The Glenwood post., 1923-01-04

to make this trip with me"
The stout man with the conductor
forced himself forward.
"That's pretty good, but not quite
good enough !" he charged. "Conduc-
tor, get that telegram for mel"
Eaton got up, controlling himself
under the insult Of the others manner
"What business is 1t Of yours" he
demanded.
"What business? Why, only that
I'm Lawrence Hillward-that's all, my
friend! What are you up to, anyway?
Lawrence Hillward travelling with
you, l never set eyes on you until
saw you ON this train; and you take
my telegram =" The charge was made
loudly and distinctly; every one in
the dining car-Eaton could not see
every one, but he knew 1t was So
had put down fork or cup or spoon
and was staring at him. "What did
you do it for? What did you want
with it?" the stout man blared on.
"Did you think wasn't on the train?
What?'
Eaton felt he was paling as he
faced the clustering smaller man. He
realized that the passengers he could
see-those at the smaller tables
already had judged his explanation
and found him wanting; the others
unquestinnably had done the same.
Avery was gazing up at him with a
sort of contented triumph.
1.-THE telegram was for me- Conduc-
tori" he repeated.
Get that telegram, Conductor !" the
stout man demanded again.
~ suppose" Connery suggested,
"you have letters or q card or some
thing, Mr.. Eaton, to show your re-
lationship to Lawrence Hillward."
mo, 1 have not"
Connery gazed from one claimant
to the other. "Will you give this gen.
tleman the telegram" he asked Eaton.
II will not"
"Then l shall furnish him another
copy; 1t was received here on the
train by our express clerk as the op
orator. I'll go forward and get him an
other copy"
"That's for you to decide" Eaton
said; and as though the matter was
closed for him, he resumed his seat.
He was aware that, throughout the
car the passengers were watching him
curiously
"Are you ready to go back to our
car now, Harriet?" Avery inquired
when she had finished her breakfast,
though Eaton was not yet through.
"Surely there's no hurry about any
thing today" the girl returned. They
waited until Eaton had finished.
"Shall we all go back to the obser-
walton car and see If there's a walk
down the track or whether it's showed
over?' she said impartially to the two
They went through the Pullmans to-
gether.
The first Pullman contained four or
five passengers; the next, in which
Eaton had his berth, was still empty
as they passed through. The next
Pullman also, at first glance, seemed
to have been deserted in favor of the
diner forward or of the club-car far
ther back. The porter had made W
all the berths there also, except one;
but someone was still sleeping behind
the curtains Of Section Three, for a
mans hand hung over the aisle 1t
was gentleman's hand, with long,
well-formed fingers, sensitive and at
the same time strong. That was the
berth of Harriet DOrne's father; Ea-
ton was the last of the three to pass,
and so the others did not notice his
start; but so strong was the fascina-
ton of the hand in the aisle that he
turned back and gazed at it before
going on into the last car Some
eight or ten passengers-men and
women-were lounging in the easy
chairs Of the observation room;
couple, ulstered and fur-capped, were
standing on the platform gazing back
from the train.
The canyon through the snowdrifts,
bored by the giant rotary plow the
night before. was almost filled; drifts
of snow eight or ten feet high and,
in places, pointing still higher, came
up to the rear of the train; the end
Of the platform itself was buried un-
der three feet Of snow; the men stand
ing on the platform could barely look
over the higher drifts.
"There's no wny from the train in
that direction now" Harriet Dorne
lamented as she saw this. "What shall
we do with ourselvesw
"Cribbage, Harriet? You and II"
Avery invited.
She shook her head. "If we have to
play cards, get n fourth and make 1t
auction; but must 1t be cards? Isn't
there some way we can get out for
walk?"
There's the top of the cars, Miss
Dorne," Eaton suggested. IF we
could get up these, we'd get fairly
decent walk and see everything"
"Good!" the girl npplauded. "How
do we get upY'
I'll see the conductor about It,"
Eaton offered; and before Avery could
discuss it. he started back through the
train.
Ito be continued)