The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1907-02-15


the lap robe when l was seated beside
her.
/ think she was pleased by my offe'
TO go away. for she talked very pleas
antlv and far more intimately than she
had ever done before. telling me facts
about her family, her Chicago life. her
travels and even her thoughts. From
this 1 learned that her elder brother
was an Oxford graduate, and that Lord
Rallies and his brother We're classmates,
who We're visiting him for the first time
since he had graduated. She asked me
some questions about my work. which
led me TO tell her pretty much every
thing about myself that thought could
be of the least interest, and it was a
very pleasant surprise to me TO find that
she knew one of the old team and had
even heard of me from him.
WHY she exclaimed. ''how absurd
of me not to have thought Of il before,
But, you see, Mr.. Colston always speaks
of you by your first name. You ought
to hear how he praises YOU y
Trust Harry TO praise any one, ;"
said. There Were some pretty low fell
lows ON tie old team-men who could
not keep their word or their tempers
and would slug every chance they got
but Harry used TO insist there wasn't a
bad egg among the lot. -
Don't you find it very lonely to live
out here, away from all your old
friends?'' she asked.
had TO acknowledge that it was, and
told her the worst part was the absence
of pleasant women. Till you arrived,
Miss Cullen. said. 81 hadn't seen n
well gowned woman in four years. >
I've always noticed that woman would
rather have a man notice and praise her
frock than her beauty, and Miss Cullen
was apparently no exception, for l could
see the remark pleased her
Don't western women ever get east
ern gowns:'' she asked.
"Any quantity. said But you
know, Miss Cullen, that it isn't the
gown, but the way it IS worn, that gives
the artistic touch. For a fellow who
had devoted the last seven years of his
life to grades and fuel and rebates and
pay rolls 1 don't think that was bad.
AT least it made Miss Cullen's mouth
dimple at the corners.
The whole evening was so eminently
satisfactory that 1 almost believe
should be talking yet if interruption
had not Gene The first premonition of
it was Miss Cullen's giving little
shiver, which made ne ask if she was
cold
mot at all, - she said 81 only
what place are we stopping at?"
I started to rise, but she checked the
movement and said: Don't trouble
yourself. I thought you would know
without moving l really don't care to
know -
took out my watch and was startled
to find it was 20 minutes past ~. l
wasn't so green az to tell Miss Cullen
so, and merely said, by the time, this
must be Sanders. -
do we stop long?" she asked.
"Only to take water told her
and then went on with what had been
speaking about when she shivered. But
as l talked it slowly dawned on me
that we had been standing still some
time, and presently / stopped speaking
and glanced off, expecting TO recognize
something, only to see alkali plain ON
both sides. A little surprised, l looked
down, to find no siding. Rising hastily,
l looked out forward / could see NOV
ing figures ON each side of the train,
but that meant nothing, as the trains
crew-and, for that matter, passengers
are very apt to alight at every stop.
What did mean something was that
there was no water tank, no station, or
any other visible cause for stop.
us anything the natter" asked Miss
Cullen.
Il think something's wrong with the
engine or the roadbed, Miss Cullen, 3"
said. And if you'll excuse me I'll go
forward and see. -
1 had barely spoken when Bang.
bang!' went two shots. That they We're
both fred from an English express
my ears told me, for no other people in
this world make a mountain howitzer
and call it rife.
Hardly We're the two shots fired when
"Crack, crack, crack, crackp' went
some winchesters.
"Oh, what is it?'' cried Miss Cullen