Meade County news., 1917-05-17


passengers were waiting. They were
in hurry, too, since it had begun in
very downright fashion to rain.
The conductor had been chanting,
"Up in the car, pleased" in per-
functory cry all along. But at this
crisis his voice got q new urgency.
"Come on now" he proclaimed, you'll
have to get insidel"
From the steps the new arrivals
pushed, the conductor pushed, and the
sheeplike docility of an American
crowd helped him. Regretfully, with
the rest, Rose made her way to the
door.
''Fare, please" he said sharply as
she came along.
She told him she had paid her fare |;
but for some reason he elected not
to believe her.
"When did you pay?" he demanded.
"a block back" she said, "when all
those other people got on"
"You didn't pay it to me-" he, said
truculently. "Come along Pay your
fare or get off the carl"
81 paid it once" she said quietly,
"and I'm not going to pay it again."
With that she started forward toward
the door.
He reached out across his little rail
and caught her by the arm. 1t was
natural act enough-not polite, to
be sure, by no means chivalrous.
But it had a surprising result. The
first thing he knew he found both
wrists pinned in the grip of two
hands; found himself staring stu
pidly into pair Of great blazing blue
eyes-it's wrathful color, blue, when
you light it up-and listening, uncom-
prehendingly, to a voice that said,
Don't dare touch me like that! !"
The episode might have ended right
there, for the conductors consterna-
ton was complete. But her notebooks
were scattered everywhere and had to
be gathered up, and there were two
or three of the passengers who thought
the situation was funny, and laughed,
which didn't improve the conductors
temper.
Rose was aware, as she gathered up
her notebooks, of another hand that
was helping her-a gloved masculine
hand. She took the books it held out
to her as she Strengthened up, and said
"Thank you," but without looking
around for the face that went with
1t. The conductor had jerked the bell
while she was collecting her notebooks,
and the car was grinding down to a
stop.
"You pay your fare!" he repeated,
cor you get off the car right herep
"Right here" was in the middle of
what looked like a lake, and the rain
was pouring down with a roar. Before
she could answer voice spoke-a
voice which, with intuitivel certainty
she associated with the gloved hand
that had helped gather up her note
books-a very crisp, finely modulated
voice.
"That's perfectly outrageous" it
said. "The young lady has paid her
fare"
did you see her pay it," demanded
the conductor.
Naturally not" said the voice: II
got on at the last corner. She was
here then. But If she said she did.
she did"
1t seemed to relieve the conductor
to have someone of his own sex to
quarrel with. He delivered a stream
of admonition somewhat sulphurously
phrased, to the general effect that any
one whose concern the present affair
was not, could, at his option, close his
jaw or have his block knocked off.
Rose became aware that inside
shaggy gray sleeve which hung beside
her, there was a sudden tension of
big muscles; the gloved hand which
had helped gather up her notebooks
clenched itself into formidable fist.
She spoke quickly and decisively: 81
won't pay another fare; but, of course,
you may put me off the car"
"All right" said the conductor.
The girl smiled over the very gin
gerly way in which he reached out for
her elbow to guide her around the rail
and toward the step. Technically, the
action constituted putting her off the
car. She heard the crisp voice once
more, this time repeating number
"twenty-two-ought-five," or something
like that-just as she splashed down
into the two-inch lake that covered
the hollow in the pavement. The bell
rang twice, the car started with a
jerk, there was another splash, and a
big, gray-clad figure alighted in the
lake beside her.
"Pve got his NUMBER" the crisp
voice. said triumphantly. ~
But" gasped the girl, 'but what in
the world did you get off the car for?"
1t wasn't raining. 1t was doing an
imitation of Niagara Falls, and the
roar of 1t almost drowned their voices.
"What did I get off the car forl"
he shouted. "Why, I wouldn't have
missed it for anything. 1t was inn
mensel It's so confounded seldom"
he went on, 'that you find anybody
with backbone enough to stick up for
principle.