The Lakeland evening telegram., 1914-04-15

|
sation became general and animated
again; at the car barn company Il
spector boarded the car. and 70 M
an appeal was made. He sustained tn'
! conductor, however. and then discreet
ly departed.
Two drummers getting on soon after
ward gazed electrified at the interior
of the car.
Just run over somebody one OF
them asked the conductor as ours'
Of general conversation came thfousl
the partly open door.
NO" he said, surlily
"Well, what is that in there-oul
day school convention, or trade union
the other man asked facetiously
The conductor ran scorntul eye
over the indignant suburbanites WIN
in.
There's twenty-six Of them. ne
said, disgustedly, and they're as crazy
as a sky.rocket in a snow storm. lie
refused to explain further and went ID
to collect the fares in moody silence
There had been some demur abol'
the second fare, but after consultation
1t was decided to pay it.
The passengers were becoming bet
ter acquainted. When a messenger
boy took flying leap and managed TO
scramble to the platform, ne beheld
the amazing spectacle Of a car 1ull OF
| people in animated conversation with
one another.
Say he said, pointing through the
| glass of the door, what's the trolley
party?"
Lot of damn lunatics," snarled the
conductor, and lapsed into morose ST.
lence
| At the end of the line the conductor
opened the door with jerk.
"All out he said. This car is
going back to town.
Well get off at Wilkinsville, and no
place else said one firmly, and amid
a silence broken only by the swapping
Of watch cases as the mutneers con-
suited the time, the car started back
to town. The Man came in and sat
down not far from the Girl, but she
only chatted pleasantly with the little
widow across from her.
The conductor and motorman were
not SO mirthful now; there was an air
of grim determination about the twen-
ty-six that made the cold night air
warm and comfortable by comparison.
In the meantime common trouble
was bringing the people inside closer
together. 1t developed that the woman
with the baby had cloth bag inside Of
her coat containing three hundred and
fifty-fiye pennies" for every day
of his life" she explained amiably Il
brought them along, it isn't safe to
leave them"
So the pennies were brought out and
suitably exchanged, and the next time
the fares were paid in copper, ,leaving
the conductor white with rage and yis-
IDLY bulging
1t was eight o'clock when the car be-
gan its next trip from town. The pas.
sengers were growing hungry, and
when the last transient had gone, leav-
ing only the steady occupants, the
Man conversed secretly with the ba-
kers boy. AS result the white GOV.
eled basket was passed around, with
a bag of apples from one of the mar.
ket baskets.
Two passengers weakened at the
end of that trip and got off, leaving
only space of empty seat between
the Man and the Girl. The little widow
eyed the gap disapproyingly, but the
Man stonily read the advertisement for
somebody's pork and beans, and the
car, after another request from the
conductor, a little less courteous this
time-that they move into the car
ahead-Started back to town.
The Girl was feeling very lonely and
unhappy. Once or twice she looked at
the relentless profile near her, but il
was unresponsively classic Not for
worlds would she have shown less
spirit than the other women in the
car, and got out. But she was stiff
from sitting, her head was aching from
excitement and hunger-and Just a
little from the quarrel.
AS for the Man, it is very possible n
gaze stonily straight ahead, and vet
see clearly every movement of a girl
some distance to your left. He had an
ache, too, but it was lonely sort Of
heartache
AS for the little widow. she pulled
her black veil over the rim of her hat
feeling very sad and alone, and won.
dering if she had ever been so foolish
when she had some one to love her
AT the barn the car switched off and
rolled Slowly. echoingly into the dim.
ness OF the building. There it was
stopped with jerk, the conductor
switched off the light and heat and
with the motorman made his way 10
the Office
Ihe little widow shivered. What IL
the Man should go? 1t would be- 50
like a man to leave at this psychologi.
cal moment, when the Girl was bnn.
cry, and lonely, and forlorn; for tho
tired eyes and the quiyer of a prond
chin had not been lost on the woman