The Cairo bulletin., 1905-08-05
CHAPTER 1.
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darling lie IS Tres, you
TTz are, old fellow. you're as
$50 precious to me as-as you
G---I are to the poliee-if they
could only get their hands on you'll
we'll, Tom drew off the crowd. having
passed the old genteman's watch to
me, and made for the womens rooms.
The station was crowded, as II al
ways is in the afternoon, and in min
ute / was strollng into the big. square
room. saying slowly to myself to keep
me steady:
Nancy, you're college girl--just in
from Bryn Mawr TO meet your papa.
Just see II your hats ON straight"
did. going up to the big glass and
looking beyond my excited face to the
room behind me There sat the woman
who can never nurse her baby except
where everybody can see her. in a rail-
road station. There was the woman
who's always hungry, nibbllng choco-
lates out of a box: and the woman fall
len asleep with her hat on the side,
and hafrpIns dropping out of her hair;
ard the woman who's beside herself
with fear that she'll miss her train;
and the woman who is taking notes
about the other women's rigs, And
And | didn't like the look of that
man with the cap who opened the
swinging door bit and peeped In. The
women's waiting room Is no place for
n man nor for girl who's got some
body else's watch inside her waist
Luckily my back was toward him. but
5ust as the door swung back he might
have caught the reflection Of my face
IN a mirror hanging opposite to the
big one.
retreated. going to an inner room
where the ladies were having the maid
brush their gowns, soiled from subur-
Ian trave, and the dirty station
The deuce is in 1t the way women
stare. took off my hat and jacket for
u reason to stay there and hung them
up as leisurely as | could.
Nance" said under my breath, to
the alert-eyed, pug-nosed girl In the
mirror. who gave quick glance about
the room as bent to wash my hands,
women stare cause they're women
There's no meaning in their look II
they were men now, you might twit
ter
| smoothed my hair and reached out
my hand to get my hat and jacket when
when
Oh, 1t was long; long enough to
cover you from your chin to heels
1t was dark, warm red, and 1t
had a high collar of chinchllla
that was fairly scrumptious. And
just above 1t the hat hung red-cloth
toque caught up on one side with some
of the same fur
The black maid misunderstood my
involuntary gesture. | had all my best
duds on, and when lot of women stare
1t makes the woman they stare at pea.
cock naturally, -and--well, ask
Tom what he thinks of my style when
Am on parade. At any rate, 1t was the
maids fault She took down the coat
and hat and held them for me as though
they were mine, What could do 'cept
gust slip into the silk-lined beauty and
set the toque on my head? The fool girl
that owned them was having another
maid mend tear In her skirt, over in
the corner; the little place was crowded
Anyway, had both the coat and hat on
and was out into the big anteroom In q
jiffy.
What nearly wrecked me was the cut
of that coat. 1t positively made me
shiver with pleasure when passed and
saw myself in that long mirror My
but was great! The hang of that coat
the long, incurving sweep In the back
and the high fur collar up to ones nos,
--even II 1t aturned-up nose-oh!
stayed and looked for a second tot
long, for Just as was pulling the far
ing hat q bit over my face the door,
swung, an old lady came In, and ther,
behind her was that same curious man
face with the cap above it.
Trapped? Me? Not much! | didn'
wait minute, but threw the doors opel
with gesture that might have belonge,
10 the queen OF Spain. Iamost ran int
his arms. He gave an exclamation.
looked him straight In the eyes, as
hooked the collar close to my throat an
swept past him.
He weakened That coat was too jol
much for him, 1t was for me, too. A
ran down the stairs, its influence
worked on me that didn't know ius
which Vanderbilt was.
got out on the sidewalk all right an
was Just about to take a car when IN
turnstile swung round, and there wa
that same man with the cap. His fac
was funny mixture of doubt ana d,
termination. But 1t means the CO,
rectlon for me.
Nance olden. It's over" | said t
myself.
But 1t wasn't. For IL was then this
caught sight OF the carriage. II wa
fat, low. comfortable. elegant sobe
carriage, wide and well kept wit
rubber-tired wheels. And the tw
heavy horses were fat and elegant an
sober. too, and wide and we'll kept.
didn't know II was the bishops then
! didA't care whose It was. It va