The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1898-02-16
4 Song Without Words.*

She sits near the window, looking out upon
the broad expanse Of prairie covered with
deep snow.
She is dressed In tightly fitting travel
ing suit Of gray broadcloth, with high
collar Of dark, rough cloth. Her hat is a
dainty little make up Of black velvet and
graceful feathers. A small cluster Of
white lace. peeping out from beneath the
crown, lends a soft light to her calm
countenance and deepens the shade Of her
dark auburn hair. Her wistful eyes of
such deep, intense blue that in certain
lights they seem almost black.
She has thrown her sea!Skin cloak on her
seat in front of her. where also rests her
satchel and a large box Of candy. By her
side lies novel openwise, and on the VIM
dow sill a bunch Of violets.
She is thoughtful. and the dismal land
scape she gazes upon serves neither to
dampen nor reanimate her spirits, for she
sees it not; and it is all one to her whether
the train be snowbound or speeding swiftly
on toward its destination. Her mind is
filled with other images and impressions.
The gay season which Lent had just ended
so cruelly-its balls and it's theaters, its
teas and receptions these hold her
thoughts. Her cOnquests. her social
triumphs-the homage she has won from
the me1 and the envy she has evoked from
the women-are the subject of the many
pictures that fit before her mind. And
now she IS leaving all these hOmeWard
bound where there await her sackcloth
and ashes, and fasting and prayer. What
a change! She picks up the novel mechan-
ically-reads page, and then begins star
ing blankly at the last line, for the sound
or the two step rings in her ears and
the whirl of the dance is before her again.
He boards the train at Helena. AS he
passes UP the aisle he casts a careless
glance at the form Of the young lady. who
Wit dot ,t1 ha, al to- Lnr foo,
had long since fallen asleep. He Shrug5
his shoulders and passes on to the seat
directly in front Of the fair slumberer
Here. after the porter has deposited his
luggage, he begins to make himself COM
Portable. He removes his great coat
hrangs his hat on the rack draws a paper
from his pocket, sits down, and begins
thinking.
well, here I am at last. 1t will be a
deuced long time before I'll see any of the
girls of Helena again. l wonder what this
one behind me looks like, Not much for
beauty, I'll wager otherwise she wouldn't
have covered up her face. Girls are queer
creatures, anyway.
He stretches himself out in the seat,
opens his paper, and begins reading just
as the young lady awakens with start.
She snatches the handkerchief from her
eyes and looks about her in half dazed
fashion. Seeing the top of the new Corners
Then consulting her watch:
Half past 2! All! l understand; we must
have passed through Helena while l was
asleep. How stupid of me. He boarded the
train there, l suppose. l wonder what ne
looks like. Horrd of him to show nothing
but the top of his head above the back Of
that seat l do know something about
palmisrry, but phrenology, pshaw! He's
keeping mighty still; wonder if he's gone
to sleep. No; there's the corner of "a pa
per. He's reading about the brutal prize
fight. I'm sure; men are such hOrrid crea-
tures!':
She picks up the novel and turns the
leaves languidly.
He rests the paper on his knee and lis
tens.
"Humph! awake at last and reading that
yelOw-covered literature l saw on the
seat by her side. The Duchess, or Sarah
Grand! Sweet stories, so full Of feeling
pathos.' they say. great deal better IL
they'd read cook books and learn how to
cook a piece Of meat a man can eat
it. Humph! 1 asked Miss Milicent the
other night how she'd broil a piece of
beefsteak, and she shrugged her white
shoulders. looking knowingly, and retorted:
Why, I'd put it in a frying pan. add a
lump of lard the size of my bonbOnniere,
and wait until it got done Great Scott.
think of a beefsteak broiled in lard. And
yet this Miss Millicent could tell in
Thorne,' mimic The Heavenly Twins and
reel off by the yard quotations from
"Trilby.' l should like to what this
girl looks like, though.
He clasps his hands behind his head.
She lowers the moved and
"Well there's an addition. They are right
large-nals we'll kept gentlemanly instinct.
Finger ends Observation-Disclosures. Large
knuckles-manual labor. Pshaw! how am
to tell anything about him from his nails
and his knuckes? How stupid of me to
sleep SO long,!
She removes her hat and SmOOthS back
her hair.
Il look like a fright, I'm sure. There.
he's stirring"
She seizes the novel and immedia tely be-
comes absorbed.
He sits up. ''Tantalzng. I've just got
to see what she looks like; that's all there
is about it. I'll rise and take that news
paper from my overcoat pocket"
He rises and, as he reaches for the
paper, carelessly looks down the aisle.
She lowers the book and quite uncon-
cernedly looks up.
Their eyes meet for d second then he sits
down
Cad, shes as fine as silk"
My, isn't he lovely.
What a fOrm!'
How tall and dark, and manly!'
Fine color. Wonder If it's natural?"
II would love to know who he is. Those
checkered trousers are d little loud
She's as cold as an iceberg, though, I'll
bet"
He'll be speaking 10 me next. I'll have
to be very clrcumspect."
Il wonder if she's we'll supplied with
magazines and periodicals? l have several
in my Satchel.
He does not seem to be so nice, but we
can't always tell; men are so deceitful'
Well we'll. 1 believe I'm going to have a
right pleasant trip il spite of the weather
I'm getting devlish hungry, though I'll
just stroll into the dining car"
There, he's getting up again. I do be-
Iieve he's coming back here to offer me
that paper. Such impudence."
He passes down the aisle. Cad, she
looks as naughty as a queen. Do believe
she thought l was going to speak to her
Queer creatures. women. And he goes
into the dining
She colapses. Dear me- he didn't sneak
to me after all He would have only I
looked so indfferent-that l know. l must
be very circumspect Men will take advan-
tage of the least thing.
The next morning the snow has ceased
falling, and the sun Is shining with great
warmth There is certain languor on
her cheek as She sits across the car wait
ting for the porter to make up her BERTH
He is there, too, looking thoughtfuly out
Of the window.