The Delta independent., 1912-07-12

AAeO SAoNop oAdSiGo uAAAA8. 62IOTS
the doctor could ask anybody to ex.
plain. Ashton was launched on q story
His mind was q suitcase full of anec.
dotes, mostly Of the smoking.room
order.
Wherever three or four men are
gathered together. they rapidly organ.
ixe . clearinghouse Of OF color stories.
The doctor listened in spite of him.
self, and in spite Of himself he was
amused, for stories that would be
stupid II they were decent. take on a
certain verve and thrill from their
very forbiddenness.
The dear old clergyman felt that IT
would be priggish to take fight, but
he could not make the corners of his
mouth behave. Strange twitchings of
the lips and little steamy escapes OF
giggle-jets disturbed him. And when
Ashton, who was a practiced racon.
teur, finished a drolatic adventure
with the epilogue, And the next
morning they were at Niagara Falls"
the old doctor was helpless with laugh.
ter. Some superior force, the devil
no doubt, fairly shook him with glee.
"Oh. that's bully" he shrieked, Il
haven't heard a story like that for
ages"
why. where have you been, Dr.
Temple?" asked Ashton, who could
not imagine where a man could have
concealed himself from such stories
But he laughed loudest Of all when
the doctor answered: You see, live
in Ypsilanti. They don't tell me
stories like that"
"They-who?" said Fosdick.
Why. my pa-my patients," the
doctor explained, and laughed so hard
that he forgot to feel guilty, laughed
SO hard that his wife in the next room
heard him and giggled to Mrs. Whit.
comb:
Listen to dear Walter. He hasn't
laughed like that since he was "a
medical student" Then she buried
her face guiltily In a book.
Wasn't It good7" DR.. Temple de-
manded, wiping his streaming eyes
and nudging the solemn-faced English
man, who understood his own nations
humor, but had not yet learned the
Yankee Quirks.
Wedgewood made a hollow effort at
laughter and answered: Extremely
very droll, but what l don't quite
get was-why the porter said" The
others drowned him in roar OF laugh.
ter. but Ashton was angry. Why. you
blamed fool, that's where the Joke
came in. Don't you see. the bride
groom said to the bride" then he
lowered his voice and diagramed the
story on his fingers.
Mrs. Temple was still shaking with
sympathetic laughter, never dreaming
what her husband was laughing at.
She turned to Mrs. Whitcomb. but
Mrs. Whitcomb was still glaring at
Mrs. Wellington, who was still writ
ing with flying fingers and underscor-
ing every other word. -
Some people seem to think they
own the train" Mrs. Whitcomb ragged.
THAT creature has been at the writ
ing desk an hour. The worst of 1t is,
I'm sure she's writing to my hus-
band"
Mrs. Temple looked shocked. but an
other peal OF laughter came through
the partition between the male and fe-
male sections of the car, and she
beamed again. Then Mrs. Wellington
finished her letter, glanced 1t over, ad-
dressed an envelope. sealed and
stamped 1t with a deliberation that
maddened Mrs. Whitcomb. When At
last she rose, Mrs. Whitcomb was in
the seat almost before Mrs. yelling.
ton was out of 1t.
Mrs. Wellington paused at another
wave of laughter from the men's
room. She commented petulantly:
What good times men have.
They've formed a club In there al
ready. We women can only sit around
and hate each other"
why. I don't hate anybody. do
you?" Mrs. Temple exclaimed, look.
ing up from the novel she had found
on the book shelves. Mrs. yelling
ton dropped into the next chair:
"On long railroad journey l hate
everybody. Don't you hate long jour.
ncys?"
Its the first ever took" Mrs.
Temple apologized, radiantly. "and I'm
having the-what my Oldest boy would
call the time of my life. And dear
Walter-such goings on for him! A
fey minutes ago strolled by the door
and ! saw him playing cards with a
stranger, and smoking and drinking,
too, all at once"
Boys will be boys" said Mrs. Will
lington.
But for DR.. Temple of all people"
why shouldn't doctor? It's a
shame the way men have everything.
Think of 1t, special smoking room.
And women have no place to take q
puff except on the sly"
Mrs. Temple stared at her in awe:
THE woman in this book smokes!-
Derf,Ilnpd thinpai"