The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1921-03-17


"Sure ! will" says l. That is. II
the lady's husband isn't there 10 meet
them. Her suit case has her name,
Mrs. Shella Macrae. on H."
The boss has way Of making two
up-and-down wrinkles and little
curved horseshoe line come between
his eyes when he is going 10 reach
for you.
There are times, Jimmie, when you
see altogether too much" he said.
sort OF grufr
'Macrae, you say that is Scotch.
And so Is 'Sheila.' Most likely the
names, both OF them, are only hand
downs. She looks straight American
TO me"
'She IL pretty enough 10 look any
thing" ! threw In. just 10 see how he
would take H.
Fright you are, Jimmie" he agreed
1--WE been looking at the back Of her
neck all day. There are so many
women who don't measure up to the
promises they make when you see 'em
from behind. You catch glimpse Of
pretty neck, and when you get
around to the face You find out that
the neck was only a bit OF blum"
II had been eating anything in the
world but ice cream ! believe II would
have choked me. What he said led
up to the admission that he had been
making these face-and-neck compari-
sons for goodness knows how long,
and ] couldn't surround that, all AT
once. You see. he was such a picture
word fighter and a hard-hitter,
right from the Jump And 10 man
Of that sort women are usually no
more than fluffy little side-lssues, as
Eve said when they told her she was
made out OF Adams rib.
That ended the dining-car part OF
IL. The sure-enough. knockout round
was fought at the rear end OF our
Pullman, which happened to be the
last car In the train. As we walked
back after dinner Mr.. Norcross gave
me a cigar and said we'd go out to
the observation platform to smoke
When we reached the door we found
the young lady and the girl standing
at the rear railing 10 watch the track
unroll itself under the trucks. The
young lady was wearing a coat with
storm collar, but the girl had a fur
thing around her neck. and her stocky.
chunky little arms were elbow deep In
a big pillow nun TO match. though the
April night wasn't even halfway
chilly.
The boss stepped out on the plat
form to close the side trap door which,
with the railing gate on that side, had
been left open by careless rear flag
man. Just then the big Pacific type"
that was pulling us let out a whistle
screech that would have walked the
dead, and the air-brakes went on
with q JERK that showed how beauti-
fully reckless the railroadiDg was on
the Pioneer Short Line.
Mr.. Norcross was reaching for the
catch on the floor trap and the jerk
didn't throw him. But II snapped the
young woman and the girl away from
the railing so suddenly that the little
one had 10 grab for hand-holds; and
when she did that Of course the big
muff went overheard.
At this bunch Of things happened.
all in an eye-wink. The train ground
and jiggled to stop; the girl squealed,
"oh my muir" and skipped down
the steps 10 disappear in the general
direction 81 the Pacific coast the
young woman shrieked after her.
''Maisie Ann come back here-you1l 4
be left" and then took her turn az |
by the same route: and. (
on top Of II all, the boss Jumped OF |
and sprlnted after both Of them, leav- |
ing = string Of large. man-sized com
ments on the foollshness Of women I
as a ser trailing along behind him a.
he few.
Right then II was my golden moment 4
20 play safe and sane With three Of I
them OF and lost In the gathering /
night, somebody with at ieas, = grain 4
% sense ought 10 have stood by 20 4
pun the emergency cord n the train 4
should start But ~ course. had 20 I
take q chance and spin the gravy an /
over the tsbieclOth. TIE stop was 81
a blind siding IN the edge ~ noun
tain desert. and when sqBinted NJ
ahead and saw that the engine was
taking water. II looked a. n there
we're going 70 be plenty q time Tor a
BIZ ~ promenade under the stars. So
I swung % and went 10 Join the nut
hunt
Amongst them. they had found the
riilou thing before I had q chance r.
horn 10. They were coming up the
track. and the boss had sach % TIE
two By an arm and was telling then
that they'd - left 20 9 dead moral
certainty n they didn't run. They
couldn't run becsuse their skirts were
80 fsshInraf.fT NJ rruw ard fhern wa--.