The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1912-05-10
Wasted Effort

and" Mrs. Bellfre added with
slightly acid touch, 'you might b.
here on time, for a change
Bellire qualled, as a well traine'
husband should have done under thu
circumstances. For on The previous
five evenings dinner had waited. cool
ed, collapsed into a sodden mess be
cause Of his nonarrival at the prop
er time.
Il will be home tonight" he assured
his wife, "at 6 o'clock l shall star
In plenty of time to allow for distrac
tions-and. anyhow, don't think
should be blamed because an ole
friend sprung up out of the earth ant
talked a half hour. or for SLOW
watch or for slow client! However
barring earthquakes and commissions
Of nature. this evening will see me
here when you expect me-"
Il certainly hope So" Mrs Bellfire
told him. Il am sure the cook will
leave II 1t happens again."
Bellflre started that evening for the
suburban express train. which left al
5:25. He was going to make good
job Of 1t and arrive home with fifteen
minutes to spare. 1t was bitter cold
and the train so crowded that the best
he could do was to wedge himself to
lodging the rain OF cinders.
Ordinarily 1t took the express train
fifteen minutes to make the run. It
had been travelling Ave minutes when
It stumbled and then stopped. It did
not resume its progress. Men began
to fold their newspapers and scowl.
Then they began to investigate. Il
seemed that the locomotive was frozen
up! A roar OF indignation arose from
the passengers. Somebody scratched
the frost from window and announc.
ed that they were nearly opposite an
intermediate station. Then a local
train pulled in at that platform.
In tho exodus which ensued Bell.
fire found himself crushed off on the
SLOW covered ground. Hs stood knee
deep In q snowbank and bllnked at the
distant platform. the trainmen swing.
Ing warning lanterns and ordering
their escaping trainload back. Then
he. too, began hopping over interven.
ing tracks. He might lose his life.
but he had to be home at 6 o'clock.
He lodged a through train. knocked
down a fat man and joined the shiv.
ering crowd clustering about the
wrong end Of the local platform. The
ascending spirals Of frosted breath
that went up from every individual
looked like dozens Of little campflres.
On the end Of the platform the ever
present busy person was giving or.
ders.
Nov. we've got to get the ladies'
up here!" he said This man and I'll
give 'em hand-and you fellows
down there get 'em started"
A riot ensued, punctuated by shrieks
Of. "Oh. it's so terribly high" Take
Willie first! Wil.l-ee! Stay away
from the edge Of that platform!"
''Oh. I've dropped my bag!" why
don't they have steps here? should
think there would be steps,"
Bellfire, being large. soon found
that he was doing most of the heavy
work. The process Of boosting mum.
berless women. each weighing twenty
five pounds Of furs and other wraps
above normal. Is exhausting. When
Bellfire at last clambered up he was
dlsheveled, putting. limp. He dragged
himself to that level Just in time to
see the last OF the crowd swing on the
last platform Of the local that had
pulled In. /
When he had become petrified to his
knees another headlight ioomed up
and dashed by without stopping. 1t
was an express train temporarily out
Of Its orbit because Of Bellflre's fro
zen train. BY the time another ap-
peared Bellflre was Ice to his neck.
Stimy he stumbled on board and
dropped himself against q door. He
did not dare cit down because he was
firmly convinced that II he did 90 ne
would splinter into icicles. When he
had thawed out enough to have hu.
man Intelligence Bellnrs observed that
the train was making no stops what
ever. Just % this fact dawned upon
him the lights Of his own station ap-
pearsd. blinked. vanished. He
grabbed the conductor and protested
rauoously.
Nope" said the conductor. This
traia b . special and doesn't stop
again TN Il gsts to rovsrdale at the
end Of the line"
rowsrdals b exactly twenty-ore
miles beyound Bellnrs's station. A
vsu VIII b drawn over the commun.
lon that Bellflro had with himself dur.
Ing The trip out the dismal wait and
the TIP back o. . local. The very
least and mldsst thing that he could
imagine NrA Bsllflrs doing was dis
mantlins the Aat and packing her
trunk.