The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-10-12

him l could not so condescend? Besides,
dueling is murder in your country, 1 am
told
1T usually is. sir. Much more so than in
Europe" The others looked at him inquir-
ingly. II mean that in America when two
men pull their revolvers and go to shooting
at each other. some one is killed-frequently
both. In Europe. as 1 understand it, a
scratch with a sword ends the combat
You have been misinformcd," exclaimed
Uncle Caspar, his eyebrows elevated.
why. Uncle Caspar has fought more
duels than he can count cried the girl.
proudly.
And has he slain his man every timer"
asked Grenfall, smilingly. glancing from
one to the other. Aunt Yvonne shot a re-
proving look at the girl, whose face paled
instantly, her eyes going quickly in alright
to the face Of her uncle.
Cod Lorry heard the old gentleman
mutter. He was looking at his bill of fare,
but his eyes were fixed and staring. The
card was crumpling between the long, bony
fingers. The American realized that a for
hidden topic had been touched upon.
III has fought and he has slain he
thought as quick as a flash. III is no
butcher, no gardener. no cobbler. That's
certain"
"Tel us, Uncle Caspar, what YOU said TO
the conductor" cried the young lady. nerv-
ously.
Tell them. Caspar, how alarmed we
were" added the soft-voiced Aunt Yvonne.
Grenfall was a silent, interested spectator.
lie somehow felt as If a scene from some
tragedy had been reproduced in that brief
est of moments. Calmly and composedly, a
half smile now in his face. the s~oldierly
Caspar narrated the story of the trains run
from one station to the other.
did not miss you until we had almost
reached the other station. Then your Aunt
Yvonne asked me where you had gone. L
told her / had not seen you, but went into
the coach ahead to search. You were not
there. Then L went on to the dining car.
Ach, you were not there. In alarm 1 re-
turned to our car. Your aunt and l looked
everywhere. You were not anywhere. L
shall never forget your aunt's face when
she sank into a chair, nor shall l feel again
so near like dying as when she suggested
that you might have fallen from the train.
L sent Hedrick ahead to summon the con-
ductor, but he had hardly left us when the
engine whistled sharply and the train be-
gan to slow up in a jerky fashion. We were
very pale as we looked at each other, for
something told us that the stop was un-
usual. l rushed to the platform meeting
Hedrick. who was as much alarmed as L.
He said the train had been tagged, and
that there must be something wrong. Your
aunt came out and told me that she had
made a strange discovery"
Grenfall observed that he was addressing
himself exclusively to the young lady.
"She had found that the gentleman in the
next section was also missing. While we
were standing there in doubt and perplex-
ity, the train came to a standstill, and soon
there was shouting on the outside. L climbed
down from the car and saw that we were
at a little station. The conductor came
running toward me excitedly.
is the young lady in the carp he asked.
mo. For heavens sake, what have you
heard?' l cried.
Then she must have been left at
o. he exclaimed, and used some very
extraordinary American words.
Il then informed him that he should run
back for you, first learning that you were
alive and well. He said he would be damned
if he ~would-pardon the word, ladies. He
was very angry, and said he would give
orders to go ahead, but / told him | would
demand restitution of his government. He
laughed in my face, and then L became
OlidlilClCoSiy dHSiSs Il dlu ~ uill.
Sir, L shall call you down-not out, as
you have said-and | shall run you through
the mill
That was good American talk, sir, was
it not, MIR. Lorry? l wanted him to under
stand me. so 1 tried to use your very best
language. Some gentlemen who are trayel-
ing on this train and some very excellent
ladies also Joined in the demand that the
train be held. His dispatch from o
said that you, Mr.. LOrry, insisted on hav-
ing it held for twenty minutes The con-
ductor insulted you, sir. by saying that you
had more-ah, what is it?-gall than any
idiot he had ever seen. When he said that.
although l did not fully understand that it
was a reflection on you, so ignorant am |
of your language, 1 took occasion to tell
him that you were a gentleman and a friend
OF mine. He asked me your name. but. as 1
did not know it, l could only tell him that
he would learn ii soon enough. Then he
said something which has puzzled me ever
since. He told me to close my face. What
did he mean by that. Mr.. Lorry?"
We'll, Mr.. Gdggenslocker, that means, in
refined American, stop talking " said Lor-
ry. controlling a desire to shout.
Zach, that accounts for his surprise when
l talked louder and faster than ever. l did
not know what he meant. He said positively
he would not wait, but just then a second
message came from the other station. did
not know what it was then, but a gentle
man told me that it instructed him to hold
the train if he wanted to hold his Job. Job
is situation, is it not? Well. when he read
that message he said he would wait lust
twenty minutes. L asked him to tell me how
you were coming to us, but he refused to
answer. Your aunt and l went at once to
the telegraph man and implored him to tell
us the truth, and he said you were coming
in a carriage over a very dangerous road.
Imagine our feelings when he said some
people had been killed yesterday on that
very road. He said you would have to drive
like the-the very devil if you got here in
twenty minutes"
w did, Uncle Caspar," interrupted Miss
Guggenslocker, naively. Our driver fol-
lowed Mr.. LOrry's Instructions"
Mr.. Grenfall Lorry blushed and laughed
awkwardly. He had been admiring her
eager face and expressive eyes during Uncle
Caspar's recital. How sweet her voice when
it pronounced his name, how charming the
foreign flavor TO the words.
He would not have understood if l
had said other things" he explained, has
lilly.
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