The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-11-14

! profile turned 10 me. | had noticed
casually her earnest manner. her SOM
her clothes. and the great mass of odd,
bronze-colored hair on her neck But
suddenly she glanced toward me and
the utter pelessness-almost tragedy
of her expression struck me with 4
shock She half closed her ewes and
drew long breath. then she turned
again TO the man across the table.
Neither one was eating lie sat low
in his chair. his chin on his chest, ugly
folds Of thick flesh protruding over his
collar. He was probably fifty, bald,
grotcsquc. sullcn, and yet not without
a suggestion Of power. But he had
been drinking: as | looked. he raised
an unsteady hand and summoned 4
waiter with wine hst.
The young woman bent across the
table and spoke again quickly. She
had unconsciously raised her voice. Not
beautiful, in her carnestncss and stress
she rather interested me. 7 had an
idle inclination 10 advise the waiter
60 remove the bottled temptation from
the table ] wonder what would have
happened if I had? Suppose HarrirG-
tom had not been intoxicated when he
entered the Pullman car Ontario that
night,
For they were about 10 make jour
ney, ] gathered, and the young woman
wished to 90 alone. | drank three
cups of, coffee, which accounted for my
wakefuIncss later, and shamelessly
watched tho tableau before me. The
woman s protest evidently went for
othing: across the table the man
gruutcd monosylabjc replies and grew
more and more lowering and sullcn.
Once, during a brief unexpected plan
issimo in the music, her voice came to
me sharply:
"lf | could only sec him in time, -
she was saying. son, it's terriblc.'
In spite of my interest | would have
forgotten the whole incident at once.
erased ii from my mind as one does
the incsscntials aud gatherings OF mem
ory, had | not met them again, later
that evening. in the Pennsylvania sta
tion. The situation between them had
not visiblv altered, the same dogged
determination showed in the mans
face, but the Young woman-daugh-
ter or wife! / wondcred-had drawn
down her veil and / could only suspect
what white misery lay beneath,
! bought my berth after waiting in
u Line Of some eight or ten people.
When, step by step. | had almost reach
ed the window. tall woman whom
had not noticed before spoke to me
from my elbow. She had a ticket and
money in her hand.
"Will You Try TO get me a lower
when YOU buy yours? 20 she asked 81
have Travelled for three nights in up.
pcrs.
] conscntcd, of course: beyond that I
hardly noticed the woman. | had n
vague impression Of hcigh; and a Ger.
tain amount Of statclincss. but the
crowd was pushing behind me. and
some one was standing on my foot, | !
got two lowers easily, and. turning |
with the change and bertbs held out |
the tickets.
Which will you havoc 7 asked |
Lower eleven or lower ten?h
''lt makes 10 difference she said. |
"Thauk YOU very much indeed -
At random | gave her lower eleven !
and called 4 porter TO help her with |
her luggage | followed them leisure.
~ to the train she'd. and ten minutes
more saw us under WAY.
looked into my car, but il pre-,
scutcd the peculiarly uuattractivc ap.
pcarancc common TO sleepers. The |
bcrths were made up; The center aisle
was n pnth between walls of dingy,