The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1900-02-27
A RAILWAY COMEDY.
BY RICHARD oMoNRoY.

| gers have to practice regular gymnas-
tics to get aboard, and there are, there
fore, all sorts of picturesque sights to
be seen, not to speak of services to be
rendered. For the latter purpose the
best thing to do Is to stand opposite
the revolving platforms. They make
the steps at least foot higher-enough
to make one quite dizzy climbing in.
was on the lookout for pretty fellow
| traveller. / might even say that / had
| the embarrassment of choosing. 1t al
most looks as If the Western company
has the monopoly of COOL looking ticket
holders. But, alas! Not one of them
was alone Naturally avoided cavalry
officers; they all go to the terminus CT
the line. The infantry add to the
chances of a tete-a-tete, for they gen
orally get off at Courbevoie, st. Cloud
or Vile d'Avray. As to the artillery
that's risk to run. There is battery
at Suresnes, but there are two regi-
ments at Versailles as well.
/ was at this stage of perplexity
when, In one of the last of the first
class compartments, I caught sight of
pretty brunette-to be classified
among the piquante runettes--velyety
eyes, fringed with long lashes, faint
| ~ Swallowed upper lip and above the
left corner of the mouth-a souvenir of
a bygone century-a dainty little black
| patch that our gallant ancestors would
| have called killing. She wore a maize
colored bengaline bodice, trimmed with
| guipure. On her head was perched a
big hat with outspread white wings
that made her look like valkyrie-
but gay, not warlike one. Beside
her was seated large, elderly gentle
man, with big mustaches, decoration
| In his buttonhole. He had a military
air and imposing eyebrows and was
reading the paper. But, from time to
time, he raised suspicious eyes on her
the eyes of a proprietor defending his
domain-the husband, evidently.
got into the carriage and seated my
self discreetIy opposite the pair, but
| in the far corner. Although | had
made slight bow on entering, did
not have the good fortune to claim the
lady's attention. She seemed preoccu-
| pied and kept her head out of the win
dow, as If she were expecting some
! one. The mustached gentleman, how
ever, returned my bow most politely.
He was no doubt obliged to me for
having left the seat opposite him unoc-
cupied At the moment the train was
I starting a handsome blond young fell
low, carrying a brief case under his
arm, sprang inside breathlessly. He
gence with the lady and then sat down
| opposite her, knee to knee.
"Look sharp" said to myself. "This
/ is going to turn out interesting"
Naturally the big elderly man, abb
sorbed in his paper, had noticed moth
| ing. The whistle sounded, the train
started, and the fair young man, no
doubt to appear occupied, began to
turn the leaves of the voluminous doc
ument in the leather case But every
now and then he raised mis- eyes, and
then it was easy to see that the lady
with the patch smiled at him imper-
ceptibly. 1t would have been impossi-
BILE to be more imprudent, and this lit
tie maneuver, barely concealed, ran a
great risk of being discovered by the
man with the terrible eyebrows.
My soul is instinctively lenient to hui
man weaknesses, and at the bottom of
my heart l always find a secret pleas
ure on learning that the corporation of
husbands counts one more victim, So
as far as was possible | decided lo
come to the assistance of the sweet
hearts by attracting the attention of
the husband. Selling the first slight
pretext, 1 engaged him in converse
ton. As we approached Asnieres ut
tered reflection that suddenly passed
through my mind:
~To think that that bridge was cut in
tS70i What was the good Of it, pray,
with Mont valerien just oppositeT
sit was idiotic," returned the deco
rated gentleman. "At that time was
on the staff of Admiral La Ronciere
LIE Noury. You have no conception,
sir, of all the mistakes that were COM
mitted during the siege Of Paris. Just
fancy
Here the big man obligingly changed
over into the corner seat, to be nearer
me, leaving the pretty bruno opposite
the fair man. and he went on with his
course in tactics with broad gestures,
pointing out to. me the magnificent
horizon, the Seine like silver ribbon
at the foot of the green slopes of Gour-
bevoie, and, far in the background,
Paris, with its houses and it's monu-
ments, among which stood out the gi-
gantic silhouette of the Arc de Tri-
omphe, dishonored by scaffoldings, and
the gilded dome of the Inyalides.
"Remember," continued the decorat-
ed gentleman, "that we were occupy
ing the region near Clichy."
But / hardly heard him, for l saw
with terror that, profiting by my ma
neuver, our two lovers had begun to
whisper in smothered tones. The brief
was still spread out on the young mans
knees, for the looks of the thing, but it
was easy to see that he no longer even
cast glance at it. And the train sped
along. and the soldier, absorbed by his
memories. went on with his discourse
on military history that | feigned to
listen to most devoutly, SO as to draw
his attention to the left side Of the
line
We reach st. Cloud; we enter the
tunnel, and in the pitch darkness, on
my word. | would swear that I heard
the sound of a kiss. When we rush
out again into the light. cast glance
at the fair haired man. who is once
more deeply absorbed in his case.
What do make out On his left nosfril
but funny little black spot. Saprls-
tt! 1t is the patch. the killing patch.
that In a thonghtless contact has ZOOS
ened and passed from the lips of the
dark beauty to the nose Of her admlrer.
foresaw horrible tragedy. for my
tactician turned IA questioning and sus-
piclous look upon the lady. as IL he had
found something altered in her appear
ance, he hardly knew what. would
have given worlds to have been able to
1T IL