The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1910-02-07

CNW wv
(which viii You Have, Lower Ten or
Eleven7"
fered 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 a mistake, owing
to his condition. You'd better take
nine. sir"
| did, with firm resolution that If
mines rightful owner turned up later
| should be just as Unavailable as the
man opposite. l undressed leisurely,
making sure Of the safety of the forged
! notes, and placing my grip as before
Dbetween myself and the window.
Being man of systematic habits,
| 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 could see out comfortably, and
with the unhygienic-looking blanket
turned back-I have always a distrust
of those much-used affairs-I prepared
to wait gradually for sleep.
But sleep did not visit me. The
train came to frequent, grating stops,
and / surmised the hot box again. I
am not nervous man, but there was
something chilling in the thought Of
the second section pounding along be.
hind us. Once. as l was doing, our
locomotive whistled shrill warning
You keep back where you belong"
it screamed to my drowsy ears, and
from somewhere behind came 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 | heard woman's low tones, a
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, heavy body was
thrown into my berth. The incident,
trivial as it seemed. was startling in
its suddenness, for although my ears
were painfully strained and awake,
l had heard no step outside. The next
instant the curtain hung limp again;
still without sound, my disturber
had slipped away into the gloom and
darkness. In a frenzy of wakefulness,
sat up, drew on a pair of slippers and
iumbled tor my bath robe.
From berth across, probably lower
ten, came that particularly aggravat-
ing snore which begins lightly, deli
cately, family soprano, goes down the
scale note with every breath, and,
after keeping the listener tense with
expectation, ends with an explosion
that tears the very air l was more
and more irritable: l sat on the edge
of the berth and hoped the snorer
would choke to death.
He had considerable vitality, how
ever; he withstood one shock after
with new vigor. In desperation l
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.
| was not clad for dress parade. Is
1t because the male is so restricted to
gloom in his everyday attire that he
blossoms into gaudy colors in his pa
jamas and dressing gowns? 1t woulc
take Turk to feel at home before an
audience in my red and yellow bath
lobe, q Christmas remembrance from
Mrs. Klopton, with. slippers to match
So, naturally, when I saw a femi.
nine figure on the platform, my first
instinct was to dodge The woman.
however, was quicker than l; she gave
me a startled glance, wheeled and dis
appeared, with fash Of two bronze.
colored braids. into tho next car.
Cigarette box in one hand, match
In the other, leaned against the m
certain frame of the door and gazed
after her vanished figure. The noun
tain air tapped my bath robe around
my bare ankles. my one match burned