The Savannah morning news., 1903-11-22

mode Of passing time impractical. SO
| with his hands thrust deep into his
| pocket and storm raging in his
heart, the senior member of Carleton
& Strange tried to plan out some
marvellous financial coup which would
repay him for these hours of inaction.
The agent, coughing slightly and
STOPPING more than ever, opened his
door, lighted smoky lamp and said
alphabetically:
There amt goin' to be a train
either way for some time. An that
bein' the case, / guess I'll go over to
the house an get bite of supper. It's
against the rules for me to leave folks
| sittin' here. but guess rules'll have
to be broke this time. If you need
more coal before l come back, there's
plenty in the shed over by the freight
house."
Then he was gone and with a gasp,
Lucy Danforth realized that she was
alone with this desperate character
who had tried to inveigle her into an
elopement, or an unconventional jaunt
into the heart of New Yorks noun
famous region, or-or some other
| desperate thing. Lucy's ideas on the
subject was a bit vague. She had
heard of just such cases, desperate
men, foolish, inexperienced girls-but
she-well, if she was inexperienced, no
| handsome, if desperate, Lochinvar
But looking at him by the dim light
| of the one lamp, she began to think
| that he was not so desperate after all.
! And he was shivering, away off there
in the corner. 1t was selfish of her to
corner what little heat radiated from
| the stove.
81 think" she said timidly, that you
would be more comfortable if you came
| nearer the stove"
with your kind permission" he said
| formally, and drew his chair forward
so slowly that she did not dream how
he welcomed the opportunity to share
the heat with her.
This stove is not large enough to
| heat such a big room,'' she suggested.
! Hardly" he replied grimly as a
reminiscent shiver ran down his spine.
| Then he turned his undivided attention
| to another poster showing a cow done
in seven colors. His uncolnmunicative-
ness irrtated her. She decided that
| conversation, even with a desperado,
was better than this moody silence.
| She looked at his clean-cut features.
They did bear a slight resemblance to
| those of her friend, Grace Carleton.
| And it must be true about his having
| made a dead rush for the train in Chi
cago for she caught sight of his dane
ing shoes beneath the rough tweed
| trousers. Last, but not least to Lucy
| the charm on Cartoons fob bore the
emblem of the Mystic Shrine.
What gave you the idea of passing
yourself off as Jack Carleton?" she
asked suddenly.
Possibly the fact that I am Jack
| Carleton" he answered shortly. "And
being an honest man, am not asham-
ed of my name. 1 never supposed you
would treat me like criminal nor
| question my motives"
but Mr.. Carleton had beard"
when you knew me, yes. That was
one of the follies of my youth. Then
he burst forth in all his pent-up in
| dignation. How in time could have
| known who you were, where you were
going or anything else about you, if 1
hadn't received that telegram from
! Grace? And do you suppose that des-
peradoes jump off of Pullmans, leav-
ing luggage and overcoat behind, to
capture maidens in distress-even if the
maidens are pretty"
Lucy Danforth blushed. The last
| phrase was so obviously conciliatory
and intended to offset the sharpness
of the words which had preceded it.
"Well-perhaps-I was a bit silly,
but then you know I am not New
! Yorker, and do not rise quickly to the
situation"
Conversation Ianguished again.
|
sense of having been misunderstood,
and Lucy under the equally uncom-
| Portable sense of having made mis-
take for which she could not ade-
| quately apologize. 1t was hardly an
suspicious beginning to the friendship
which she had sincerely desired to es-
tablish with Grace's brother. A busy
| man. always away when she had made
her flying visits to the Carleton home,
she had heard just enough about him
to feel a piquant interest in this
Thanksgiving meeting.
The station agent returned, bring
ing with him a faint odor of fried
ham. He threw some coal on the
fire. and passing into the cubby hole.
conducted a prolonged Geographic
conversation. When he came out
again, he looked oddly at the two
young people.
II guess you're up against it," ne
said with rough pity in his voice.
"Everythings showed up an there
| amt goin' to be any train out of
Bradford Junction tonight. It's the
| worst blizzard we've had in years an
comm so sudden like, the road wasn't
| prepared to meet it,"
what are we to do?" murmured
Lucy Danforth, turning a white face
| toward Carleton. Before the latter
could answer, the station agent spoke
again.
| Inere am no place mere TO stop
except my house. There's the grocery
store at the Corners, but his clerks
sleep in the back room, and the black
smith an his wife's got just two
rooms. But if the young lady don't
mind sharin' rooms with my wife, you
can sleep with me on the front room
| floor"
There was nothing else to be done,
and the three were soon plunging their
way through snow drifts to the station
| agents three-room house. Mrs. john
son met them at the door.
You'll have to make the best of
things" she whined. looking at Lucys
! furs with envious eyes. I'VE don't
| live half decent here, but if you can
| stand it, why we cam
That was the keynote of Mrs John
/ sons conversation. and Lucy dozed
off to the accompaniment of the wife's
wall that il her husband had any