Evening star., 1909-06-25
CHAPTER XIX.
On the Top of the World.

On the Top of the World.
| Conover woke from quaint dream OF
being buried alive in an illfitting coffin.
| And dawning consciousness proved the
dream to have been but mild exaggera-
! tion. For he was ensconced in a sleeping
car berth. Gray light was peeping through
the lowered shade. cll-breathed air,
mingled with black dust, pressed down
upon the Fighters lungs. From a nearby
section came the fretful whine of a baby.
The stiff berth-curtains swished awk-
wardly inward and out to the swing of
the car.
Caleb performed, with ease. born of long
practice, that contortionist feat known
as dressing in the BERTH Then. scram-
bling out, he lurched down the narrow,
dark aisle toward the washroom at the
rear Phe place was already full of
half-clad. red-eyed. touseed men. Some
were washing. others painfully scraping
lather from their jaws with safety razors.
still others ransacking bag or suit case
tor clean linen. One early bird had COM
pleted his toilet and was .ouneing In a
leather-and- wicker chair. trying to trans
late pink time table: meanwhile indus
triously filling the semi-airtight compart-
! rnent with cigarette smoke.
Conover surveyed his taciturn fellow
sufferers: glanced over the too populous
room. from the rack-frieZe of neatly tri-
angular folded towels to the ash-and-cus-
pidor strewn carpet: then he slouched out
into the relatively fresh air of the aisle.
He looked at his watch. The hour was
6:3O At O'Clock they were due at Ra-
quette Lake station. The car was last of
the train. 1t occurred to Caleb to take
his FIRST glimpse of the Adirondacks.. He
walked 10 the rear dpor and looked out.
Behind him wound the single track of
RI IL. o;+t eth
lined by dark eyergreens that stretched
away in an endless vista of monochrome
until the silver mist that hung low
over everything blotted them from
vision. The train seemed to be plough
ing its way straight into the untrodden
wilderness: to be the first alien that ever
had intruded upon the vast mystic
solitudes OF green and gray.
Caleb looked long and without stirring.
| Then as the negro porter chanced to
come near, the watchers pent-up volume
of emotion found vent in pregnant
sentence:
Here YOU" he hailed. "I'n give YOU
! dollar if you can rustic me cup OF hot
coffee
Out into the clnging mist. onto long
wooden platform, tumbled the travellers.
Caleb in the first rank. There, draw up
10 halt their onset comic opera chorus
like, were ranged the vociferating sta
ton clerks of the lakes various hotel
camps. A breath of keen balsam-tinged
air bit to Conovers very lungs. In
stinctively he threw out his chest, drink
ing in great Sulps of strange ozone.
From out o. the swIling mist before him
rose Of sudden a slight, girlish figure
that ran forward with a glad little cry
and caught both his hands.
oh, you're here. You're here.' re-
joiced DeSiree, careless al bystanders.
| Mrs. Hawarden said I'd catch my
| death if | was on the lake early.
4 p-,+ -.
and came. Isn't it all wonderful? This
mist will burn up III little while and
then you'll see. And do Billy and Aunt
Mary still like farm life: Oh. it's so
good-so good--to see you. Come The
| Antlers' launch is around the other side
or the station
| Clinsng gleefully to one of his big
arms, the girl pioted him through the
scurrying groups and the luggage heaps.
TO nearby dock where a half-score of
waiting launches painted From one OF
/ 'he largest fiuttered a dark blue flag
with the name 'Antlers'' picked out on Il
N wnlte Into the launch they piled,
Desiree still talking in pretty. eager
/ excitement
| This Is the south end OF the lake"
she was explaining. There's tie store
over yonder-that farthest red building
and there's the Raquette Lake House.
/ We had dance there one night. And
| out there with a wave toward the wall
Of shining vapor. lis where we're going
! :. o''S iiS- We - aldil as soon as
the rest can get aboard. Oh I wish the
mist was gone, SO you could see the
islands and old Blue mountain keeping
guard over
ITS pretty damp on the water for you.
amt it7' he interrupted drawing her
macintosh closer about her shoulders.
This fog's wet
Nobody ever catches cold up here on
the top OF the world" she disclaimed
And II isn't fog. It's just little noun
tain mist. In another half hour IL Will
rise.
lust the same" he argued .sI wish >oi