The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-12-04
The TURN OF 4 CARD.

TFrom the Chicago Record Herald.I
Dick Wood. Harvard "a but now a
rising young lawyer of salt Lake City,
was on the eastbound Union Paclnc
train, due at Cheyenne at 3 O'Clock III
abe evening He didn't look like pros
porous attorney. nor yet like a well fed
college man. for he was dressed IN cor
duroys, with red rough hunting bools'
a campaign hat and hickory shlrt.
The business Of his trip was twotold' II
you can call deer stalking business,
for he had promised to spend week
visiting Jack Loader. his clasSmate, at
Denver. and he was bent on roughlng II
for week at Kellys ranch in the foot
hills of the Elk mountains, midway be-
twene Laramie and Cheyenne
There were two or three grouchy look
ing men. a few Scandinavian emigrants,
a German woman with three children,
and q pretty young woman IN tns
car when he entered it. The last named
fascinated him, for she was exceptional
ly handsome, modest, sedate and Wen
dressed. Perhaps it WSs the loneliness
of the long ride, or perhaps It was tnat
nameless, mysterious attraction when
is miscalled affinity" but Dick hadn
more than two good looks at her pretty
face before he was yearnlng Tor some
decent excuse to accost her As he
mooned out at the flashing, snow cover
ed landscape he found himself wishing
that train robbers would stop the train,
or that the high, frail bridge would give
way, or that the flying express would
lump the track anything that might
give him a chance to say a few words
OF encourage ment-or, perhaps, to save
her
He transacted an extraordinary
amount of business with the train
butcher" because the trips forward
into the smoker gave him excuse for
passing and reDassing her. She may
have seen him, but, if so, she paid not
the slightest heed. At last he realized
that he was within 80 miles of blue
town, the station where his hunting
guide was to meet him. It was half
past six in the evening, the snow was
crowdinS down as If to Guido the fall
ing darkness. and the train was skirting
along the base of a range of Dreclp-
itcus cliffs. Suddenly the world seemed
to shake beneath the snailing train the
windows began to crack and glass to fly,
a sense Of sudden GOODNESS filled the air.
the lights went out. the train paused,
trembled and stood still
keen your seatsi" beloved the
brakeman. rushing in with a lantern
Its a snowslidel No harm donei"
Dick rushed forward to reassure the
object of his whole DAYS thought, bu-
when he saw her by the dim glow of the
lamp, calmly munchins an apple. his
heart failed and the words froze on his
li7s. He went back and forth through
the car, helped the crew dig a tunnel
through the platform area, went into
the buffet and helped some of the pas
sengers male way with the fast disap-
pearing ratiOns. He had a good lunch
and a Quart Of bourbon packed in his
grip. but tat was for consumption en-
route to the ranch. which was a good
nights ride from the railroad As he
was going hack into his car he met her
coming gracefully through toward the
buffet car But pretty soon she came
back, frowning quite fercely and biting
her lin when the butcher boy came
through she STEPPED him, and Dick
heard her ask him if he had any apples.
any bananas, any anything that a Chris
tan could cat. No. He was sold out,
be said. There wasn't a peanut left.
Here was Dicks chance.
Have yot1 had anything to eat,
niss?' he asked, respectfully raising his
has-
mo, sir. she snapped. and then gaz-
Ing out the window added thank you"
I'm afraid I've been one of the many
selfish, thoughtless men on the train. l
think / helped eat up what little they
had in the buffet Would you like a
sandwich" Her eyes frightened at this
and her pretty lips looked moister and
redder as she said with vain effort to
freeze him:
There aren't any sandwiches I've
tried. No coffee, no bread even. So I'm
in for it"
He said no more. but going back to