South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1921-03-15

have travelled so little in my life
that Steering cars. and, indeed, the
very atmosphere OF the big inter-
state trains affect me most pIeasur-
ably. L enjoy specializing as to the
kind Of persons who are behind the
heavy curtains Of the berths. won
dering upon what errands Of JOY or
sorrow. Of sordid business or pleas
ure they are bent.
There were but three berths un-
occupied in the car to which an OBJ
sequious porter conducted us when
we finally reached the train, and a
hasty comparison Of checks dis
closed the fact that they belonged
respectively to Dicky. Alfred and
Maj. Grantland.
But where is our drawing
room?" Rita Brown demanded i'm
patiently, her voice sounding shrilly
through the silent car.
saw the porter glance involun-
tarily, apprehensively toward the
printed sign, placed conspicuously,
which read:
Passengers are sleeping. Please
refrain from loud conversation"
felt a decided qualm Of distaste
for my enforced comIanionship with
her the next few days. 1t was so
emiuently characteristic Of her to
have kept the drawing-room check
which Dicl1y had given her to use if
didn't catch the train, instead of
handing it to me upon my arrival
Like her also was the fam boyant
insistence upon Our drawing-room."
II was the ineradicable instinct for
display and the claiming Of any
petty distinction which was her
right. I told myself contemptuoUsly
that she would have awakened every
sleeping passenger in the car if she
could in order to impress upon them
the fact that she was travelling in a
"drawing-room.'
Right at the end here. Miss" the
porter said, after hurried scrutiny
of the check she handed him.
rs fl ready?" still with shrill i'm
patience.
Wont take but jest a few min
utes, Miss" the man returned with
the ready evasiveness Of his race.
well, hurry as fast as you can
them" she demanded imperiously.
Il am exceedingly tired"
Suppose you tell US first where
this other room is located? p" Alfred
Durkee's voice drawled behind us,
holding out the check for the quar-
ters which Leila and Edith were 10
occupy. I saw Rita Brown bite her
lip at the rebuff, but her color didn't
heighten. 1t was too cleverly Iut on
to be capable of change with any
emotion.
There was an almost impercepti-
bic but distinct change in the por-
ter's manner as he turned TO Alfred.
Long experience with Lillian's Betty
and other colored servants has
taught me that no people in the
world can SO unerringly draw So
Cial distinctions as they. I knew that
our colorcd attendant had ticketed
Rita Brown as decidedly mot quail
ity" in his own vocabulary, but that
he distinctly approved of Alfred
Durkee. Woman-like foolishly
writhed under the fear that because
re shared the same room he would
pin the same mental ticket upon me
that he evidently had given Rita
Brown.
He scruHnized the ticket carefully
then turned with a reckoning ges-
ture
fright this way, sab. It's jest the
next car" and then. looking at me,
he said deferentially:
and yoh. Miss?"
"She is with me-" Rita Brown put
in quickly, insistently, while I won
dered anew at her effrontery. Evil
IDENTIFY she would stick at nothing in
her petty. ridiculous desire TO be