Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1907-03-09

I II
| answered easily
The Annandale station presen8i
| an appearance OF unusual gaiety when
| we reached the main street OF the
village There, to be sure, lay the
| private car IN the siding and on The
! platform was a group of 20 or more
| girls. with several Of the brown-habit-
| ed Sisters of ST Agatha There was
! something a little foreign in the pic
ture; the girls in their bright cclors
| talking gaily, the Sisters In their SOM
Der garb lowering about suggesting
France or Italy rather than Indiana
We stepped upon the platform. The
/ private car lay on the opposite side
| Of the station having been switched
| into a siding OF the east and west
| road Pickering was certainly get
| ting on There is something wholly
/ regal in a private car Any one may
boast a catboat and call il yacht;
| but there is no known substitution for
private car AS | lounged across
], the platform with Stoddard, Pickering
came out into the vestibule of his car,
followed by two ladies and an elderly
gentleman They all descended and
began a promenade on the plank
walk
Pickering saw me an instant later
and hurried up With outstretched
hand
This is indeed good fortune! We
! dropped off here last night rather IN
expectedly to rest hot box and
should have been picked up BY the
early express for Chicago; bit there
was a miscarriage of orders some
where and we now have to wait for
| the nine O'Clock, and it's late. II I'd
| known how much behind It was I
should have run out to see you How
are things going?"
LAS smooth as whistle! 1t really
isn't so bad when you face It. And the
| fact is I'm actually at work
That's splendid The year will go
fast enough never fear | suppose
you pine for little human society
now and then. man can never strike
the right medium in such things. In
New York we are all rushed to death.
| sometimes feel that I'd like a little
rustication myself. get nervous, and
working for corporations is wearing.
The old gentleman there is TAYLOR.
president OF the Mid Western and
Southern. The ladies' are his wife and
friend Of hers. I'd like to introduce
you" He ran his eyes over my cordu-
roys and leggings in amiable accept
ance of my rusticity. He had not in
years addressed me so pleasantly.
Stoddard had left me to go to the
other end of the platform to speak to
| some of the students. followed Pick
ering rather reluctantly to where the
companions OF his travels We're pacing
to and fro in the crisp morning air.
AS soon as Pickering had got me
we'll under way in conversation with
| Taylor, he excused himself hurriedly
and went off. as assumed, to be sure
the station agent had received orders
for attaching the private car to the
Chicago express. Taylor proved to be
a supercihous person. believe they
call him Chilly Billy at the Metropoli-
tan club,-and our efforts to converse
were pathetically unfruitful. The two
ladies stood by, making no conceal
ment Of their Impotence. Their eyes
were upon the girls from St Agatha's'
on the other platform, whom they
could see beyond me. | had jumped
the conversation from Indiana farm.
values to the recent disorders In Bull
garia. which interested me more. when
Mrs. Taylor, ignoring me. spoke abb
ruptly to her sister.
That's she-the one in the gray
coat. talking to the clergyman. She
came moment ago in the carriage"
The one with the umbrella? I
thought you said"
Mrs. Taylor glanced at her sister
warningly. and they both looked at
| me- Then they detached themselves
and moved away. There was some one
on the farther platform whom they
wished to see, and Taylor not under
standing their maneuver-he was real
ly anxious, l think. not to be left alone
with me-started down the platform
after them, | following. Mrs. Taylor
and her sister walked to the end of
| the platform and looked across, bis
cult toss away, to where Stoddard
stood talking to the girl | had already
heard described as wearing a gray
| coat and carrying an umbrella.
The girl in gray crossed the track
| quickly and addressed the two women
cordially. Taylor's back was to her
and he was growing eloquent in mild
well-bred way over the dullness of our
statesmen In not seeing the advan-
| tages that would accrue to the United
| States in fo-+er,-1- Co. shiC--c indus
| try. His wife, her sister and the girl
| in gray were so near that | could hear
| plainly what they were saying. They
were referring apparently to the girls
refusal of an invitation to accompany
| them to California
80 you can't go-it's too bad! We
had hoped that when you really saw
us on the way you would relent," said