Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1910-02-23

fered a solution of the difficulty.
There's no one in lower nine," he
suggested pulling open the curtains
just across Its likely mines his
berth, and he's made mistake, owing
to his condition. You'd better take
nine, sir"
did, with a firm resolution that If
mines rightful owner turned up later
l should be just as unavailable as the
man opposite. I undressed leisurely,
making sure of the safety OF the forged
notes, and placing my grip as before
between myself and the window.
Being a man of systematic habits,
l arranged my clothes carefully put
ing my shoes out for the porter to
polish, and slowing my collar and
scarf in the little hammock swung for
the purpose.
At last, with my pillows SO arranged
that 1 could see out comfortably, and
with the unhygienic-looking blanket
turned back-I have always distrust
of those much-used affairs prepared
to wait gradually for sleep.
But sleep did not visit me. The
train came to frequent, grating stops
and 1 surmised the hot box again.
am not a nervous man, but there was
something chilling in the thought OF
the second section pounding along be
hind us. Once, as 1 was doing, our
locomotive whistled a shriH warning
"You keep back where you belong"
it screamed to my drowsy ears, and
from somewhere behind came a chas
tened "All-rightI-will."
grew more and more wide-awake.
At Cresson got up on my elbow and
blinked out at the station lights. Some
passengers boarded the train there
and 1 heard woman's low tones,
southern voice, rich and full. Then
quiet again. Every nerve was tense.
Time passed, perhaps ten minutes,
possibly half an hour. Then, without
the slightest warning, as the train
rounded a curve, a heavy body was
thrown into my berth. The incident
trivial as it seemed, was startling in
it's suddenness, for although my ears
were painfully strained and awake,
1 had heard no step outside. The next
instant the curtain hung limp again;
still without a sound, my disturbeT
had slipped away into the gloom and
darkness In frenzy Of wakefulness,
l sat up drew on pair Of slippers and
fumbled for my bath robe.
From a berth across, probably lower
ten, came that particularly aggravat'
ing snore which begins lightly, deli
cately, family soprano, goes down the
scale a note with every breath, and.
after keeping the listener tense with
expectation, ends with an explosion
that tears the very air. I was more
and more irritable: sat on the edge
of the berth and hoped the snoreI
would choke to death.
He had considerable vitality, how.
ever: he withstood one shock after
another and survived to start again
with new vigor. In desperation
found some cigarettes and one match,
piled my blankets over my grip, and
drawing the curtains together as
though the berth were still occupied,
made my way to the vestibule of the
car.
I was not clad for dress parade. Is
IL because the uldl0 Is ~ IOSblICCSu "
gloom in his everyday attire that he
blossoms into gaudy cOlors in his pa
jamas and dressing gowns? It would
take a Turk to feel at home before an
audience in my red and yellow bath
robe, a Christmas remembrance from
Mrs. Klopton, with slippers to match.
So, naturally, when | saw femi.
nine figure on the platform, my first
instinct was to dodge. The woman,
however, was quicker than I; she gave
me a startled glance, wheeled and dis.
appeared, with flash Of two bronze
colored braids, into the next car.
Cigarette box in one hand, match
in the other, l leaned against the I'M
certain frame of the door and gazed
after her vanished figure. The noun
tain air tapped my bath robe around
ray bare ankles, my one match burned