Middletown transcript., 1893-05-13
ON THE TRAIN.

QlScuSSiOu gong va
"No, no l engaged private cou
partment, and must have IL" saiu
silvery feminine voice.
81 cannot give it to you, madam, 10
there is not one on the train," replle'
the gnard.
uBnt I wrote and ordered it.
.Yonr letter was not received"
.sPut on another carriage, then.
.That is impossible; We are just go
ing 10 start-be quick. There are TWO
seats here. :"
SIN therep"
Eyes, madam"
A small, dark head appeared Tor an
instans in the doorway of the compart'
ment, and was suddenly Withdrawn.
Then a startled voice exclaimed
"There are two gentlemen in therel''
"Very well, madam; l cannot give
you a whole carriage to yourself"
"Then shall not go at ALL"
sAs you please. The train is just
going"
"Wait. wait; I am obliged to go
now. AS there is absolutely no other
place. I-but can have private CON-
partment when I get to the next
.statiOn?"
Certainly, madam"
"You will telegraph for it?"
Yes, madam.
a'Y0u prOmiseY''
~.Yes. -
The door opened again, and the same
head appeared, surrounded by sort of
halo of parcels. wraps, etc.; lady
stepped into the compartment, whistle
blew and we were off. The other gen.
tlemau politely rose and took the place
next to me, so as to leave the whole
side opposite US for the new conner.
She did not vouchsafe glance to
either of us, however, for she was
breathless and flushed with indignation,
and she was no sooner seated than she
began to arrange her satchels and
parcels with all the haste usually dis
played by people having long journey
before them. She had a satchel, an
other satchel, and still another, and a
bundle of railway rugs.
watched her proceedings out of the
corner of my eye. and a single glance
at her face told me that she WAS young
aud extremely pretty. The discovery
pleased me not little, it is much more
agreeable to travel sitting opposite a
pretty woman than an ugly onel
: 1t was very cold and the fair traveller
wrapped rug around her and gazed
out obstinately at the winter landscape,
the other passenger took some official
looking documents out Of his portfolio
and examined them, while pretended
to be absorbed in my newspapers.
AT 11.30 O'Clock we reached Laroche,
and as soon as The train stopped the
gentleman gathered up his papers, rose,
bowed and left us. The lady went to
tile door and asked the station master,
in an anxious tone:
"Have you been telegraphed from
Paris iOr private compartment"
"Yes, madam, and have already
sent the order on"
"Ohl What do you mean? 1 wait
it now."
''Impossible, madam. We have no
car, iages here, but you can get one at
Lyons"
"What time will that beP"
"Five forty-five."
'The whole dayi / cannot stay in
his carriage until then-I cannot, >and
I will not"
"Be careful, madam, the train is
And the train started She went
back to her seat indignant and without
looking at me. began reading my
paper again, but could not fix my
thoughts upon the news. / read the
same line over twenty times without
knowing what it contained-I have no
doubt that 1 held the paper upside
down most of this time. My fellow
traveller was distractiDgly pretty, and l
longed to enter into conversation with
her, but / did not know how to manage
The matter. She was a lady, l knew,
and I racked my brain for some original
remark with which to break the ice.
It was all in vain. Nothing occurred
10 me except the weather, and that 1
[ was still wondering, when the
rain came to sudden halt, and
guard called out:
'tTonnerrei twenty-five minutes
FOR lunchl'
My vis-a-vis rose, put off her rugs,
aid them on the seat and got off the !
rain. 1t was noon, and she was pro-
Dably famished. She went to the |
buffet at the left side of the station,
and I followed her.
] had leisure admire her graceful
igure which was clad in long cloak
with otter. observed also
hat she wore a gray felt hat on her
very black hair, and that she had very
,mall feet.
rushed into the restaurant with the
rest of the passengers, disheveled,
lusty, excited throug, and began eating
whatever was put before me. Ny fel-
was seated at a separate |
able, drinking bouillon. As soon as
lad finished / strolled about and |
Imoked a cigarette. The allotted
twenty-five minutes we're Slipping by,
md the passengers began to return to
he train. l went to my place, and
'ound that the lady had not yet come
lack, lack aaHid eeH lleekiRg eat of The v nindnW
l