New-York tribune., 1905-01-08
SUNDAY MAGAZINE fe,
a Delicate Situation
By Tom Mason

1oi q seat. As his eve took in the vacant
P4ace' he remarked to himself mentally
.hat She was about the prettiest girl
he ever had seen.
mere We're Others who evidently
thought so too. Several men. who had
oeen lnnately courteous enough to per
mt the girl to remain alone, watched
CuIlously TO see just what he would do.
They had left her TO herself Rut
then the circumstances were different
for there had been other places for
them to sit down in, and had they chosen
place next TO the prettiest girl in the
car they would have been fit subjects
Tor silent criticism. Besides. they
wouldn't have made the right kind Of
impression upon the girl.
With Castleton the case was slightly
different, because now there didn't
happen TO be any other seats than
TINS one. At the same time he appre-
aated fully the delicacy of his position
II the girl hadn't been so pretty it
wouldn't have mattered, of course.
But she was really wonderful. Castle
ton felt instinctively a certain response
bll1ty about her. If he sat down. should
he murmur a few words of apology for
disturbing her? Or would it be better
TO stand up and leave her alone?
All this flashed through his mind
before he had had time to reach the seat.
AT that instant, while he was debating
what 10 do, the door opened and another
man entered the car. The advent of
the other man complicated the ques-
ton greatly. He was a gentleman
that was evident-and he too was in
search OF seat. He advanced, and as
ne did so his eye took in the pretty
girl and the vacant place next to her.
Castleton was three seats the other side
OF II, and the new arrival was three seats
this side. 1t was evident where they would
meet. Then who should take the seat?
They both slowed up a little, TN
consciously. Castleton looked at the
other man. The other man looked at
CastletOn. The pretty girl glanced at
both. She blushed. Everybody in the
car was getting uneasy.
The other man appreciated the whole
thing at once. He saw that he couldn't
take the seat. He saw that if Castleton
took the seat it would make the pretty
SA4A -4lOlI AOI4S EJlCuOuS lIld1 ever. IlS
other man looked at Castleton sig
and then turned abruptly
and made his way into the smoking-car.
Castleton followed hin-a martyr
TO the cause.
When the two men faced each other
in the opaque atmosphere of the smoking
car they smiled simultaneously.
She's a peach, isn't she?" said the
other man. Prettiest girl l ever saw. "
Great But you see there was no
use in my taking that seat.
Well, 80 said the other man, IN
tell you. You go back now and take
it, and you'll be all right. 1t will seem
as though you had gone forward into
the smoking-car looking for one and
couldn't find it.
No, " said Cast1eton, III tell you
what III do. There's no seat here,
and there is one there. III match
you who goes back. d."
"Done!" said the other man.
Castleton won. He disappeared But
in a few moments the door opened, and
back he came again.
The other man was sitting down.
While Castleton had gone he had found
a seat.
"Hello!" he exclaimed, what's the
matter: Did your courage fail you? "
Castleton smiled grimly.
NO, " he said Not that But