The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1912-07-10
CHAPTER XIV.

CHAPTER XIV.
Ths pormItory On Wheels.
Of all the shc king institutions IN
human history. the slssptng car 10 the
most ahocking-or would be, q. We
were not 90 used 70 Il. There can bs
- doubt that W are the most moral
oAs<lon on earth. for We admit q our
selves. Perhaps ws prove II. too. BY
Ne Arcad1an prospsr1ty Of these two
GQofy hotels on wheels. whore mis-
ptalaneouo travellers dwell In com.
p1sts promiscuity. and sleep almost
~ b. DID,. in srartmsnts. or COM
p1utmsatA separated only By q plank
md . oartatn. and guAsdsd only by
lBlss s1sspy psgro.
Aftr the fashicn Of the famous
vocunfyy whose iuhabitants earned q
WeagoP 01Desnance By taking In each
iothaFS vashing. 60 IN 6Sespang Oar.
yotA1A 10 attain 9 rneaGer rsurecta,
htnU by svsryesdys chapsrsHins
: svofySedy else.
% toUevl<usv1sd. indeed. are our
nD(1ona. one We am aboard q train.
tAat The sfntseoomt alone ere rug1ri-
e with suspiciou: w question the
motives of those who must have .
Boom 70 themselvesl-A room with Q
real doori that lccksii
And. now, On this slssping car. pref
N1ly named -enowdrop" scenes were
~naeting that vouli hsve thrown our
Breat-grandmothers into dts-ecsneA
which. u 10 found them In France, or
japan. ve should view with alarm as
almost unmentionable evidence of tue
moral obfiQutty of those natonA
But this was our own countryside
part Of Il which admits that Il 10 the
lbssgt paxt-the moralest part, the
Gtaunch mSddfe west This val lln-
nois. Yet dossns of cars were b<Ihold-
lng similar immodesties In chs xtest
Illinois. and all over the nap. thou
sands Of people. In hundreds Of cara,
w9O permitting total stransuv 20
visv prsparstions which have always.
hithertU. been reserved for the moss
intimate and legalised reiationa
The porter was deftly Transforming
The 0ay-coach into Q narrow lare en-.
tisely surrounded BY drapsries. Bshfnd
most of the p0Ftieres. nuttering In the
hshtsst bresss. and perilousiy h,llow,
ing the hasty passerby. honey Of.
Acds were being enacted The popu-
1ation Of thu little town was going to
bed. The porter was putting them to
aleep as II they were children In q
lprsery. and be black mammy.
The frail walls of little sanctums
were bulsing with the bodies OF peo
pie disrobing In the aisle. with moth
ing between them and the beholder's
ere but cllnging curtain that ex-
PINNED what II did not reveal. From
spsrtures here and there disembodied
feet were protruding and mysterious
hands were removing shoes and other
things..
Women In risky attire were lscooc
ing 20 one end Of the car. and men In
shirt sieevss, or less, were Fastening
TO the other. ~,~<,~-~-S.Sss S...-.
> When Mallory returned to the
"6noWdrup" HE ear was greet.,d by
the thud Of dropping shoes. He found
Marjorie being rapidly immured. like
6cs's prisoner, In q jail OF closing
walls. s--------A. ..-s+s~'sav,
She wac unspeakably Ill at ease
and BY the irony of custom. the one
person ON whom she depended for pro
lection was the one person whose
contiguity was most alarming-and
an for lack Of q brief triaiogue, with
q clergyman. az the tertium ouid.
When Mallory's careworn face ap
pssred round the edge OF tho partition
now erected between her and the
abode Of Dr. anc Mrs. Temple. Mar
jorie shivered anew, and asked with
oil anxiety:
did you find a minister?"
Perhaps the Recording Angel over
looked Mallory's answer: Mot Q
damn minister"
When be dropped at MarJories side
she edged away from him. pleading:
"Oh. what shall we dor
He answered dismally and inef
fectively: Well have to go on pre-
tending to be--just friends"
"But everybody thinks we're mar
ried."
That's SOL" he admitted. with the
imbeciiity OF fatigued hope They IA,
q while listening to the porter slip
ping sheets into place and humping
pillows into cases. a few doors dowr
the street lie would be really foi
them at any moment. something; mus,
be done, but what? what?
CHAPTER XIV.
A Premature Divorce.