Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1912-04-25

looked kind O. eccentric at hrst. .
The two young men dumped their
parcels on the seats and began to UNI
wrap them hastily.
"If Mallory catches US, he'll kill u.s."
said Lieutenant Shaw. Lieutenant
Hudson only laughed and drew out a
long streamer of white satin ribbon.
Its glimmer, and the glimmering eyes
Of the young man excited Mrs. Whit
comb SO much that after a little hest
lance she moved forward, followed by
the jealous Ashton.
ooh, what's up?" she ventured. 1T
looks like something bridal"
Talk about womanly intuition!"
said Lieutenant Hudson, with an in
gratiating salaam.
And then they explained to her that
their classmate at West Point, being
ordered suddenly to the Philippines,
had arranged to elope with his beloved
Marjorie Newton; had asked them to
get the tickets and check the baggage
while he stopped at a minister's to
get spliced and hike for Manila by
this train"
Having ~recounted this plan in the
full belief that it was even at that mo-
ment being carried out successfully,
Lieutenant Hudson, with a ghoulish
smile, explained:
Being old friends Of the bride and
rypCn,, no Trvpy,+ to f. tLlf,, c,o+i1p IN
in style and make them truly comfort
able"
"Delicious!" gushed Mrs. Whitcomb.
But you ought to have some rice and
old shoes"
Here's the rice" said Hudson.
Here's the old shoes" said Shaw.
Lovely" cried Mrs. Whitcomb, but
then she grew soberer. 81 should think,
though, that they-the young couple
would have preferred a s%tateroom"
"Of course" said Hudson, almost
blushing, but it was taken, This was
the best we could do for them"
That's why we want to make it
nice and brideliko," said Shaw. Per
haps you could help us-a woman's
touch"
"Oh, I'd love to-" she gloved, has
tening into the section among the
young men and the bundles. The I'M
usual stir attracted the Rprter's sus-
p%icions. He came forward with a look
of authority;
"Scuse me, but wha-what's all
thisf"
"Vanish--get out" said Hudson,
poking a coin at him AS he turned
to obey, Mrs. Whitcomb checked him
with; ooh, Porter, could you get us
a hammer and some nails?"
The porter almost blanched: Good
Lawd, Miss, you amt allowin' to drive
nails in that woodwork, is your" That
woodwork was to him what the altar
is to the priest.
But Hudson, resorting to heroic
measures, h~ypnotized him with a two
dollar bill: Here, take this and see
nothing, hear nothing, cay nothing"
The porter caressed it ana chuckled;
I'm blind, deaf and speechless.' He
turned away, only to come back at
once with a timid "Scusc mel"
you here YETI" growled Hudson.
! Anxiously the porter pleaded: 81
just want to asst Il question. Is you
all fxin' up for a bridal coupler"
Foolish question, number eight
] million, forty-three," said Shaw. AN
. sWer, no, we are"
The porter's face glistened like
! fresh stove polish as he gloated over
!, the prospect. q tell you, it'll be mahty
refreshin' to have a bridal couple OF
bode! This dog-on Reno train dom
: carry nothin' much but divorces. In
just nachally hongry for a bridal cou
. pie"
! "Brile co~up-hic-le?" came a voice
like an echo that mad somehow be
{ come intoxicated in transit. 1t wa
Little Jimmie Wellington looking TO
! more sympathy. "Whass zis abou
, brile coupler"
why, here's Little D%uttercup!
sang out young Hudson, looking a
him in amazed amusement.
did I un'stan' somebody say your
y, preparing fer brile coupl'?"
Lieutenant Shaw grinned, 81 don
:, know what you understood, but that
what we're doing
Immediately Wellington's great fac
, began to churn and work like a bi
y eddy in a river. Suddenly he wa
a., weeping. Excuse these tears, zhen
>, tlemen, but I once-I was once
y b-b-bride myself"
q "He looks like a whole wedding pa,
II ty," was Ashton's only comment o
4 the copious grief. 1t was poor yelling
a tons fate to hunt as Vainly for syn
pathy as Diogenes for honesty. TIL
i, decorators either ignored him c
shunted him aside. They were int
q ested in a strange continuance of ri
q bons and a box that Shaw produced
THAT" Hudson explained, '1s a Ii
10 tie rice trap. We hang that up theI
q and when the bridal couple sit dow
n -biff! a shower Of rice all over then
It's bad, eh?"
Everybody agreed that 1t was
N happy thought, and even Jimmie We
d ~lington, like a great baby, boundin
"a from tears to laughter on the instan
was chortling: "A rishe trap? That
10 a~bslootly splendid-greates invens.
n modern times. l must stick arour