The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-10-08
travelling with her father and mother. I

what they talk bout. It's mostly some
foh'en language. TIL young lady allus
speaks American to me. but tn old folks
CANT talk 1t yer well. They all been to
Frisco. an the hired hep they's got with
en- say they been TO Mexico. too. IN
young lady's got good American dollahs'
don care wha' she's been. She allus smiles
when she ask me 10 DO anythin', an |
wouldn' care if she nevah tipped me 5
long as she smiles thataway-
Servants with them. you say?
"Yas. sub: man an woman. mex section
t'other side the ole folks CANT say morn
fifteen words I'm American. TIL woman is
huh maid, an the man he's tn gen'ral hust-
Ter fer tn hull panty
And you don't know her name?"
NO, sub; an | CANT yer well fin out"
"In what part of Europe does she live?''
Australia. l think, sub"
You mean Austria
"Do /? 'Scuse ma ig'nance. I was jis'
guessin' at it anyhow; one. places as good
as mother ovah thuh. | reckon"
Have you one of those dollars she gave
| you?"
Yes, sub. Hens a coin that ain Amehi-
can, but she say it's with seventy cents in
our money. It's a foh'en piece. She tell me
to keep it till 1 went ovah to huh country;
then could have a high time with it
that's what she says-'a high time'-an'
smiled kind o. KNOWN like"
Let me see that coin.' said Lorry. Gag
erly taking the silver piece from the por-
ter's hand. 81 never saw one like it before.
Greek it looks to me, but 1 can't make a
thing out of these letters. She gave it to
your
"Yas, uh-las evenin'. y high time on
seventy cents! That's reediculous, amt it?''
demanded the porter scornfully.
III give YOU a dollar for it. You can
have a higher time on that"
The odd little coin changed owners imme-
Giately. and the new pGssessor dropped it
into his pocket with the inward conviction
that he was the silliest fool in existence.
After the ~porter's departure he took the
coin from his pocket, and, with his back to
the door, his face to the window, studied it's
lettering.
During the afternoon he strOlled about
the train, his hand constantly juggling the
coins. He passed her compartment several
times. yet refrained from looking in. But
he wondered if she saw him pass.
At one little station a group of Indian
bear hunters created considerable interest
among the passengers. GTenfall was down
at the station platform at once, looking
over a great stack of game. As he left the
car he met Uncle Caspar, who was hurry
ing toward his niece's section. a few mo-
ments later she came down the steps, fol-
lowed by the d~isnified old gentleman. Gren-
fall tinsled with a strange delight a. she
moved quite close to his side in her desire
to see. Once he glanced at her face; there
was a pretty look of fear in her eyes as she
surveyed the massive bears and the stark,
stin antelopes. But she laughed as she
turned away with her uncle.
Grenfall was smoking his cigarette and
vigorously jingling the coins in his pocket
when the train pulled out. Then he swung
on the car steps and found himself at her
feet. She was standing at the top, where
she had fingered a moment There was an
expression of anxiety in her eyes as he
looked up into them, followed instantly by
one of relief. Then she passed into the car.
She had seen him swing upon the moving
steps and had feared for his safetv-had
shown in her glorious face that she was glad
he did not fall beneath the wheels. Doubtless
she would have been as solicitous had he
been the porter or the brakeman, he rea-
soned, but that she had noticed him at all
80
pleased him.
At Abilene he bought the Kansas City
newspapers. After breakfast he found a
seat IN the observation car and settled him
self TO read. Presently some one took a seat
behind him. He did not look back, but un-
concernedly cast his eyes upon the broad
mirror in the opposite car wall. Instantly
he forgot his paper. She was sitting within
five feet of him, a book In her lap. her gaze
bent briefly on the fitting buildings outside.
He studied the reflection furtiyely until she
took W the book and began to read. Up to
this time he had wondered why some nom
sensical idiot had wasted looking glasses on
the walls of a railway coach; now he was
thinking of him as a far-sighted man.
The first page of his paper was fairly
alive with fresh and important dispatches.
chiefly foreign. At length, after allowing
himself to become really interested in a
Paris dispatch Of some international conse-
quence, he turned his eyes again to the
mirror. She was leaning slightly forward.
holding the open book in her lap, but read
ing. with straining eyes, an article i'm the
paper he held.
He calmly turned to the next page and
looked leisurely over it. Another glance.
quickly taken, showed TO him q disap-
pointed frown on the pretty face and a re-
luctant resumption of novel reading. \ few
moments later he turned back to the first
page, holding the paper in such a position
that she could not see, and, full of curl
osity, read every line of the foreign news.
wondering what had interested her.
Under ordinary circumstances Lorry
would have offered her the paper. and
thought nothing more of it. With her, how
ever. there was an air that made him hest
tate. He felt strangely awkward and mex
perienced beside her; precedents did not
seem to count. lie arose. tossed the paper
over the back of the chair. as if casting it
aside forever, and strolled to the opposite
window and looked out for a few moments.
iingling his coins carelessly. The jingle of
the pieces suggested something else TO him.
His paper still hung invitingly. upside
down, as he had left it, on the chair. and
the lady was porting over her novel. As he
passed her he drew his right hand from his
pocket and a piece of money dropped to the
floor at her feet. Then began an embar-
raised search for the coin-in the wrong
direction, of course. He knew precisely
where il had rolled. but purposely looked
under the seats on The other side of the car.
She drew her skirts aside and assisted i'm
the search. Four different times he saw the
little piece of money. but did not pick it up.
Finally. laughing awkwardly. he began to
search on her side OF the car. Whereupon