Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1910-12-16
On The JOURNEY.
hmy'S Experience In an Up
per Berth and What
Followed.
~ ClCELT ALLEN.

i ana very sorry 1t cannot be ar
ranged" said the young man. with a
ieprecatory wave OF his hand. but
al! the latest popular novels. Last
chance 70 get your reading matter.
No books sold on train after II starts.'
The ncwSboy bawled this In Amy Cur
It's ear and She lost all the young
man said except the words cant
climb those bcastly steps"
Not that she cared. she was quite
able to climb the little ladder to the
upper berth. Her lip curled scorn-
fully.
"O,.. II doesn't matter IN the least,
you know 1t was the conductors
idea. ! assure you. Only in the south.
where l come from. men. as rule,
are more obliging."
She picked up her novel and pro-
ceeded to ignore McKean's presence.
He looked at her blankly. then flung
himself down the sleeper to the smok
ing compartment. well, ! do think
shes bit harshw He pulled out a
paper and tried to forget the scorn In
the eyes but recently lifted to meet
his.
In the meantime the girl in section
stared wrathfully at the letters In
her book. which fairly danced before
her eyes. "a nice beginning for my
trip! ! never wanted to go to Colo
RADIO Springs anyhow. had much
better remained at Bar Harbor than
to let the Carriers inveigle me into
coming west"
With this final reflection she COM
menced to read in earnest, but some
how her mind went back to the very
disagreeable young man who had dis
regarded the sleeping car conductors
request that he yield the lower berth
to the young woman. whose Pullman
ticket had been duplicated by a care
less employee in an uptown Office. She
could not forget the real regret in his
eyes nor the nervous. embarrassed
way in which he had smoothed his
hair while he was Offering his battling
explanation. She could not reconcile
this. however, with the fact that he
had declined to climb the little steps
in her stead. 1t was most annoying.
she argued. that she could not forget
a certain fascination which hts long,
firm hand had held for her and the
hair he had SmOOthed.
She could imagine that he had spent
hours trying to brush out a certain
tendency to crisp curls. She was very
glad there was something that could
defeat him, IL 1t was nothing more
than curls. and after deciding thus she
was more content.
She did not see him again until she
entered the diner ut dusk. The only
place left for her was q single seat al
table meant for four. The three pas.
sengers already seated were men, talk.
Ing business In rather loud tones. Amy
hesitated. A figure at the table oppo
site rose suddenly. The very disagree
able young man who had sentenced
her to the upper berth was standing
beside her.
Take my place." he said eagerly,
"and ! will go over there with the
men," He had been occupying q seat
Mt one OF the small tables, and q gray
haired woman was sitting opposite
him.
Amy saw all this at a glance and
with a surprised uplifting Of her eye.
brows and a mechanical Thank you''
accepted the seat. The young man had
not yet been served, and she realized
that the change had not embarrassed
him in the least.
Quite willing to do things that dc
not incommode him." she thought
scornfully.
The young man did not presume upon
the reception Of this courtesy. Direct.
~ after dinner he once more retired to
the smoking compartment. and Amy
early ordered the porter to make up
her berth. Once tucked snugiy away,
she forgot her grievance. The steady
clunk-clunk Of the wheels was a singu.
lar lullaby to which she soon yielded.
1t seemed as II she had not been
asleep more than three minutes when
she awoke to the most horrible noises
that she had ever heard. What had
happened? Had the train run into q
circus or a jungle of wild beasts? No:
the train was still moving. Its unre-
hitting clunk-clunk could be heard at
intervals between the awful sounds
which no wassailed her ears. If II
were not wild beasts, then maybe some
one around her was dying.
This pretty. carefully reared. ever
protected southern girl had never seen
any one die. and In her ignorance of
this and various other matters she was
working herself up into a fine frenzy.
A particularly deep and agonized roar
was followed by q sound that was a
cross between a penny whistle and q
sob. She could stand the suspense no
longer. She pushed the tiny button
and. carefully arranging the curtains,
stuck out her head to meet the look Of
inquiry In the porter's black face. Up
and down the car she gave q hasty
glance. Apparently no one else re-
allied the tragedy that was going ON
so close at hand. for no other curtains
were swaying. no other heads were
thrust out.
''Eumdn yeu want. missy
"Why-why. don't you hear that
dreadful noiseY" she said II think
some one In the berth next to me h
dying"
In the dim light she could see the
darky's teeth CLEAN ivory white in a
grin that reached from ear to ear.
ITS Just the gentleman In the low
er berth. miss. snoring. I will wake
him up. Soon as he rolls over hen
stop"
Amy jerked In her head as II the Dor
ter had struck her. She could feel
him switch aside the curtains below
her. Two masculine voices were
waited toward her. then the sound Of
deep grunt that was decidedly mas
culine-and silence.
Tin in her ovrio my Low still fush