The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1909-09-12

What is the matter?"
"a countrywoman of yours. She
| sets me at defiance and does not un-
| derstand a word I say. The last train
/ for three hours has gone and the law
/ is that I shut the station. She will not
| go out"
DO you want me to put her out for
you?"
No, no; you can explain to her that
/ the law requires the station to be shut
now; and they are very strict because
Of this last conspiracy they have dis
! covered. No one is allowed to remain,
mister. Besides, my wife is waiting for
me; and you know her. She is not
/ patient when the dinner is kept wait
/ ing- All, mister?"
| Where is she?"
| I pictured to myself a typical strong
minded British matron or spinster,
| stern of feature, sturdy of will,
! Baedeler in hand insistent upon her
| rights, and holding the station grimly
| against the Chattering Officious little
/ Pole; and 1 looked for some fun. But,
instead, he LED me up to a girl, who
/ cOntradicted in every particular my an
] ticipation. She was some twenty
! years Of age, well-dressed and as pretty
as a painting; straight, regular fea-
lures fiaxen hair and blue eyes; glOr
/ iOus eyes meant for laughter, but now
clOuded with trouble and nervous agi-
| tatiOn. A picture of pale, shrinking
misery that went straight to my heart
Here is an English mister who Will
explain said the station master with
elaborate gesture.
raised my hat and as she glanced
at me, the color flushed into her cheeks
and her large eyes seemed TO dilate
| with new fear connected with my
/ presence q u
my thoughts that she had understood
him quite we'll.
The station master tells me you are
/ q countTywOman Of mine" I said in
English; and has asked me to explain
that the station is to be closed now"
There was a pause, her look one of
blank dismay. She bit her lip and then
stammered slowly with a rich foreign
accent 'Zank you, sir; I cannot go.
wait for re train and zOmeOne."
I accepted this as though it were
the purest English and gave a free
translation Of il to the station master.
But he was bIuntness itself. His wife
was waiting for him, and he had the
law on his side.
1 turned to the girl again and said,
trying German this time: "They have
curious laws in this country, and one
of them requires the station to be
closed"
Her face lighted with unmistakable
relief and she answered in the same
language: MY servant has gone to
make some arrangements, I only wish
to wait for a train"
I interpreted this also; but the man
was Obdurate. "She can not wait here.
No one is allowed-by law"
But I must wait" she broke in, and
blushed wildly and trembled at having
given away the fact that she under
stood him.
Let me offer a suggestion. I am an
Englishman, Robert Anstruther, and if
you viii permit, will wait with you
outside until your servant returns
These officials are obstinate just now
because of some plot that has been dis
covered; and he will only send for the
police if you do not comply"
At the mention of the police she ROSE
70 quickly, all the color left her face ant
her lips quiveTed.
1 The station master beamed his thank!
I upon me as he bowed us out and turned
the key upon US.
I These little officials are yer!
. touchy," l said, when we stood Outsidt
and I saw she was quite undecided
5 what to do.
y She paused and then said impulsively
q | Il don't know what you will think
- II am so ashamed"
Il hope not. There is no need"
4 Il mean about am not English"
% Are you not? You answered me il
| English" I said gravely,
[ A little blush signalled vexation. "a
if you did not know. It is no subjec
( for laughter"
Y God forbid that I should laugh. Yo1
are too evidently in deep trouble"
10 And you know that l undeTstOO,
Y him all the time"
I bowed. Il ask no questions"
q I should like TO explain, but / cal
h not. Oh, how humiliating!" she cried
S and the distress and trouble in he
q tone touched me deeply.
T Il am only a stranger, but if I cal
f help you, I beg you to give me tn
/ opportunity"
d You can not. You can not; oh, I
She left the sentence unfinished ant
I turned away to stare along the roa
{ leading TO the village, her arm resting
|. / upon a gate near. IF he comes back
70 I heard her murmur; but the rest o
the sentence was lost.
;: She was a mystery, and a very fasci
q mating mystery too. Who could she be
d | Why travelling alone? What was he
f trouble? Why pretending to be Eng
p Hsh? Why had she started so at tn
ItllLlOn u the DDlltts these ana
- dozen other questions rushed into m,
mind in the minute or two that fol
lowed. l cudgelled my wits for some
G thing to say; some way of breaking
O down the barrier that prevented he
| making some kind Of use Of me.
d The visit Of the police agent havinj
turned my thoughts to the subject O
d ! the conspiracy, I wondered whether sh
u could be in any way connected with II
T. A fugitive. perhaps? But the idea wa
8 prepOsterOus. She was surely the yer,
s incarnation Of innocence; about as wei
fitted for a conspiratOr as I was for
T. police agent.
q She turned suddenly and broke il
I upon my thoughts by saying, hurriedl,
d and nervOusly, this time in Polish
I Thank you sir, for what you hav
O done and also for your offer; but
r must not detain you longer"
n I smiled You are not OBTAINING me
t. but I will go. of course, if you wish
% She hesitated. I hoped 1t was fror
IS reluctance to dismiss me. Then sh
put out her hand impulsively and sal
d with an air Of constraint and a yer
= wistful look: MY secret is safe wit
you, I know"
II II should like to make 1t a condition
- of silence that you let me help 20
s further"
e mo, no That is impossible: impos
l. sible," she cried quickly. "My-m
I. | servant will be back soon" The fea