The Hattiesburg news., 1910-02-05

| 'oHcceeu, wltuoul LOOKING Tor mOrey
Hasn't Bad News gone lame, with
| matinee race booked for next week.
Otherwise aren't you comfortable?
Isn't your house in order? Do you
| want to sell pony in order to have
che 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 1t to the long idle afternoon, to
the new environment, to anything you
like, but | began to think that per-
haps l did. ! was confoundedly lone
| ly. For the first time in my life its
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 man and woman
dined together. different atmosphere
prevailed. My attention was first
caught by the woman's face. She I'D
been speaking earnestly across the
table, her profile turned to me-. had
noticed casually her earnest manner,
her somber clothes, and the great
mass of odd, bronze-colored hair on
pttf Il =
toward me and the utter hopelessness
almost tragedy-of her expression
struck me with shock. She half
closed her eyes and drew a long
| breath, then she turned again to the
man across the table.
Neither one was eating. He sat low
n 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 l looked, he
raised an unsteady hand and sum-
noned waiter with a wine list.
| The young woman bent across the
table and spoke again quickly. She
| NnN uASOhoNiOuoiy IdlSCu ueT VOICc.
Not beautiful. in her earnestness and
stress she rather interested me.
had an idle inclination to advise the
waiter to remove the bottled tempta-
tion from the table. wonder what
would have happened If I had? Sup
pose Harrington had not been intox-
Gated when he entered the Pullman
ar Ontario that night!
For they were about to make a jour-
ney, gathered, and the young wom-
an wished to go alone. drank three
cups of coffee, which accounted for
my wakefulness later, and shameless
~ watched the tableau before r = The
woman's protest evidently went for
nothing; across the table the man
grunted monosyllabic replies and grew
more and more lowering and sullen.
Once, during brief unexpected pian-
issimo in the music, her voice came
TO me sharply:
IT could only see him in time!"
she was saying. "Oh. 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 l not met them again,
'ater 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
laughter or wife? l wondered-had
drawn down her veil and could only
suspect what white misery lay be
meath.
bought my berth after waiting in
4 line of some eight or ten people
When, step by step, l had almost
reached the window, a tall woman
whom had not noticed before spoke
me from my elbow. She had a
ticket and money In her hand.
will you try to get me a lower
wnen you buy yours?" she asked 81
have travelled for three nights in up
pers."
consented. of course; beyond that
| hardly noticed the woman. ! had
vague impression of height and g
certain amount of stateliness, but the
crowd was pushing behind me, and
some one was standing on my loot
| got two lowers easily, and, turning
with the change and berths, held ou1
the tickets.
Which will you have?" I asked
Lower II or lower 10?"
1T makes no difference" she said
Thank you very much indeed"
At random I gave her lower II, ant
called porter to help her with bel
luggage. I followed them leisureiy t.
the train she'd and ten minutes more
saw us under way.
looked into my ca,', but it present
ed the peculiarly unattractive appear
ance common to sleepers. The bertns
were made up; the center aisle was 6
path between walls of dingy, breeze
repelling curtains, while the two seats
1t each end OF the car were piled hig .
With suit cases and umbrellas. The
perspiring porter was trying to be in
six places at once; somebody has said
| hat Pullman DOrters are black sc