Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1905-08-04
IN THE BISHOPS
CARRIAGE. "
BY MIRIAM NICHOLSON
tCOpyright, 1904, by The BObbs-Merrill Company.
CHAPTER l
tfEE

DIE, Olu lcllOh,o yOu lC do
iSSS precious to me 'as-as you
- are to the police-if they
could only get their hands on you'll
well, Tom drew of the crowd, having
passed the old gentleman's watch to
me, and made for the women's rooms.
The station was crowded, as it al
ways is in the afternoon, and in min
ute was strolling into the big, square
room, saying slowly to. myself to keep
me steady;
Nancy, you're a college girl--just IN
from Bryn Mawr to meet your papa.
Just see if your hats on straight" sY
9 / 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, nibbling choco-
lates out of box; and the'woman fall
len asleep, with her hat on the side,
and hairpins dropping out OF her hair;
and 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 VINO opened the
swinging door a bit and peeped in. The
women's waiting room is no place for
q mRn-nor for girl who's got some
body else's watch inside her waist.
Luckily, my back was toward him, but
Just as the doer swung back he might
have caught the reflection of my face
in "a mirror hanging opposite to the
big oone.
retreated. going to an inner room
where the ladies were having the maid
brush their gowns, soiled from subuf-
ban travel and the dirty station
The deuce is in it the way women
stare. | took off my hat and jacket for
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 l bent to wash my hands,
"wemen stare cause they're women.
There's no meaning in their look. If
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, it was long; long enough to
cover you from your chin to heels.
1t was dark, warm red, and it
had "a high collar of chinchilia
that was fairly scrumptious And
Just above it the hat hung. a red-cloth
toque caught up on one side with some
of the same fur.
. The black maid misunderstood nly
involuntary gesture. | had all my best
dlds on and when lot of women stare
it makes the woman they stare at pea
cock naturally, and-and-well ask
Tom what he thinks of my style when
I'm on parade. AT any rate, it was the
maids fault. She took down the coat
and hat and held them for me as though
they we're mine. What could do. 'cept
Just slip into the silk-lined beauty and
set the toGue on my head? The fool girl
that owned them was having another
maid mend a tear in her skirt. over in
the corner; the little place was crowded
Anyway, had both the coat and hat on
ans was out into the big auteroom in a
,jiffy. a6
WhaI nearly wrecked me was the cut
OF chat coat 1t positively made Inc
niVer with pleasure when passed and
aW 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 nose
'-eVen If it is a turned-up nose-oh!
| stayed and looked for a second TOO
song, for just as | was pulling the far
ing hat a bit over my face. the doors
swung, an old lady came in, and there
behind her was that same curious mans
lace with the, cap above it.
Trapped? Me? Not much! | didn't
H%ait a.minute but threw the doors omen
with gesture that might have belonged
70 the queen of Spain. | almost ran into
his arms. He gave an exclamation
Hooked him straight in the ewes as 7
nooked the collar close to my throat and
swept past him
He weakened. That coat. was too ioll,
much for him. 1t was for me too As
1 ran down the stairs. its influence ST
worked on me that | didn't know iust
which Vanderbilt | was.
sol OUT on the sidewalk all right. an
was Just about to take car when tbs
turnstile swung round and there was
that same man with the cap. His face
was funny mixture of doubt and de
termination. But it means the Cor.
rection for me.
Nance 0lden.. it's over" 7 so;d :,
myself
But 1t wasn't. For 1t was then tina
1 caught sight Of the carriage. 1t wa,
. fat. low, comfortable, elegant sope
carriage, wide and well kept, will
rubber-tired wheels. And the twr
heavy horses we're fat and elegant an,
sober too, and wide and we'll kept
didn't know it was the bishops then
1 didn't care whose it was. 1t wa!
empty, and it was mine. I'd rather <,
20 the COrrection-heing too vopno .,