Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-01-05
Harrington entered the train 1t Ell Paso.

~, FhIDAY, JAN UARY
Harrington entered the train at Ell Paso
Ine girl was there already. The only
mark on her traps was a silver tap strap.
pea to her satchel, and Harrington had
not been able to get within reading dis
lance of it. He had tried hard enough
Neither had he been able to screw up his
courage to the point of questioning the
conductor. He did not believe in dis
cussing women with the first conner. So
ne put his feet up on the opposite seat
and leaned back and watched the boucles
1oiles, and noted how prettily her. skin
nusned, and what a nice shadow her
lashes made on her cheeks, Life would
nave been a far p~leasanter thing if he
could have talked to- her.
The prospect beyond the cinder guard
was so monotonous. That, Of course, is
putting 1T very much more mildly thar
Harrington did. Ben Bolt" began to
rAn in his head; which is bad enough in
itself, but when it times itself to the
te-fumpety-rur1p. te-rumpety-rump, te-
ru~mp-ety-rump Of the wheels, is enough
10 drive a sober man to drink. The only
reason Harrington did not drink now was
because he had already had one bottle
q beer, and he was afraid of the opinion
OF the girl. Besides, it flushed his face.
And trembled with . . tears . . at . . 4.
your :. frown"-the wheels were
turning more slowly. There was that
ugly. hush OF uncertainty, of interruption
in the natural sequence of things that
tails when a train slows down in the
midst OF the prairie. The sensation Of
dying must be rather like it. The train
stopped and the air-brake Kissed. Then
all was a silence that let YOU hear the
blood running in your veins, until there
was the crunch OF footsteps on the Gin
ders beside the track.
Harrington put up his window and
looked out. A group of men STOPPING
o a wheel of the forward car, and the
the story. 1t was a hot box. Harring-
ton said Damn it!' and drew in his
mead. Pretty o he got up and put on
his hat and loitered out. When he had
Joined the group he glanced along at his
car. The girl was leaning out of her
He felt that in a time of en-
Urgency one should not handle a situation
a la Solners or Peter Gray. He put his
hands in his pockets, which is always the
way you show that you are just being
casual and off-hand and making no par
tlcuiar point of it, and sauntered back
along the cinder> bed until he stood be-
meath her window. Then he raised his
hat and told her it was a hot box. She
said, THANK you, very much" and hoped
y "oNAN " AVIoy lIlCIIl, LIE was sweet
and civil about it, but it was borne IN
upon him. for all that, that it would not
be expected of him to continue the con-
versation. land Peter takes the north
again; and Somers takes the SOUTH" he
as he continued on down to
ask the conductor how long they would
to stop, and lighted a cigarette. The
did not know. Harrington went
back into the train thoroughly disguised
with everything.
He flung himself into Section 6 with
a sigh that could be heard in Section .,
and looked out disconsolately over the
so dull II dreary to those Who
see 1t with dull land dreary eyes. The
air went In heat waves so that the
seemed to culver, and the whole
prospect was vile. He sat up and
pressed the electric button. The bell
fairly pealed in the silence, r~everberated
to the horizon. The girl started and
looked away from the window. Harring-
ton told the porter to bring him some
iced beer. The girl was watching him
in the mirror. 1t was the first time she
had paid the smallest attention to him
He caught her eye-and, perhaps she did
smile, but it was not quite a stony
stare either. He felt encouraged. And
to the extent Of ordering another
glass, and filling it, and taking it to Sec
ton 2. Might he Offer She looked
but also uncertain.
tits awfully cold and nice.'
She reached out a hesitating hand and
yet more pinkly at the reckless
.brazenness of it. She raised her glass and
harrington raised his hat and said
Howl"
Then both stopped with the cup at
their very lips, and there was an inter-
of sound which her eyes filled with
beautiful light.
SVKyH,, l:lx,4 49,. an .o,, Il =.
care you"-he began.
Eyes. OF course. My fathers Major
Hill. l might have known you were, too,
If l had seen yOur academy button
you never took the trouble to look at
Harrington suggested; Pm Har-
of the 4th. 1 came on from
II am going to the Presidio."
Harrington was going to the Preside,
too. By virtue Of all of which he went
back to his section, and got the beer bot
lie, and sat himself down in Section 2
it beside him on the window edge.
The old Indian salutation was password
10 the n of friendship. BY virtue Of
It they had known each other and all
eech others friends and traditions for
nalf a. century at least.
1--WE been down to Bliss on a court
martial" Harrington explained. Where
you been?"
1--WE been east at school. It's very fun
ny, isn't it? We might not have known
me another until we had both reached the
post. And we are in the same regiment,
700. What year were your"
He slipped off his class ring and held |
t out to her. She studied it intently.
"Ninety-seven. Then you are a second
altogether at your service. Why the
lickens didn't we divine this sooner? It's
oeen horribly dull-thiS heastlx desert -