Waterbury Democrat., 1901-04-08

recruit car had been treated to lib-. eral hbations from the water-tank, and the belated train again moved on.
 Dinner had been ready in the din- ing-car a full hour, but so long as the sickening smell of burning waste arose from the trucks immediately in front very few of the passengers seemed capable of eating. The car. as consequence, was crowded to- wards eight o'clock, and the steward and walters were busy men.
 The evening air, drifting in through open windows, was cooler than it had been during the day, but still held enough of the noontideN caloric to make fans comfort, and MT. Stuyvesant, dining at fourth hand'' table we'll to the front, and attempting to hold his own in q somewhat desultory talk with his fe11ow-men, found himself paying far more attention to the lovely face of the girl across the aisle than to the viands set before him.
 She was seated facing the front and opposite the austere maiden previously mentioned. Conversation had already begun, and now Stuyve. sant was able to see that, beautiful in feature as was her face in repose it's beauty was far enhanced when animated and smiling.
 When to welI-nigh perfect external | features there is added the charm o1 fau1tless1y even and snowy teeth and a smile that illumines the entire face, shining in the eyes as it plays about the pretty, sensitive mouth, a young woman is fully equipped for con- l quest.
 Stuyvesant gazed in fascination un. comfortable. He envied the prim. precise creature who sat unbending. severe, and, even while keeping up a semblance of interest in the conyer. sation, seemed to feel it a duty to display disapprobation of such youth. ful charms.
 No woman is so assured that beauty is only skin deep as she who has none of it. Her manner, there fore, had been decidedly stiff, and from that had imperceptibly ad- vanced to condescension, but when the steward presently appeared with a siphon of iced seltzer, and, lowing deferentially, said he hoped every thing was to Miss Rays liking, and added that it seemed long time since they had seen the captain and supposed he must be colonel now, the thin eyebrows of the tall maiden were uplifted into little arches that paralle1ed the furrows of her brow as she inquired:
 Miss Ray?-from Fort Leaven. ;worth?"
 The answer was smiling nod oi assent as the younger lady buried her lovely, dark face in the flowers set before her by assiduous waiter, and Stuyvesant felt sure she was trying to control. an inclination to laugh.
 t.Wel1, you must excuse me if l have been lttle-s1ow," said the elder in evident perturbation.. "You see-we meet such queer people trav- cling Don't you find it sop
 The dark face was dimplng now with suppressed merriment.
 "Yes-occasionaIy," was the smil- ing answer.
 "But then, being the daughter of an army officer pursued the other, burriedly, t'you have to travel a great deal. I suppose you really have no homer" she essayed in the half-hopeful tone to be expected of one who considered that being so endowed by nature must suffer some compensatory discomforts.
 'Yes and-no," answered Miss Ray, urbanely. "In one sense we army girls have no home. In another, we have homes everywhere"
 It is reproach in the eyes of cer- tain severe moralists that a fellow being should be so obviously content with his or her lot. The elder wom- an seemed to feel it duty to ac- quaint this beaming creature with the manifest deficiency in her moral makeup
 "Yes, but should think most any one would rather have real, home, a place where they weren't bounden to anybody, no matter if it was hum bly, (She called it ''humbly," and associated it in mind with the words of Payne's immortal song.) Now, when I went to see Col. Ray about our society, he told me he. had to. break up everything, going to Cuba. but he didn't mention about your going west"
 Father was little low in his mind that day." said Miss Ray, shade of sadness passing over her face. Both my brothers are in the service, and one is barely IT.
 ''Out at service!" interrupted the other. You don't mean"
 'sNo," was the laughing answer, and in. Miss Rays enjoyment of the situation her eyes came perilously near seeking those of Mr. Stuyve- sant, which she we'll knew were fixed upon her. T mean that both are in the army
 ..Well --I thought not - still - I didn't know. It's all rather new to me, this dealin' with soldiers, but l suppose I'll get to know all about it after q spell. Our society's getting much encouraged"