The Cairo bulletin., 1906-05-14

4 Nv Nht DtOpHCu Nith JVih oAu
hen proceeded with a series Of jerks
% get under way again. During the
brief interval well-dressed woman
climbed aboard and made her way,
assisted by intermittent grasps at the
straps, to the vacant seat In the far
md OF the car. She sank into 1t with
I sigh of evident relief; then she
opened her shopping bag, hunted
around In 1t for awhile and took out
L fvedollar note ans four pennies.
A vain search for the fifth penny fol-
owed, while the conductor waited
mpatiently With an appealing look
she handed him the note.
Cant do 1t, madam; sorry, but
-" woman's voice interrupted him.
"Why. my dear, I'm so glad to see
you. When, did you get on? was
80 interested in this book that
iidn't see you. You need just one
penny? You poor dear Here's one
Now tell me all about yourself.
haven't seen you for perfect ages, and
you look all tired out"
The other woman smiled wan lit
lie smile and seemed ready to cry.
MARY Thompson, you and that
penny have saved me from having an
attack OF Mysteries right here and
now. If I'd had to face one more dis
agreeable thing today I'd have given
right up"
Mary Thompson looked little
alarmed and good deal interested.
but she gave her friends hand a sym
pathetic squeeze and settled herself
to hear the worst.
i've just been to the station to see
my husbands cousin off. She's been
with us for four days, stopped on her
way out west, and such time as I've
had!
"The morning after she came she
said she wanted to see Fifth avenue,
and we started out bright and early
to go uptown in stage. The first
one that came along was one that had
a high seat on top, back of the driver,
that could only be reached by climb
ing UP the front wheel. She Is very
short and inclined to be stout, and Is
anything but agile but she insisted on
climbing up there. Was afraid she
would miss seeing something II she
rode inside | didn't know her then
as well as | did three days later. or
should have fatty refused.
1--WE got up there without much diff
ficulty, and | suppose l ought to be
glad that she enjoyed the ride. 1t was
good deal more than I did. She put
her arm around me and Rugged me
tight all the way to Seventy ninth
street, because she's subject to dizzi-
ness and was afraid she'd fall off, and
by the time we got there she knew as
much as the driver about the swell
houses on the avenue, and he knew
more about her than 4 ever dreamed
of knowing, for her democratic spirit
is only equaled by her gift OF
speech"
Mary Thompson smiled looked out
to see how far downtown they were,
and then resumed her sympathetic lis
tener attitude.
But, my DEAR the other woman
continued. "you ought to have seen
us getting down. You know that in'
less you start to climb down from the
TOP of those wretched old stages you
might as well fell off at once. for the
little iron steps aren't big enough TO
change from one foot to the other
after once YOU make the start got
down first and then she came, or rath'
er she tried to cop1e-of course with
the wrong foot foremost.
"she had terrible time getting
down as far as the top of the wheel,
but there she baked. The driver and
I did our best to help her, but she
hung on TO him with both hands, while
she stood on ton Of the wheel on one
foot and waved the other wildly in the
air and begged us TO put 1t somewhere
for her. took hold OF 1t and tried
10 bring ii down to the hub, but she
wasn't long enough to reach 1t, and
she was afraid 20 let go OF that poor
driver. BY this time the rest of the
passengers had became interested. and
two or three Of them had their heads
,ut of the windows and were Offering
and the inevitable crowd
M small boys was beginning to gath
or Sire might have perched there yet
II one Of the horses hadn't switched
at a ny with his tall.
"The old harness ratified a little. aud
she got panic-stricken and thought
they we're going to run away With
out any warning she let go OF the
driver and sat down plump on my
shoulder. and slid TO the ground The
small bows cheered and the passengers
grinned. and she thought II was
funny!
1--WE went into the Metropolitan
museum. where I thought ia have a
-hance 10 recover my equilibrium
while she looked az the pictures. She
ma look at them and 7 suppose they
must have made some sort Of an I'M /
preston on her, but she talked inces-
iantly ebout the pictures that she saw
n Washington on her wedding trim, /
nth I felt dazed and wasn't quite
sure whether was in the Metropoh- I
IN or the Corcoran myself
"But the top-notch Of my misery |