The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1893-04-08
MISS BAXTER'S CAREER.
Why She Consented to SEQ It
= Through wOodson's Eyes

A1XhtA- ne OeslCl NnlLc OF ncaYy linen,
the opalescent CLINT of glassware and
: the quiet CLEAN of silver trc,n bled to-
Eethcr in the swift motion of the train.
Miss Baxter, who had but recently
lett her berth, dropped into seat and
leaned back Il moment. dazed by this
lavish waste of color. Then she hast
ened to draw the curtain and throw
the blue square Of shade over her cor
ner OF the table, signing she settled
down again and all the painful scene
OF the evening before came surging
back. -
She felt>half notion to lay her head
on Ethe table and cry outright. She
Elanced6own instead and fingered her
Ting-his ring-whilc her glasses grew
misty She wondered whether she
should, have kept the ring now that it
NO longer meant anything,
The, question was stiil undecided
when she pulled herself together with
a visible trcmor and turned to the
menu card. Dining-car breakfasts are
not timed to wait on the settlement of
subtletics in ethics, particularly after
the steward has made the last CALL"
In the fcw-minutcs Miss Baxter hc Il
been in the she had not noticed
her companions. AS she raised her
head she was startled to see a familiar
face diln1y taking shape across the
table. =
She had>rcmovcd her glasses and was
about to press her handkerchief to her
eyes, but she put them resolutely on
again andfool>cd fxedly through their
misty crystals.
''Mr. Woolson, where did you come
troni?' she demanded at length. as his
well-known features gradually took
definite shape before her.
Noodson did not speak at once lie
was noticing how her hair would tum-
bio down in maynard ringlets in spite
OF her efforts to keep it stadlv back,
and how her cheeks ST tod in RI
ping, however lesolutely she closed
her lips together Then he said:
Prom New York, of course. Does
my dress suit look as though I'd
boarded the train in these rural pre-
cincts? l tLoughtayou knew the cut
better"
do you mean to say that you've
been on this train all this while-aftcr
after last night?'' Miss baxter asked
with slightly heightened color.
'GueSsed it the first time" Voodson
exclaimed. Frightening. IL tell you,
Grace, you should have gone into the
las" instead of art. You'd have been
great on crosse Examination"
Never mind, Mr.. Woodson: you
seem to forget that 1 prefer to make
my own carccr-vov We discussed that
before, however. And you've been
on this train ever since l have?" she
concluded, rcflectively.
"A little longer, in fact. But now
SeS mere, small fslfl, NCOdSon went
with great deliberatencsS, shaking out
his napkin into his lap and gazing in
tently into the blurred blue depths of
Miss BaNter's glasses; ''Sce here, now,
do you suppose just because girl jilts
lne'-Miss Baxter here interposed a
deprccatlng gcsture-'.ycs, l repeat it.
DO you suppose because girl jilts INC
and L have reason to believe is going
to the ends of tho earth to get where
she Will never sec me again, that my
sense of responsibility ends till I've |
seen her safely where she wants to go |
to! No, I've made New York uninhab-
liable for You, and l shall make what |
amends can by chaperoninE you to |
Colorado or kamschati>a or wherever |
it is you are going: Now, what shall 1
order for brcallfast?"
Harry, you're cruel. You know Mr..
Fleming was going out there for the |
color, and l thought it would be a GOOD |
chance to continue my outdoor work" !
"F'lcming! That prig! Well, l didn't |
know before that he was going l see |
there is still more reason why I should |
go now-and stay"
but 1 forbid you doing any such |
foolish thing"
To tell the truth, Grace thought
of staying all the timc-of going into
some other business there"
why, you never told me of it be-
FORE
well, l never thought of it till after
I left you last night. Then it occurred
to me 1 might go into the sheep or cat
tie business or something like that
AT Manitou?'
why not?"
Its a summer resort
so much the better. III only be
there in the summer anyhow.
Harry, you're triner'
"Well, l can peel an orange, anyhow
If you'll allow me-" Woodson OK
claimed. taking from her hand the one
she was making sad mess of.
Harry. can never forgive you for
doing this" Miss Baxter concluded
after a moments contempt alton of the
blur of green through the car
window.
well, I never could have forgiven
myself if hadn't-and there it is he
dispassionately, laying the
PUPPY, broken sphere of the orange be-
fore her.
1t is quite iaunt from Manhattan
to Manitou
What color there wasl The earth
seemed hung in some rarer medium
han common air. The yellow cactus
blossoms were like flakes of flame. A
scarlet flower fairly burned into the
sight.
Grace developed enthusiasm
every .ay and piled her palette with
cobalt and chrome. Even Fleming,
Who had preceded them, smoked :. triflc
aster than usual and grunted out now
Ind then: Put in your color pure.
AXE her jump
- NOV |