Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1916-07-29
That Saratoga
Trunk
B, BARBARA PHIPPs

Nine Herman, in sable robes and
Widows cap. drove up to pier I'm
New York from which a ship was
about to sail Tor London. She arrived
In a taxicab on which there was room
for baggage as wen as passengers.
and as soon as It stopped she aiighted
and, calling for a couple of porters,
she pointed TO a large saratoga trunk
on the auto and said to them:
81 wish you to carry my trunk to
my stateroon. Here's dollar for
each OF you, / done like my trunks
banged about and broken Take it of
the car carefully. carry 1t aboard In
the same way and when you set it
down don't DO it with a thump."
The men pocketed the tip. took the
trunk and obeyed the lady's order to
the letter, the lady herself accompanv y
ing them.
Nine. Herman kept her room during
most of the voyage. She was usually
In her wrapper, and when steward
answered her bell she would give her
orders through a narrow opening of
the door, receiving what was handed
in In the same way. She said that her
trunk which she preferred to have
with her took up so much room that
there was none left for any one ex-
cept herself. The trunk being very
large one. this was quite true.
A lady occupying a room opposite
Nine. Herman's said that the widows
meals, all of which were eaten In her
room, were sumptuous. Three times
each day a tray was carried to her
door. Each dish-was- removed from
the tray through the narrow opening,
and a piece of silver was slipped into
the hand of the steward who brought
the meal
Another thing was noticeable in the
little passageway when Nine. Her.
mans room was unlocked This was
strong odor<of cigarettes that-quite
frequently emanated from her room.
This caused some surprise, because the
lady appeared to be not the kind of
woman who would smoke. Fashions
BILE women of rather a sporty type are
the ones who smoke, at least in Ameri-
ca, but Mime. Herman was not in the
least loud" Indeed, she was quite
the reverse. being very refined and sub
dued.
Persons travelling have nothing to do
but observe their fellow travellers, and
these things tended to direct attention
to Mime. Herman. Several ladies who
roomed near her met one day in the
cabin. and the widow became the topic
Of conversation. One wondered why
she should take up SO much space in
her room with q trunk that another
woman would have had put into the
hold. Another was surprised that so
spiritual a woman could eat SO much.
ayowfng that she had seen the dishes
carried away and not q remnant of
food was ever left on any of them. A
third could not understand how so re-
dned a woman could smoke. Indeed
Nine Herman was surrounded with in
consistencies. and these inconsistencies
very much troubled her fellow passen-
gers.
Nevertheless Mime. Herman kept her
room. except on very rare occasions,
when she went on deck for fresh air
and then she always locked her door,
1t was observed. too. that she never
went into the cabin or on deck except
after the stewardess had made up the
berth and put the room to rights.
One night in fog the ship came into
collision with another vessel All the
passengers turned out of their berths.
most of them with very few clothes on
But the officers assured them that not
break had been made in the vessels
side, and the engine, which had been
stopped, proceeded with monotonous
regularity. This satisfied the passen-
gers. and they returned to their rooms.
The lady occupying the room opposite
Mime. Herman's reported the next day.
when the incident was being talked
over, that when she left her room and
when she returned to it Nine Her
mans door was shut tight. On COM
pairing notes none of the women could
remember having seen the widow on
deck.
When the ship was coming into port
Mime. Herman was forgotten in the
excitement Of preparation for landing.
After the docking and the passengers
had nearly all gone ashore Mime. Her
man sent a steward for a couple of
| porters and when they arrived they re
ceived the same instructions with re-
gard to carrying out her trunk that
those had received who had brought II
| aboard 1t was placed on an auto
with baggage room and taken with fits
| owner to her hotel, where it was de
| posted carefully by tipped porters In
her room The next day the lady, still
feeling porters to carry her trunk care
fully. took a train for Dover and cross
/ ed the channel to Calais. From there
she went to q small town in Holland
whnrra she took n room, I'm n h0Stalry mr.