The enterprise-recorder. (Madison, Fla.) 1908-1933, 1908-10-01

woman SllLlnS opposite me SOuHb
woman, with a baby on her knees
whose expression was as inane and
vacnous as that OF the baby itself,
Everybody was wet and uncomforta-
bic, and we all hated each other with
a cordial hatred.
We'll, the bus rumbled on, and no.
body seemed inclined to move. We
were all bound for Hammersmith. /
leaned back in my seat as well as
could, to make more room for my
stout neighbor, who kept wedging me
closer against the rail; the girl was
leaning back, too, and my arm-I
couldn't help it-pressed against hers.
had my hand upon the rail, you see;
she had both Of hers clasped upon her
lap. She wore no gloves, and she had
q cheap ring on one Of her fingers
an engagement ring, | suppose il was
meant to be. Nobody spoke, and by
degrees l began to feel sleepy-forgot
all about the bus, even about the lit.
tie lady by my side, and allowed my
mind to be a perfect blank. | have
rather a habit of doing that after a
heavy day, and l give you my word
it's most restful to the brain.
At the same time, l suppose-as
the clairvoyants would say-the brain
is particularly receptive when it is in
that condition. Anyway, after a while
a curious mist began to form before
my eyes, a mist which soon became a
blur of dim color; and this gradually
worked itself to a focus Of light in
which I felt, somehow, that l could
see pictures If l wished. 1t was a
strange sensation, quite new to me.
wasn't asleep, you understand. If /
tried / could see the vacuous faces of
the woman who sat opposite me and
the baby on her knees, the mist dis
polling to let me do so; but when /
gave myself up to the thoughtless re-
pose 1t collected again, and the clear
spot in the centre became more de.
fined. | was conscious of one other
thing-a curious tingling sensations
in my left arm, the arm that pressed
against that Of the girl by my side;
1t was just as If the blood were rush.
ing from her veins to mine. | don't
know If | make myself clear; it was
such a curious experience for a
matteroffact man like myself that
hardly know how to express it. |
hadn't the smallest desire TO read the
the girls thoughts or to intrude my.
self unwarrantably into her affairs;
but l couldn't help myself any more
than she could; we had got unaccoun.
taboy en- rapport-isn't that what you
call TIA sort Of unconscious cele-
bratoni.
Well, she must have been thinking
hard Of something that had recently
happened to her-that very day.
take it. And l saw it all with her
eyes. First of all a dingy workroom
"A lot of girls sitting at a long table
and sewing mechanically dress mate.
rails of some sort-Im no good at de.
scribing that kind of thing. but saw
1t as clearly as If I'd been in the
room. The floor a litter, the table a
litter, patterns, stuff Of every hue and
quality, cut and uncut, yards of II,
spread out or tumbled together; dunn.
my figures, some partially clad, some
only framework and wooden bust:
sprays of artificial flowers, lace, rib
bon, cotton. Cotton Why, the at
Of the place seemed loaded
with It. You know the close smell OF
a Diapers shop? | assure you l got
exactly that kind Of impression.
All the girls seemed to be chatter.
Ing together gayly enough-all except
my girl l saw her as plainly as
see you. She was working a sewing
machine, and she kept glancirg at a
big, clumsy clock upon the wall. She
could hardly see the time by II. for
the room was so full Of mist; there
were flaming gas lets hanging from
the ceiling, but they didn't seem to
give sufficient light. However, knew
well enough what the girl wanted.
she was anxious for the hour to strike
when she would be at liberty TO take
her departure. The minutes seemed
TO drag out into eternity for her.
viii he be there?" That is what
she was repeating to herself, and of
course, being for the time, as it were.
In her brain, l knew all about "him"-
rs much as she did, anyway. I
thought, with her, that he would be
certain to turn up at the appointed |
meeting place.