New-York tribune., 1903-07-05
CHAPTER ].
BRADFORD.

--,-,rc fellows. travelling Win Tnahoo4ih cS-se
- Eve hand satchels, had attracted him for a
-,,enr. Their rough and knowingly shapeless
Its rendered superfuous the information
s.-rsved by the labels. Hotel Cecil. London, "
..1-rgss Arms, Cambridge" and the rest so art
ely disposed upon the suit case Of one. Surely
,bsv we're college men Bradford watched
- bscause he could not decide whether they
- # Harvard or Yale; but lager, as he passed
.te+- section. he glimpsed the hose one Of them
,o-e and knew Immediately that both his
esses had been wild; the boys were from
r---ee-ou he saw, too another label. inform
,,r rbe world that the owner Of that suit case
= member Of some freshman team; but
.ra+ TOO. was redundant information TO such as
,.-cefved the striped hose. When he had cata-
,,,,a5 the two SO to speak, Bradford lost IN
.set in the Princetonians, save as he reflected
.--=oallv OF the unparalleled haughtiness OF
5 checked youth which has nothing to boast
- erceut that It goes to college and possesses
.e+bars who have sold a million hogs. or ten
.,Ts,, raczages OF tobacco. or a hundred
-oulior tenpenuy nails. as the case may be- In
he leisIrely survey Of the car Bradford also
- over the woman with the freckled little
gs-1 rrsv.ng only that the child would not be-
80 troublesome Opposite the small poten-
.t.1f+, NJ discomfort sat an old woman in black
,ov-, o-narented with fringes Of tubular jet
+ss5s The small child was attracted to these
tss5s and was at length allowed 70 pass them
-r-o,rh her fingers. an occupation which
seemed 20 fudl her highest dreams OF enjoy
-nsrt Bradford was well aware that the owner
z, the beads permitted this liberty as substi-
.u-a FOR q more formal Introduction; and pres
.,+Iv ss he expected, the freckled little girls
mother was drawn into conversation. While
rbsv discussed the obvious stupidity, futility
and fgnoblity Of physicians, pointing out with a
RESPONSIVE alienation cases in which they had
known the doctors TO fail Of success or to be
overgreedy for operation, Bradford listened with
q superior amusement; but as they launcheo
,InoB the tanner II wider waters Of infantile all
-7Ar+s he lost interest once more. and yawned
out q the window.
Very little rewarded his gaze there, either.
Possibly an eye keen for scenic distinctions
might even from a flying express q wobbly
and underoaIlasted railway. note the points
which tndividUaIizes a landscape and differen-
tiare the snoothness Of Ohio from the datness Of
illinois. the duIness Of Indiana from the monot-
o,v Of Iowa: but Bradfords eye quick as IL was
for humanity. closed 10 snoring slumber upon
Nature alone. Away and away folded the low
ridges. green with grass. brown with stubble, or
yellow with the heavy oats; over and over re-
Cured the white farmhouse the red barns, the
Faunt old windmill like q grimly protecting
',eleton towering above all-that remarkable
f9up which typifes, in its endless reappear-
nee. Throughout the whole Middle West, the
nonotonous comfort and prosperous dulness Of
he .hulwark OF the American nation" the well
TODD farmer. Neither the bulwark nor his en-
rirons amused Bradford. who was quite ready to
turn back 10 the car when he heard the rustic Of
gown along the aisle. A girl was passing
f- F0~ n x like this and
hate that as il IS difficult 70 give any adequate
reason In this truth no doubt, lies the fnan-
cisI salvation Of the critics of all kinds. -or we
read their works 70 find out why We think as we
90 Bradford. Of course. could not whirl round
ike top; therefore he saw, not the girls face,
bat only her hair and the strong. young outline
Of her figure, and the gray travelling gown she
Vas wearing. yet, though the combination was
soihng unique or new to him, he was sure al
once hat he liked it immensely She went on
agt Of the car. which disappointed him a good
deaI. until he reflected that ne would see her in
ne dining car Ia a few minutes He went
-hither among the first. and dallied over his
einder speckied daiuties (which he conceived OF
as representing geological epochs' from the
pBocsne cantaloupe TO the coffee Of the glacial
period until The waiter despaired Of TWO tips
from MS seat and could only hope the one would
=
Bradford had 10 90 out without seeing her
again, a Circumstance which annoyed him so
much he almost forgot 10 zip the waiter al all
he walked very slowly back through the aisle.
IS. indeed the swsying train made II iTnpera-
tive for him 70 co looking carefully about in his
eagerness 10 see whether or not her face really
matched the ideal he had composed of her, but
stu she esaded him in some way. He knew
thar they had stopped a short time before, but
ne town had been merely a speck, water
tank town, town printed in small letters on
re largest maps and 10 Bradford il was incon-
oeivahie that q girl with such a carriage and
such gown could be willing even 70 hesitate
inere He felt irritated and even little de-
srsuded
some tine later in Ihe evening, keeping his
balance with difficulty as the car increasingly
rocked, he went forward into the smoking COM
psTtHlent. Il was then about o'clock, and the
rai1 was due 70 reach Carfax in twelve hours
more; 8 n the morning, unless one OF the not
'ntrequent DELAYS Of the c. & a occurred,
would see them In the old city where he ex-
pected 70 1--we he had letter 10 read-a letter
about which he had been speculating for good
many years; letter which was likely to prove
1eeply personal and from a woman whose opin-
'oa' when she was alive, he cared more about
nan any other persons IN the world-from his
mother Tonight this rafting singing
Train, among total strangers was the time ap-
Pointed for its perusal-'the night" as she said,
oetore ne began the practice Of MS profession"
ze found three men sitting talking in the snok-
y compartment, and, as he had gone there
specially 20 be alone, ne decided 70 wait until
me! went away. He was going TO receive a
message from z past which his life could never
1-pAcate, and h. wished 10 receive It by him
81, Although the delay made him frown q lit
Ie' ne was not unresdy 10 endure il; partly be-
e-ase he wanted ins1!ncuvely 10 put his letter
'H III The last possible moment as ne liked 10