Miss Eye smiled, but
were silent. Miss Hamill was absently
tapping the window and looking at the
! stretch of Kansas prairies.
Miss Ege finally ventures, "Cards"?
| Mrs. Hermann frowned and shook her
! head.
80, 1 know very well what you're
| limiting for" said Miss Ege. ''You want
me to go on reading that wretched story
to you and Ford, and l am sick and
tired of it. / read all the way from New
York, and l am hoarse now!n
Helen Ege, you swapping thing! Pm
| going to leave this crowd; it's fearfully
stupid. l shall talk to that pale young
| man; he looks interesting. / saw Ford
talking to him, and they were getting
very confidential. I'll make Ford intro
| duce me-"
Mrs. Hermann slowly made her way to
| the end of the car. Miss Eye laughed
| quietly.
Margaret Hermann is restlessness it
self. She is happy in cOmmotion and
wretched when other people must stop
TO breathe. To tell the truth I'm sleepy
ana snail go and take nap. You look
| tired, Miss Hamill; you're secretly long
ing for a nap yourself Well, by by, and
| happy dreamsp'
| With the dawn of the next morning
there was revealed change in the land
! scape. The mountains in Colorado,
which were at first but blue, far away
hills, became majestic masses Of rock,
which reached to the heavens as the day
wore on. The eyer-changing shades Of
color and depth Of shifting shadows in
! terested the travellers.
Mrs. Hermann had just returned from
her window, where she declared she had
| fiattened her classical nose irreparably,
! when the gentleman whom she called
| Ford, and who was her brother, ap-
| preached the ladies. He announced that
| the gentlemen were miSerably lonesome,
| and he had been deputed TO beg the ladies
! to make life endurable for them until
| they could forget themselves in sleep.
| Mrs. Hermann was delighted. The
| younger ladies seemed Indifferent; even
| said they didn't care how the young GEN
tlemen on the "Ingomar' regarded lite.
| but promised to be pleasant, and soon
! everybody was lost in an interesting
game of cards, in which Mrs. Hermann
usually came out with flying colors.
There was general regret when she did
not, for many minutes of valuable time
were consumed in convincing her that ali
| players there Were strictly honest.
The tall, pale young man was Mr..
Wing OF Chicago, going to spend the
! winter on the coast, and make an effort
to regain strength lost in too close appli-
cation to business. He was fair, with
| broad forehead. He had a good hand.
well shaped and well kept, without any
efeminate delicacy. He was 35 years
old, but seemed almost boyish in his earn
estness and in his enjoyment of things
and people. He and Miss Eye seemed
particularly copgenial.
Mrs. Hermann and Miss Hamill smiled
| and nodded knowingly at each other. as
Mr.. Wing and Miss Ege played together.
sang together, read to each other, and
generally got on" with such evident
| satisfaction to both.
Another day, and everything in the
lunch basket had but one taste; things
We're becoming decidedly stale, and the
ladies moro frequently donned their hats
| and took dinner at the stations.
All the afternoon the two engines had
been struggling up the mountain, wind
ing around the rugged sides; now dash
ing boldly through the snow; stopping
now at the little clusters Of pine cottages,
then on into the stiffness of the mount
ain heart again.
The three ladies had been reading to-
gether in the drawing g-room, and had fin
| ished the story. At their wits end for
other amusement they finally decided to
eat oranges, and reward the one who
could do 1t with the greatest ease and
grace. Mr.. Wing and Mr.. Ford were to
be the fair, impartial judges. The con-
| test promised to be so interesting that the
aristocrat was beguiled from his cigar,
and sat on the sofa ready to applaud the
victor.
Mrs. Hermann led off. She carefully
cut her orange in halves, took the handle
OF her spoon, and, separating skin from
orange, formed two good Handles" as
she called them. AS handles they worked
Well, but did not hinder the juice from
trickllng down fingers and sleeve.
Miss Ege quartered the skin and peeled
her orange in what she styled the ortho-
| doX way, and then proceeded to eat it in
sectlons. She was succeeding beauti-
| fully, until IN an unlucky moment her
tluIip sIppeu, SeeuS new, the juice shot
the arlstocrat in the eye, and Miss Eye
beat retreat behind the window curtain
to finish what remained away from pub
! lie criticism.
| Miss Hamill called for a sharp knife
and cut her orange into clean halves. She
took her spoon with the pointed bowl.
and, carefully inserting it into the pulp
near the skin. loosened it deftly-on this
| side, then on that-and finally showed to
| her adnllring audience the empty case of
the orange, in which stood the unbroken.