The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1913-05-09

trOupleS-puEleu nSr neau flu utI
arms. and resumed her grief. Mallory
stared at her helplessly. then rose
and bent over TO whisper:
I'm going TO look through this
train.S.p
"Oh, don't leave me-" she pleaded,
clinging 10 him with dependence
that restored his respect
Il must find a clergyman" he whis-
pered. III be back the minute find
one. and III bring him with me-"
The porter thought he wanted the
! dog back, and quickened his pace till
| he reached the corridor. where NAL
lory overlook him and asked, in an
effort at casual indifference. II he had
seen anything of clergyman on
board
Amt seen nothin' that even looks
like one" said the porter. Then he
hastened ahead 10 the baggage car
with the squirming Snoozleums. while
! Mallory followed slowly. going from
! seat 10 seat and car 10 car, subjesting
all the males 10 an inspection that
rendered some of them indignant,
others of them uneasy
If dear old Doctor Temple could
| only have known what Mallory was
! hunting. be would have snatched OF
! the mask, and thrown aside the secu-
| lar scarlet tie at all costs. But poor
Mallory. unable to recognize a clergy
| man so dyed-in.the-wool as Doctor
| Temple, sitting in the very next seat
| how could he be expected TO pick
out another in the long and crowded
! train?
All clergymen look alike when they
are in convention assembled. but
sprinkled through a crowd they are
not so easily distinguished.
In the sleeping car bound for Port
! land, Mallory picked one man as a
clergyman. He had a lean. ascetic
! face. solemn eyes, and he was talking
| TO his seat-mate in an oratorical man
ner. Mallory bent down and tapped
the mans shoulder.
The effect was surprising. The man
! jumped as If he were stabbed, and
turned a pale frightened face on Mal-
! lory, who murmured:
Excuse me, do you happen TO be a
! clergyman"
A look of relief stole over the mans
! features, followed closely by a scowI
! of wounded vanity:
"No. damn you, ! don't happen TO
| be a parson. | have chosen to be
well, if you had watched the bill
| boards in Chicago during our run, you
! would not need to ask who | ami"
Mallory mumbled an apology and
hurried on, just overhearing his VIC
TINS sigh;
Such is fame"
lie saw two or three other clerical
! persons in that car, but feared to
! touch their shoulders. One man in
the last seat held him specially, and
! he hid in the turn OF the corridor. in
the hope OF eavesdropping some clue.
J This man was bent and scholastic or
! appearance, and wore heavy spec
| tacles and heavy beard, which NAL
! lory took for a guaranty that he was
not another actor. And he was read
! ing what appeared TO be printers
! proofs. Mallory felt certain that they
were a volume of sermons. He lin |
gered timorously in the envirOns for
some time before the man spoke at
all 10 the dreary-looking woman at
his side. Then the stranger spoke |
And this Is what he said and read:
II fancy this will make the bigots |
! sit up and take notice, mother: lf |
there ever was person named Moses, |
it is certain, from the writings as |
cribed 10 him, that he disbelieved the |
Egyptian theory of a life after death. |
and combated II as a heathenish SUI
perstiton. The Judaic idea OF fu-
ture existence was undoubtedly ac-
quired from the Assyrians, during the
captivity"
He doubtless read much more, but .
Mallory fed to the next car There
he found a man in a frock coat talk
ing solemnly 10 another OF equal
solemnity. The seat next them was
unoccupied, and Mallory dropped into
IT. perking his ears backward for
news
Was you ever in Moline?" one
voice asked.
WAS u" the othg Iluttered.
Wasn't / run out of there by one or
my audiences. was givin' hypnotic
demonstrations, and | had runin
with one OF my horses. and he done
me dirt Right in the midst of one
OF his cataleptic frances, he got down
from the chairs where | had stretched
him out and hollered: He's a bum
faker, gents, and owes me two weeks
pay Thank Gawd, there was back
door openin' on a dark alley leadin'
TO the switch yard. caught ca
boose Just as a freight train was pull
in out"
Mallory could hardly get strength
10 rise and continue his search. ON
his way forward he met the conductor
crossing a vestibule between cars. A
happy thought occurred 10 Mallory.
He said:
Excuse me, but have you any
preachers on board?"
None so far"
Are you sure?'
Positive"