St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1893-04-01
MISS BAXTER'S BLINDNESS

The dining car was in a simmer O.
light. The dead white of heavy linen
the opalescent glare of glassware, anG
the quiet CLEAN of silver trembled to-
gether in the swift motion of the train
Miss Baxter, who had but recently lief,
her berth, dropped into a 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 dyed ii
with coquettish gold. Then she FASTENED
to draw the curtain and throw a 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 outri ght. She
glanced down instead and fingered her
ring--his ring-while her ewes grew
misty. She wondered whether she
should have kept the ring, now that it
no longer meant anything. The CUES
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 fixedly 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.
Woods son did not speak at once. He
was noticing how her hair would tumble
down in hayward ringlets in spite of her
efforts to keep it staidly back, and how
her checks 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 Id boarded
the train in these rural precincts? I
thought you knew the cut BETTER
do you mean to say that you've been
on this train all this while-aftcr-aft
last night?' Miss Baxter asked, with
slightly heightened color.
Guessed it the first time Woodson
exclaimed, frightening. II tell YOU,
Grace, you should have gone into the
law instead of art. You'd have been
great on cross-examination."
"Nevcr mind, Mr.. Woodson, YOU
seem to forget that l prefer to make nv
own career-we've discussed that before,
however. And SO you've been on this
train ever since | havc?" she concluded
retlectively.
"A little longer, in fact. made
mistake and got here half an hour early
read the time table backward hence
the clothes. But now, see here, small
girl Woodson went on with great de-
liberation, shaking out his napkin into
his lap and gazing into the blurred blue
depth Of Miss Bakers glasses. "See
mere, now do you suppose just because a
girl jilts me-" Miss Baxter here inter
posed depreciating gesture-'yes, | |
repeat 1t. DO you suppose just because
a girl Jllts me, and have reason to be-
llevc is going to the ends of the earth to
get where she will never see me again,
that my sense of responsibility ends till |
I've seen her safely where she wants to
gos No, I've made New York uninhab-
liable for you and | shall make what
amends [ can by chaperoning you to
Colorado or kamchatka or wherever it is
you arc going. Now, what shall order
for break fast?'
Harry, you're cruel. You know Mr..
Fleming was going out there for the
color and | thought it would be good
chance to continue my outdoor work.
"Fleming? That prig. Well. Ididnt
know before that he was going. see
there is still more reason why I should
60 now-and stay"
"But forbid you doing any such fool
sh thing"
''ro tell the truth, Grace, l thought of
staying all the time-of going into some
business there
"Why, you never told me of it be-
ORE
''Well, | never thought of it till after
left you last night" Then it occurred
o me that I might go into sheep or
attic or something like that" {
"At Manitour
'Why not?" ,
'1t's summer resort
$50 much the better. I'd only want t
be there in the summer, anyhow" t
Harry, you're trifcr." J
"Well, | can peel an orange, anyhow
If you'll allow me-" Woodson ex- I
laimed, taking from her hand the one c
be was making a sad mess of. s
Harry, never can forgive you for S
DING this, Miss Baxter concluded. after il
moments contemplation of the whirl-
lg blur of green through the car win
OW. n
"Well, I never could have forgiven e
yself if I hadn't-and there it was, :" he 6
serted dispassionately, laying the pulpy, s.
'oken sphere of the orange before her. il
It is quite jaunt from Manhattan to
anitou; but one morning they OK u