The Savannah morning news., 1902-09-28
SNUBBING AN
OLD MAID.
BY EDWARD WARNER.

1t was on a train speeding westwards
from New York city, and it happened
that there were only five or six pas
sengers in the parlor car for Detroit.
One of these was a woman of 80 named
Ruth Kent, whom no one would have
taken for an old maid if she had not
been proud of the fact and ready to
announce 1t. A second was Mr..
Augustus Randolph Livingston" as
stated by his address cards. The rest
of the people in the car have nothing
to do with our story. 1t so happened
that Ruth Kent and Mr.. Augustus
And So Forth had seats opposite each
other, and they took the privilege Of
travellers and sized each other up as
soon as they got comfortably settled.
The old maids deductions were made
before the train reached Yonkers. and
when put into cold type read as fol-
lows:
Rather good-looking man, but evil
IDENTIFY struck on himself. He is not
only conceited, but selfish and calcu-
lat1ng, and there is something of the
adventurer about him. He evidently
means to ignore me. I'm well-dressed,
fairly good-looking and all alone, but
perhaps not his style. If l was some
| banana-faced girl going home from
boarding school he'd be breaking his
neck to flirt with me. l don't want
to fiirt but If he has made up his
mind that am out of it I'll bring him
to time
Mr.. Augustus And So Forth had also
made up his mind as to his vis-a-vis,
and his conclusion did her no credit.
"Only shop-keepers wife or some
body's grass-widow." was his mental
conclusion, land though she seems a
bit inclined to f1irt I'll give her the
cold snub."
Ruth Kent dropped her magazine in
the aisle between them, but Augustus
did not fall off his seat to pick it up.
Her handsatchel rolled off the seat,
but she had to lift it up herself. She
rose up and looked up and down the
car for the porter, but Augustus did
not volunteer his services. She looked
at him in a helpless way with a time
table in her hand. but he closed his
eyes as if he would sleep. 1t was
a cold, cold snub, and for half an hour
Ruth looked out of the window at the
placid waters of the Hudson and Won
dered how she could commit murder
and leave no trace of it behind. Then
her jaw suddenly "sot" and she wheeled
about and looked Augustus square be-
tween the eyes and said:
Excuse me, but do you know If
there is a dining car on this train?"
"I-cawn t-say-that- + do" he
slowly replied, and looking at her hat
instead of her face as he spoke
That was sufficient for the old maid.
She picked up her magazine and fas-
tened her eyes on q page, and in her
heart she gave Augustus the water
cure" as practiced in the Philippine
Islands on the natives-she put on the
thumb screws-she stretched him on
the rack-she burned him at the stake
and scattered his ashes to the four
winds of Heaven. The man who would
refuse to flirt with her was doomed. 1t
was the first snub she had ever re-
ceived from the male sex, and her in
dignation was so great that when the
porter came through the car and an
nounced that dinner was ready in the
dining car she took it almost as a per-
sonal insult. During the further long
hours before she landed in the station
at Detroit she never once glanced at
Augustus or realized that he was the
most infinitesimal part of the United
States, but she did Somehow manage
to realize that he also left the train
with her.
Two weeks had passed, and the old
maid had almost recovered from her
humiliation. when she attended a re-
ception one night and received a great
shock. Mr. Augustus Randolph Liv-
ingston was there and very much of a
guest In fact, he was the 1T of the
occasion, and it did not take Ruth long
to find out the reason why. Miss Sa-
die Tillman, a young lady friend Of
hers, and Augustus were engaged to
be married. The fellow passengers rec
ognized each other on sight, and when