The Lamar register., 1920-02-25

AfIantic Monthly at the next stop"
Yes professor" said Rasfus. "anu
# | sees those Harvard professors in
he next car n-lookin' for you again.
professor. I'll just tell them you are
here"
Then HezekiHh, taking care thar
he next chair shielded him from the
.uzr Of NJ l.. V. opened his raper
hi-ny notrd for is spnrtinr news,
md turned &c the dope shyrt Bu'
even this failed to absorb his ntten-
t!on lie wi~ trying To evolve
scheme whereby he might engage the
charming NJ. l.. V in conversation.
Not long after NJ. L. V. arose ns If
hent on going to the dining ear for
dinner aud fIezcl;iah followed. At
the door of The car he waited vhue
NJ l.. V seated herself at one "f the
only three tables that were vacant.
Hczekiab hcr'-oned the head walter
10 him and striped in the pnlm of his
hand enough silver 70 win his ullrsi-
lnce There were few words in an
undertone and then IIezekinh followed
the waiter down tho aisle.
I'm sorry sir professor, hut these
two vacant table IRE. 50 To speak. '"-
served. and the u'h'r fahle wouldn't hr
safe. There is something the mattcr
with the chairs there. | wouldn't
hardly want y'1 TO III there; So since
you nre In such hurry. professor. |
am going Ia net This lady here If she
will let You sit NJ her table. Thnnk
you. ma'nm' Ard NJ. l.. v. with y
gracious smile made Hczekiuh feel
that he was entirely welcome.
There seemed 70 he no awkward
bitches In what followed Hezekinh
accompanied NJ. l.. V. back to the
car where their chairs were located,
and instead OF sitting in his own
chair he took one that belonged to
passenger who had abandoned his
in favor of the smoker.
They talked about all sorts Of
things but Hezckiah did not men
ton his work rs professor nor his
university interests. nor did VI. L. v.
say anything that would Indicate I'M
due pride in her social position.
Yet he had the vision of the array
of hat boxes before him and the other
pieces Of smart luggage. He recalled
that his sister. who was looked upon
as extremely extravngant, never had
but two trunks and one hatbox in
her travels Her dressmaker's bills
had been the despair of his tight-fisted
grandfather How large would Il
mans Income have to be. he asked
himself. TO justify him in asking a
girl who had all that luggage to marry
him?
Inadvertently Hezekiah mentioned
that he was. after a night and n day
In the next town. going TO make his
way on to the East. NJ. L. V. blushed
and said that her plans were the
same. So they met and they became
as intimate as 1t is possible for two
people who have no real knowledge
OF each others Identity TO become.
And Of course the psychological mo-
ment came. That is. It was the mo-
ment when, according to Hezekiah. he
could no longer endure the suspense
Of not knowing whether the charming
VI. l.. " returned in a measure the re-
gard that he was showerlng upon her.
II was on their third trip together.
They had met without either knowing
that the other was to continue trav-
cling eastward. and Hezekiah. for his
part. explained away any suspicious
that might have made NJ L. V. suspect
that he was In reality so low-brow
an individual as travelling salesman
by saying that he was out on visit
to some college professors on some i'm
portant commission for his university.
The college professors" In question
were hardware retailers and his ''unl-
versity" was the wash-boiler factory es-
tablished by his grandfather.
Hezeklah had not thought out just
what he would say by way Of making
the final explanation; he had decided
that he would have to know whether
NJ. L. V. cared for him. II shn did.
perhaps she would care enough TO for
give his deceit II she did not-N ell,
then he would never have TO explain.
and she would go on thinking of him
as very learned Individual.
When he told her of his regard
they were going at the rate of sixty
miles an hour over a smooth stretch
Of rnil-she turned perceptibly paler.
He had said: ~ knew from the first
that you had all sorts of money-and
that you were high in society. I saw
the trunks, | remember. and thought