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


Otherwise aren't you comfortable?
Isn't your house in order? Do you
want to sell pony in order to have
the library done over in mission or
the drawing room in gold? Do you
want somebody to count the empty
cigarette boxes lying around every
morning?"
Lay it to the long idle afternoon, to
the new environment, to anything you
like, but l began to think that per-
haps 1 did. l was confoundedly lone
ly. For the first time in my life it's
even course began to waver. The
needle registered warning marks on
the matrimonial seismograph, lines
vague enough, but lines.
My alligator bag lay at my feet,
still locked. While I waited for my
coffee leaned back and surveyed the
people incuriously. There were the
usual couples intent on each other;
my new state of mind made me re-
gard them with tolerance. But at the
| next table, where a man and woman
dined together, different atmosphere
prevailed. My attention was first
caught by the woman's face. She had
been speaking earnestly across the
table, her profile turned to me-. l had
noticed casually her earnest manner,
her somber clothes, and the great
mass of odd, bronze-colored hair on
her neck. But suddenly she glanced
toward me and the utter hopelessness
almost tragedy-of her expression
struck me with a shock. She half
closed her eyes and drew long
breath, then she turned again to the
4 man across the table.
I Neither one was eating. He sat low
in his chair, his chin on his chest,
| ugly folds of thick flesh protruding
over his collar. He was probably so,
bald, grotesque, sullen, and yet not
without suggestion of power. But he
had been drinking; as / looked, he
raised an unsteady hand and sum-
moned waiter with a wine list.
The young woman bent across the
table and spoke again quickly. She
had unconsciously raised her voice.
Not beautiful, in her earnestness and
stress she. rather interested me. /
had an idle inclination to advise the
waiter to remove the bottled tempta-
ton from the table. l wonder what
would have happened if 1 had? Sup
pose Harrington had not been intox-
icated when he entered the Pullman
car Ontario that night!
For they were about to make a jour
ney, gathered, and the young wom-
an wished to go alone. I drank three
cups of coffee, which accounted for
my wakefulness later, and shameless
ly watched the tableau before me. The
| woman's protest evidently went for
nothing; across the table the man
| grunted monosylla5ic replies and grew
i more and more lowering and sullen.
Once, during a brief unexpected plan
| issimo in the music, her voice came
| to me sharply:
eff could only see him in time!"
she was saying. ooh. it's terrible!"
In spite of my interest would have
forgotten the whole incident at once,
erased it from my mind as one does
the inessentials and gatherings of
memory, had 1 not met them again,
later that evening, in the Pennsylvania
station. The situation between them
had not visibly altered: The same
logged determination showed in the
mans face, but the young woman
daughter or wife? l wondered-had
drawn down her veil and I could only
suspect what white misery lay be-
Meath
l bought my berth after waiting in
line of some eight or ten people.
When, step by step, 1 had almost
reached 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 lower
when you buy yours?" she asked. Il
have travelled for three nights in up
pers."
1 consented, of course; beyond that
1 hardly noticed the woman. | had
vague impression of height and a
certain amount of stateliness, but the
crowd was pushing behind me, and
some one was standing on my foot.
l got two lowers easily, and, turning
with the change and berths, held out
the tickets.
(Which will you have?" I asked.
Lower IL or lower 10?"
ct makes no difference" she said.
"Thank you very much indeed"
At random 1 gave her lower II, and
called a porter to help her with her
luggage. followed them leisurely to
the train shed, and ten minutes more
saw us under way.
l looked into my car, but it present
ed the peculiarly unattractive appear
ance common to sleepers. The berths
were made up; the center aisle was a
path between walls of dingy, breeze
repelling curtains, while the two seats
at each end of the car were piled high
with suit cases and umbrellas. The
i perspiring porter was trying to be in
six places at once; somebody has said
that Pullman porters are black so