The Marshall republican., 1912-05-17
Wasted Effort

here on time. for a change"
Bellfre qualled, as a well trained
husband should have done under the
circumsta aces. 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 homo tonight" he assured
his wife, "st 6 o'clock. I shall start
In plenty of time to allow for distrac-
tions-and, anyhow, I don't think I
should be blamed because an old
friend sprung up out Of the earth and
talked a half hour, or for a slow
watch or for a slow CLIENT However.
barring earthquakes and commissions
Of nature, this evening will see me
here when you expect met"
81 certainly hope So" Mrs. Bellfre
told him. Il am sure the cook will
leave II II happens ssain!"
BelIfire started that evening for the
suburban express train, which left at
5:25. He was going to make a good
Job Of II and arrive home with fifteen
minutes to spare. II 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 II took the express train
fifteen minutes to make the run. IL
had been travelling FIVE minutes when
II stumbled ocs then stopped. II did
not resume It's progress. Men began
TO fold their newspapers and scowl.
Then they began to investigate. II
seemed that the locomotive was frozen
up! A roar OF indignation arose from
the passengers. Somebody scratched
the frost from q window and
ed that they were nearly opposite an
intermediate station. Then a local
train pulled in at that platform.
In the exodus which ensued Bell.
FIRE found himself crushed OF on the
nov covered ground. He stood knee
deep In a snowbank and blinked at the
distant platform, the trainmen swing
Ing warning lanterns and ordering
the,r eseaping trainload back. Then
he. too. began hopping over lnterven-
Ing tracks. He might lose his life.
but he had to be home at 8 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 camplres.
On the end Of the platform the we
present busy person was giving or.
ders.
"Now. we've got to get tho ladies
up herei" he ssAd. "This man and I'll
give EN- . hand-and you fellows
down there get EN- started"
A riot ensued, punctuatsd by shrisks
Of, "oh. it's 30 terribly Hight" Take
Willie FIRST! Wil.l-ee! Stay away
from the edge Of that piatform!"
'oh. I've dropped my bas!" why
don't they have steps herei I should
think there would be steps!"
Bellnre. being large, soon found
that he vas doing most Of the heavy
work. The process Of boosting mum.
berless women. each weighing twenty.
hvs pounds OF furs and other wraps
above normal. 10 exhAusting. When
Bsilfrs At last clambered up he was
dishsvsied, pufnng. limp. He dragged
himself to that level Just In time 70
. the last Of the crowd sving on the
last platform Of the local that had
pulled In.
When be had become petri6sd to his
knees another headlight doomed up
and dashed BY without stepping. !,
was an express train temporarily out
Of IT. orbit because Of Bellhre's fro
sen train. BY tho time another ap'
peared Beliirs was Ice to his neck
etifay no stumbled on board and
dropped himself against . door. He
did not dare cit down because he was
firmly convinced that II he did so he
would splinter into iciclss. When he
had thAwed out enough to have hu'
man intelligence Bellire observed that
the train was making no stops what
ever. Just al this fact dawned upon
him the lights OF his w station ap.
peared. blinked, vanished. lie
grabbed the conductor ana protested
%rsucously.
"Nope." said the conductor. "This
train Is a special and doesn't stop
again till II gets to Flowerdale at the
end Of the line"
Fowerdale IL exactly twentyons
miles beyound Bellire's station. A
veil will be drawn ovsr the commun'
lon that Bellhre had with himself dur
Ing the trip out, the dismal walt and
the trip back on a local. The very
least and mildest thing that he could
imagine Mrs. Bellfire doing was dis,
mantling the nst and packing her
trunk.
At ten minutes past 8 Bsllnre skunk
into his apartment The worst wa
confirmed. for there were nc lights.
Emily he began huskily. "iistsu