Evening star., 1902-04-19
DIDN'T HEAR A WORD

There were plenty Of vacant seats up for
ward in the open car, but the hatchet-
faced woman with the baggy umbrella and
the faded reticule didn't want to see them.
The conductor with his hand on the bell
strap. motioned her with the other hand
to one Of the forward seats, but she didn't
want to see the conductor either. So she
deposited herself and her baggy umbrella
and her faded reticule in the next-to-the-
last seat. alongside a short, squat man
with bristly reddish mustache and a fixed
stare right ahead. This individual was
putting industriously on a raveled, pale
olive-hued cigar, that gave forth eccentric
clouds Of brownish smoke that looked as II
1t might be issuing from a burning-out
fiue.
No sooner had she taken her seat than
the hatchet-faced woman began to glare
at the man with the freak smoke. The
man. however, kept right at his work of
pulling. never seemingly taking his eyes
from the back of the motorman's neck,
straight ahead
man. when she found that her glares
weren't relieving the situation any "Ugh!'
The man with the eccentric fumer pulled
harder than ever, and continued to regard
the back of the motormans neck as If fas
cinated by that spectacle.
Some folks manners, II / must say it!'
snapped the woman with the baggy UNI
brel!a. wrfggling in her seat and continu-
ing to direct vitriolic glares at the reddish
mustached man.
The latter removed the cigar from his
mouth, gazed at ii in a contemplative, af-
fectionate sort of way, dampened some of
the many loose ends of the thing with
forefinger, replaced it In his mouth and
continued to fill the air with deep-brown
smoke
mo more respeck for ladies than so
Of 'nro 7 do 6aoIo oraf
exclaimed the hatchet-faced woman. fetch
ing the ferrule of her bulgy umbrella down
on the car floor with a bang.
The Squatty man with the piece of burn
Ing, raveled rope, crossed his legs and con-
tinued to smoke with great obvious enjoy
ment, although he was still interested in
the general contour of the motorman' 8
neck.
BLOWN their filthy see-gar smoke right
in the faces O. ladies old enough to be their
mothers, an never so much as apologizn'
neethe " went on the woman with the
faded reticule, while the other men in the
rear seats, none of whom happened to be
smoking, snckered and glanced at each
other grinningly.
But the man with the hempen article only
redampened some more of the loose ends Of
his smoke and then went on pulling on it
with even more enjoyment than before
AN y might jes' as well talk t. some
swine as I could tell Of as t. so many cob
blestones." continued the hatchet-f faced
and putting 1t back there with Jolt
The conductor happened to be passing on
the sideboard just then, and he smiled as
ne said In courteous tone to the hatchet-
faced woman:
Lady, these seats are reserved for smok-
ers-move up in front at the next stop and
you won't be bothered"
The woman with the buIgy umbrella shot
the conductor a look of the most over
whelming scorn as she made reply:
1hey amt no sich thing reservin' no
seats on no cars nowheres for hogs. an you
know it. young man, as well as l do!'
The conductor shrugged his shoulders and
passed on forward.
But the man with the blazing bit Of
cauliflower had never turned his head
either to right or left during this colloquy,
nor mad he given the slightest indication
by any expression of his face that he was
even aware of what was going on.
IN very idee o ladies bein' asst t change
the1r seats in cars f'r tn sake O. lettin'
common. everyday cattle make noosarces
themselves' shifted the hatched-f faced
woman.
Just at that moment a man with a sin
gularly plastic countenance climbed into
the vacant seat on the Other size Of the
man with the raveled smoke The two
recognized each other Instantly, and in
stantly they began a quick exchange of con-
Versatlon-With their hands. deftly and
swiftly going through the ever-intarestins
and ever-mystifying language of TIE r,utes
Ihe expression that swept over the sharp
features of the woman with the baggy um-
brella could never be lesc .ibad
We'll. l swan!-he never heeard word
said! she calculated, and then she
slgnaled the conductor to stop the car at
the next crossing and there del arkcd
while the men in the rear seats chrckled
aloud ana the two mutes went on. all un-
hands. "