Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1905-11-04
A CAD AND
A SURPRISE.

a shower upon the surface that had
been SO spotlessly clean a few mo
ments before, when she had boarded
the train. She was particularly anx-
ious to present very good appear.
ance when she should aiight al the
Lake Forest station. She would not
mind Elinor Pearson so much, but
| Elinor had written that Jim Farms.
worth would be with her.
Miss Darcy wondered what jim
| Farnsworth looked like. OF course.
she did not particularly care, but she
hoped that he would be good looking
He was to be imported for her enter.
tainment during her visit to the Pear.
sons, and she feared that he might not
come up to the standard of entertain.
ers that she had been accustomed To.
Miss Darcy was a very much petted
and very dictatorial young person. At
any rate, she would do her best not
to disappoint Mr. Farnsworth in any
ideal he might have created of her.
Cleanliness being the second of the
virtues, she was determined upon keep
ing that white linen immaculate until
she should have time to don the raw.
ishing rose-colored null in her steam.
er trunk. just now the white was be
ing threatened with CRIME every sec
ond Miss Darcy looked with decision
at the head of the man in the seat in
front of her She would have to ask
him to lower the window at his side
J No other seat in the car was unoccu
pied.
Il beg your pardon said Miss
Darcy, sweetly, may | trouble you to
close the window there? The cinders
are very disagreeable."
The man turned around and gazed
at her with some little surprise de-
picted on his not unpleasant face. He
was young man and might reason
ably be expected to capitulate under
the shy smile that Miss Darcy be-
slowed on him. OF course he did not
know that she was Miss Darcy, and
that she was one of the bellies of the
town; that men actually priced those
smiles Of hers, and that she was quite
conscious of her position and hel
power.
mo, / cant close the window" said
the man.
But you haven't tried" said Miss
Darcy II think that il will work
quite easily. The conductor pulled
this one down without any difficulty.
1t never occurred to her that the man
might not desire to close the window
when she had expressed wish to the
contrary.
Il do not care to close the window,
said The man, with finality.
"Oh" gasped Miss Darcy.
She studied the back of the young
mans head with the interest of cal
who would like to claw, but is re-
strained by fear of punishment.
She forgot the cinders and the dis
comfort, the prospect of Elinor Pear
son and Jim Farnsworth, her antici-
pations and her pleasures, in her an
ger at the stranger who had been the
first man she had ever met who had
been actually rude to her
The conductor came through the car
and pulled down a window for an old
lady who had been unable to under
stand the combination. TO him Miss
Darcy appealed.
Would you ask this person here ii
he would mind changing seats with
me?" she inquired sweetly. Then he
may have the window open without
mountaineering anyone"
"The person" turned around and
measured her with glance of assured
calm.
q prefer not" he said codly.
The conductor went down the aisle
hurriedly
Miss Darcys eyes blazed with futile
fury. Finally she could restrain her
self no longer. She bent forward
again.
Il get off the train in just five min
utes now" she said to the objection
able young man, but in that five min
utes | am going to tell you what your
mother or your sister, if you ever had
them, or some woman who has known
you. should have told you years ago
You are a cad, a brutal, bearish cad
You have not the least idea of what
courtesy means. You will never learn
but you ought to know that there is
a difference between you and gentle
men"
So absorbed was she in her gratui.
tous lecture in manners that she failed
to notice the expression of frozen
amazement on the face of the listener
Lake Forest" shouted the conduc-
tor.
If you don't treat your wife any
better, and, of course you don't, fol
men always treat strangers with more
courtesy than they do their wives
when they are men like you, | hope
she gets a divorce from you; that is
if there is any unfortunate who has
had the bad luck to have married you
God help her!"
1t was the longest speech Miss Darcy
had ever made and decidedly the most
passionate and unconventional. When
| ehp had finished she made a dash for