The Rathdrum tribune. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1903-1963, 1909-02-05
ATurnIn the Tables

WOulO only c0DnQe 10 my BOSOM
friend A terrible blunder for which
alone am responsible has made a
great change in my life. can never
think of it without horror, shame, NOR
,ification, umiliation-indeed. every
frightful emotion for which there Is
word in the English language. And
vet | confess that this incident has
brought me the most exquisite happi-
ness | have to announce to you, my
dearest, sweetest. loveliest friend, my
engagement. Bob has won my con-
sent at last
But | must admit that Bob took an
unfair advantage of me. While love
him and feel that he is the one man to
make me happy, l can never forget
that he turned to his own account this
frightful fatality to compel me to nc
cept him. True, had all along intend
ed to do so. But you know how sweet
1t is for woman to have man hum
BILE himself before her, tell her that
without her he will become a wreck,
implore her to have mercy upon him.
All this l might have had were It not
for my mistake.
had kept Bob dangling for a year.
l had given him but little hope. l con-
fess that his pain was my pleasure.
When he fretted l laughed at him,
when he rcbelled assumed naughty
tone and asked by what authority he
presumed to dictate to me, and never
after the slightest sign Of independ
ence Oh his part did l restore him to
favor except he came to me through
the valley of humiliation.
Now, when l consider that he not
only compelled me to desist from such
treatment. but assumed to make condi-
lions; when think that he got me, so
to speak, in hole. acted In a mean,
contemplate, selfish, disgusting. bru-
tai
But l am forgetting that l am en-
gagged to him and love him devotedly.
II Is dangerous for me to give you this
story. for in the telling of 1t l am
liable to wish that had my lover on
a spit roasting him before a slow fire.
However, since l must tell somebody
and you are my own true. loyal friend,
will hurry through 1t lest my indigna-
ton get the better of me and send
Bob about his business
You must know that Bob and Alice
and Sue and Lille and lot of boys
and girls were together on the coast
making the journey In the night. Alice
and occupied lower berth, while
Sue and Lille did the same. The boys
bunked together, except Bob, who took
berth for himself alone. We were n
merry party on the train. talking and
laughing, till disagreeable old man
why are old people permitted to live,
that the fool killer was coming through
the train. Thinking that this might
possibly be hint for us to get into
our berths, we did so, and the car soon
wore the silence OF slumber. OF course
the silence Of slumber Is different In a
sleeping car from nursery. A num-
her Of people snored frightfully.
In the middle Of the night l awoke
with a terrible thirst. was in my
wrapper and had my slippers on.
crawled over Alice, who slept on the
outside. went to the end of the car to
the cooler, got a drink and started
back.
Now, these sleeping cars, when one
wishes to find ones berth, are perfect
ly awful. was lost. looked for the
porter, but he was not visible.
peeped into several berths, In each
case seeing stranger asleep. Then
1t occurred to me that my berth was
the fourth from the rear end Of the
car. Acting on this, l made a plunge.
! A figure rolled In the bedclothes was
on the outside. climbed over 1t and
had one hand and knee on one side of
1t. the other hand and knee on the
other side, when the sleeper stretched
forth a hand. pulled the curtain aside,
and the horrid lamplight shone down
on the face Of
How shall ever get the story told ?
What was l doing? What frightful
fate had possession of me? There -
meath me lay man-not only a man.
hut the man whom l had been perse-
cutting. l was getting into bed with
oh, horrors!-with Bob. He was look
ing up into my eyes. down into his.
"NIercy." ! cried and. rolling out into
he aisle, rushed back to the other end
OF the car. There l found the porter
coming In at the door, and he put me
In my berth.
OF course didn't sleep wink. How
could l? The next morning Bob made
no reference to the matter by look or
word till we were all at breakfast in
the dining car. Then he said:
"Anybody sick In the nightf"
knew what was coming, flushed
crimson and gave him an imploring
look. But he kept on making all kinds
Of innnendoes without telling on me
till was almost frantic.
Well, when we went back into our
ear we found the berths put away.
md Bob took seat beside me. AS
Stunning nm Independent tone. he said
that | had one more chance. and one
only. to be his WIFE l must decide
then and there. II | refused to give
him n. defiuite answer the story must
.eme cut.
u .bat could I do7