The Democratic advocate., 1905-09-09
Seleet Stnrp.
A Midsummer Madness.
CHAPTER /.

air, and the listless streams of humanity
hugged the thin shade close beside the
buildings.
At one of the stations a train had just
arrived from the West, and as the passen
gers disembarked into the hot air of the
city they recoiled and then struggled away
listless and wilted. But from the sleeper
''San Angelo there descended the mo-
ment the train stopped, two who did not
linger listleSsly Even before the porter
could place his little landing stool for their
feet, they had dropped deity to the plat
form and hurried off
The young man was tail and strong and
he carried the two suit-cases easily, while
the girl, slight and pretty, had nothing to
do but follow him as he pushed through
the station, dodging the passengers who
had alighted from the forward cars
Come on, he said, turning his head
''the cabs are Just ahead here.
I'm right behind you, she replied,
'sgo as fast as you like We don want
any of them to catch up with Us She
laughed as she said it, aud her companion
grinned in sympathy.
They might kiss US, he laughed.
They look as if they wanted to-
They took the FIRST cab they came to
The young man quite threw the suit-caseS
into it. and almos; threw the girl in after
them. He gave the cabby a hurried di
reetion. jumped in and the cab ratified
away.
Now, said the =ih, with a sigh Of
relief II can breathe.
1T was rather rather strenuous, was
n'tng' he said They all knew it,
knew it, said the siH. Hornd
things, They knew what we were the
moment we gat on the ear. We might as
well have worn lsbels. Il would have
saved them the fun of guessing She
laughed.
Bully idea. Bee. he exclaimed.
WHY not do ia Biz placarl with Nes.
We Are Just Married On Our Honey
moon Or mi.ht have handbills pnn,ed
and distribute them thru2h the ear.
What p
1t makes one f-cl so-~o oansPicu
ous. she complained smiling al him.
And YOU can't feel angry, because they
are - lovely about il They didn in
trude bit They didn't even pretend
ihey knew We were jus, married. What
/ do you suppose madc il all - hoTTid.
we kncw W. were guilty he .a,d,
and when hey iidn l,-nk at Is We kucW
I they were looking away from us because they
I knew We didn't want shem - h-sk at ~
I 81 We knew - He stopped Ny
f be exclaimed, "isn II hot,
/ She rightly ignored the remark.
"Haw do you imagine they knee We
were not uld married tolks ? she asked
I We tried hard enough to he. The plan
/ didn work at al
Il wonder if il was because We are too
new at the business, he suggested. We
/ needed more dress rehrarSals- We shoald
have rehearSed for eight or ten years arss.
/ | dare say that in time
'.oh, yes, she laughed by the 'ime
Tn gray Bat it makes me qaiver to
think of getting a train again III know
that everyone that looks At us viii know
and that everyone tha, dos-n . look At "a
will be trying no, 10 show that they know
and I'm be deadly certain that every face
/ cant see will be grinning. IL would be
les exasperasing to own up at once and
hold hands and get some Of the fun "t It
ourselves
II IN willing, he rrplie.l d" l.c' be-
gin nov.
Il believe YOU would. she sali. crush
inely. They were passing through the
crowded street, aud the cah made IL way
slowly. To Bob il was old for he Wa a
New Yorker born and bred. but TO Beatrix
il was less familiar She watched the
scene in silence 4 while, and then exclaim
ed, suddenly:
.Bobr
Yes, dear.
''I have itr
If it's another scheme 10 have Us be
an old married couple, don have 1t, he
chaffed Il, won't work.
But this viii work she said enthu
siasticany. ats a splendid idea, We
won't try to be an old married couple,
We won be married at all. Wen be 1
friends.
Now, l call that clever Of you. Bee,
he said Il always did want to he your
friend How shall We begin? Kiss and (
make up?'
mo, she said not needing his at.
.ampt at frivOlity We Il do it this way. /
It's too simple I'll get ON the train alone, !
aud then you'n get on afeerward, aud .
you Il be surprised to see me, and you Il /
shake hands-'
''With myself?
'sNo, goose, with me And ask if YOU l
may sit beside me. And people will never I
guess we are married They'll think it $
Irritation.
Great he exclaimed, ''great! Little /
did | think when married you that | |
had acquired one who combined the wiles |
of serpent and the blue eyes Of eheru
bic innocent Ii will be great sport, any
way. When do | leave you to begin the
first act 2
"Now, she said for she saw the ferry |
house before them. Take yonr suitcase
and leave me my ticket, and don come /
near me on the ferry Don't get on the
train until the last minute. We want
everyone to see the first act, you know.
New York cabmen are pretty well hard |
ened to queer actions on the part of their |
fares, but the particular cabman in ques-
ton was much perplexed when his male
passenger left the cab and he was still
more perplexed to see him following i'm
mediately in the rear. He shook his head
sagely. "Elopin' - he said, and missed
it a thousand miles, in spite of his wisdom.
CHAPTER II.
Mrs. Beatrix Travers paused in the /
door of the car and glanced doubtfully at
the many vacant seats. She was nearly
the first on the car; only one person had |
preceded her, and that was an elderly lady |
who was settling herself comfortably in
seat in the middle of the car. Beatrix
hesitated moment and then walked for
ward and took seat directly across the
aisle from the elderly lady.
The elderly lady was deep in the task
of fitting a Gladstone bag so that it would
form a comfortable foot rest, and when