The Press., 1905-04-12
On the
Journey
BY cICELY ALLEN
Copyright, 1904, by t. c. Mcclure

ranged" said the young man, with a
deprecatOry wave of his hand, but
"All the latest popular novels! Last
chance to get your reading matter!
No books sold on train after it startsr'
The newsboy bawled this in Amy Cur
it's ear, and she lost all the young man
! said except the words cant climb
| those beastly steps,"
Not that she cared. She was quite
able to climb the little ladder to the
upper berth. Her lip curled scornfully.
"Oh, it doesn't matter in the least,
you know. 1t was the conductors idea,
1 assure you. Only in the south, where
1 come from, men, as a rule, are more
obliging."
She picked up her novel and pro-
ceeded to ignore McKean's presence.
He looked at her blankly, then flung
himself down the sleeper to the smok-
ing compartment well, l do think
she's a bit harsh!' He pulled out a
paper and tried to forget the scorn in
the eyes but recently lifted to meet
his.
In the meantime the girl in section
stared wrathfully at the letters in her
book, which fairly danced before her
eyes "A nice beginning for my trip!
l never wanted to go to Colorado
Springs anyhow. l had much better
remained at Bar HarbOr than to let
the Carriers inveigle me into coming
west"
With this final reflection she com
menced to read in earnest, but some
how her mind went back to the very
disagreeable young man who had dis
regarded the sleeping car conductors
request that he yield the lower berth
to the young woman, whose Pullman
ticket had been duplicated by a care
less employee in an uptown office. She
could not forget the real regret in his
eyes nor the nervous, embarrassed way
in which he had smoOthed his hair
while he was offering his halting ex-
PLANTATION. She could not reconcile
this, however, with the fact that he
had declined to climb the little steps
in her stead. 1t was most annoying,
she argued. that she could not forget
certain fascination which his long, firm
hand had held for her and the hair he
had smoothed.
She could imagine that he had spent
hours trying to brush out a certain
tendency to crisp curls. She was very
glad there was something that could
defeat him. if 1t was nothing more than
curls. and after deciding thus she was
more content.
She did not see him again until she
entered the diner at dusk. The only
place left for her was a single seat at
a table meant for four. The three pas
sengers already seated were men, talk
ing business in rather loud tones. Amy
hesitated. A figure at the table Oppo-
site rose suddenly. The very disagree
able young man who had sentenced her
to the upper berth was standing beside
her.
''Take my place." he said eagerly,
land 1 will go over there with the
men," He had been occupying a seat
at one of the small tables, and a gray
haired woman was sitting opposite
him.
Amy saw all this at a glance, and
with a surprised uplifting of her eye
brows and a mechanical "Thank your
accepted the seat. The young man had
not yet been served, and she realized
that the change had not embarrassed
him in the least.
"Quite willing to do things that do
not incommode him." she thought
scornfully.
The young man did not presume up
on the reception of this courtesy. Di-
rectly after dinner he once more retired
to the smoking compartment, and Amy
early ordered the porter to make up her
berth. Once tucked snugly away, she
forgot her grievance. The steady Chunk
chunk of the wheels was q singular lul-
laby to which she soon yielded.
1t seemed as if she had not been
asleep more than three minutes when
she awoke to the most horrible noises
that she had ever heard. What had
circus or a jungle of wild beasts? No,
the train was still moving. Its unre-
hitting clunk-clunk could be heard
at intervals between the awful sounds
which now assailed her ears. If it was
not wild beasts, then maybe some one
around her was dying.
This pretty, carefully reared, ever
protected southern girl had never seen |
any one die, and in her ignorance of |
this and various other matters she was
working herself up into fine frenzy. |
A particularly deep and agonized roar |
was followed by a sound that was a |
cross between a penny whistle and a |
sob. She could stand the suspense no |
longer. She pushed the tiny button and, |
arranging the curtains, stuck |
out her head to meet the look of in |
quiry in the porter's black face Up |
and down the car she gave a hasty |
glance. Apparently no one else realized |
the tragedy that was going on so close |
at hand, for no other curtains were |
swaying, no other heads were thrust |
out
"Sumfn' you want, missY'
"Why-why, don't you hear that
dreadful noise" she said. 81 think
some one in the berth next to me is
dying"
In the dim light she could see the
darky's teeth CLEAN ivory white in a
grin that reached from ear to ear.
ITS just the. gentleman in the low
er berth, miss, snoring. 1 will wake
him up. Soon as he rolls over he'll
stop"
Amy jPszed in her head as If the por-
ter had struck her. She could feel bin
switch aside the curtains below her
Two masculine voices were waited to-
ward her, then the sound of a deep
yrunt that was decidedly masculine
and silence.
Up in her eyrie Amy lay. still flush
ing holly with modification. She knew
that porter would tell everybody on the
train next morning. She wished she |