Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1893-01-26
MISS BAXTER'S BLINDNESS,

uI DD In n LIZ ~ OhAANl|4' lIOOs
The dining car was in simmer of
light. The dead white.of heavy linen,
the opalescent glare of glassware, and
the quiet CLEAN of silver trcmbled to-
gether in the swift motion of the train.
Miss Baxter, who had but recently left
her BERTH dropped into seat and leaned
back a moment dazed by the lavish
waste of color. Meanwhile the insistent
sunlight took liberties with the dull
brown of her severely brushed hair, ran
burning fingers through it, and edged it
with coquettish gold. Then she FASTENED
to draw the curtain and throw blue
square of shade over her corner of the
table, signing as she settled down again,
and all the painful scene of the evening
before came surging back.
She felt half a notion to lay her head
on the table and cry outright. She
glanced down instead and fingered her
ring--his ring-while her eyes grew
misty. She wondered whether she
should have kept the ring, now that it
no longer meant anything. The ques-
ton was yet undecided when she pulled
herself together with visible tremor and
turned TO the menu card. Dining-car
breakfasts were not timed to wait on the
settlement of subtleties in ethics, partic-
ularly after the steward has made his
''last call. !"
In the few minutes Miss Baxter had
been in the car she had not noticed her
companions. AS she raised her head she
was startled to see familiar face dimly
taking shape across the table. She had
removed her glasses and was about to
pass her handkerchief to her eyes, but
She put them resolutely on again and
looked fxedly through their misty crys-
tails
Mr.. Woodson, where did you come
from2" she demanded at length, as his
well-known features gradually took shape
before her.
Wood son did not speak at once. He
was noticing how her hair would tumble
down in hayward ringlets in spite of heI
efforts to keep it staidly back, and how
her cheeks persisted in dimpling, how
ever resolutely she shut her lips together.
Then he said:
'From New York, of course. Does
my dress suit look as though I'd boarded
the train in these rural precinctsl
thought you knew the cut better"
"Do you mean to say that you've beer
on this train all this while-after-
last night?" Miss Baxter asked, witt
slightly heightened color.
s.Guessed it the first time" Woodsor
exclaimed, Frightening. II tell you
Grace, you should have gene into thu
law instead Of art You'd have beer
great on cross eXamination.
"Never mind, Mr.. Woodson, yol
seem to forget that l prefer to make m,
own career-we've discussed that before
however. And SO you've been on thi
train ever since havel" she concluded
ref1ectively.
"A little longer, in fact. l made
mistake and got here half an hour earl
read the time table backward -henc
the clothes. But now, see here, smaI
girl" Woodson went on with great de
liberation, shaking out his napkin int
his lap and gazing into the blurred, blu
depth of Miss Baxter's glasses. "Se
here, now do you suppose just because
girl iilts me-" Miss Baxter here intel
posed depreciating gesture-''yes,
repeat it. Do you suppose just becaus
girl jilts me, and have reason to be
lievc is going to the ends of the earth
, get where she will never see me agaiI
that my sense of responsibility ends ii
I've seen her safely where she wants
go2 No, I've made New York uninhal
table for you and / shall make VIII;
amends l can by chaperoning you
Colorado or Kamchatka or wherever it
you arc going. Now, what shall ord
for breakfastp
s Harry, you're cruel. You know NJ
Fleming was going out there. for Il
color and thought it would be GOO
3 chance to continue my outdoor work.
"FlemingH That prig! Well, Ididr
know before that he was going. s
there is still more reason why / shou
90 now-and stay"
3 "But forbid you doing any such foo
ish thing"
''To tell the truth, Grace, thought
staying all the time-of going into sor
business there"
y "Why, you never told me of it l
fore"
"Well, never thought of it till aft
left you last night" Then it occurr
Y to me that / might 60 into sheep
cattle or something like that
q cat Manitou"
"Why notf"
"Tt's a summer resort"
$50 much the better I'd only We
to be there in the summer, anyhow"
y Harry, you're triicr."
"Well, can peel an orange, anyh
If you'll allow me-" Woodson
a claimed, taking from her hand the {
she was making sad mess of.
Harry, l never can forgive you
!, doing this" Miss Baxter concluded, al
- moments contemplation Of the VIII
:, ing blur of green through the car W
81 dow,
y "Well, never could have forgi'
myself if hadn't--and there it was,
asserted dispassionately, laying the pull
broken sphere of the orange before
II is quite a jaunt from Manhattan
}. Manitou; but one morning they
n changed the cushioned WEAKNESS of
train for that blue hollow of the hi
fo and frol