Show EX COSE ME novelized from he comedy of the same namo by illustrated rupert from 1 I lh ply produced hofher by haary W copyright by U K fly co SYNOPSIS aleut harry mallory Is ordered to the philippines he and marjoree Marj orle newton decide to elope but wreck of taxicab prevents their seeing minister on the way to the train transcontinental train la taking on passengers porter has a lively time with an englishman and ira lathrop a yankee business man the elopers have an exciting time retting to the train CHAPTER III continued her nether lip trembled and her eyes were filmed but they were brave and her voice was so tender that it wooed his mind rom his watch he gazed at her and found her so dear BO devoted and so pitifully exquisite that he was almost overcome by an impulse to gather her into his arms there and then indifferent to the am mediate passengers or to bis far off military superiors an hour ago they were young lovers in all the lilt and thrill of elopement she bad clung to him in the gloaming of their taxicab as it sped like a genie at their whim to the place where the minister would unite their hands and raise his own in blessing thence the new husband would have carried the new wife away his very own ana body duty and wealty then ah then in their minds the future was an honeymoon the journey across the continent a stroll along a lovers lane the ocean a garden lake and the philippines a chain of fortunate isles decreed especially for their eden and then the tan cab encountered a lamppost they thought they had merely wrecked a motor car and lo 10 they had wrecked a paradise the railroad ceased to be a lovers lane and became a lingering torment the ocean was a weltering sahara and the philippines a dry tortugas Tor of exile mallory realized for the first time what heavy burdens be had taken on with bis shoulder straps what a als mal life of restrictions and hardships an officer e life Is bound to be perhaps young mr montague and young miss capulet instead of wall ing no that is not the lark whose cotes do beat the vaulty heaven so high above our heads would have done no better than mr mallory and miss newton in any case the best these two child squeeze out was its just too bad honey dut I 1 guess it can t be helped dear its a mean old world if awful and then they must pile out into the street again so lost in woe that they did not know bow they were trampled or elbowed marjories de was so complete that it paralyzed instinct eie forgot A thoughtful passenger ran out and tossed the basket into mallory a arms even as the car moved off fortune relented a moment and they found a taxicab waiting where they had expected to find it once more they were cosy in the flying twilight but their grief was their only baggage and the clasp of their bands talked all the talk there was anxiety within anxiety tormented them and they feared another wreck dut as they swooped down upon the station a kind faced tower clock beamed the reassurance that they had three minutes to spare the taxicab drew up and halted but they did not get out they were kissing good byes fervidly and nu while a grinning station porter winked at the winking chaar beur marjoree Marj orle simply could not have done with farewells go to the gate with you she said he told the chauffeur to wait and take the young lady home the lieu tenant looked so honest and the girt so sad that the chauffeur simply touched his cap though it was not his custom to allow strange tares to vanish into crowded stations leaving behind nothing more negotiable than instructions to wait CHAPTER IV A mouse and a mountain all the while the tolled elopers were eloping the san francisco sleeper was filling i it had been the receptacle of assorted lots of bu manity tumbling into it from all dl lons with all sorts of souls bodies and destinations the porter received each with that eipert eye of bis ilia car waa his laboratory A railroad journey Is a sort of test tube of character strange elements meet under strange condl lions and make strange combinations the porter could never foresee ane ingredients of any trip nor their ac alons and reactions he had no sooner established air T wedgewood ot london and mr ira lathrop ot chicago in comparative repose than hla car was invaded by a woman who flung herself into the first seat she was flushed with run nang and breathing hard but she managed one kaan of relief thank goodness I 1 made it in time the mere sound of a woman s voice in the seat back of him was enough to disperse ira lathrop with not so much as a glance backward to see what manner of woman it might be he jammed his contract into his pock et seized bis newspapers and retreat ed to the farthest end of the car bouncing down into berth number one like a sullen snapping turtle miss anne battles modest and homely valise had been brought aboard by a leisurely station usher who set it down and waited with a speaking palm outstretched she had her tickets in her hand but trans berred them to her teeth while she searched for money in a handbag old fashioned enough to be called a betl cule the usher closed his fist on the pit tance she dropped into it and departed without comment the porter ad danced on her with a demand tor tickets please she began to ransack her reticule with flurried haste taking out of it a small purse opening that closing it putting it back taking it out search ing the reticule through turning out a handkerchief a few hairpins hair pins a few trunk keys a baggage check a hot tie of salts a card or two and nu berous other maidenly articles restoring them to place looking in the purse again restoring that closing the reticule setting it down shaking out a book she carried opening her old valise going through certain white things blushingly closing it again shaking her skirts and shaking her head in bewilderment she was about to open the reticule again when the porter exclaimed 1 I see it don t look no mo I 1 see if when she cast up he eyes in despair her had been elevated enough to disclose the whereabouts of the tickets with a murmured apology he removed them from her teeth and held them under the light after a time he said As neah as I 1 can make out from the the undigested potion of this ticket yo anumba numba Is six that s it six that s right up this way let me sit here till 1 get my breath she pleaded I 1 ran so hard to catch the train well you caught it good and strong I 1 m so glad how soon do we start in about half a bodah really well better half an hour mrs jimila wellington too soon than halt a minute too late she said it with such a copybook primness that the porter set her down as a school teacher it was not a bad guess she was a missionary with a pupil like shyness volunteered yo berth Is all ready whenever wishes to go to bald he caught her swift blush and amended it to to rellah retire before all the car said miss anne cattle with prim timidity no thank you I 1 intend to sit up till everybody else has retired the porter retired miss gattle took out a bit of more or less useful fancy stitching and set to work like another dorcas her needle had not dived in and emerged many times before ehe was holding it up as a deap on of defense against a sudden hu man mountain that threatened to crush her A vague round face huge and red as a rising moon dawned before her eye and from it came an uncertain voice me mad m no fensk in tended the words and the breath that car aled them gave the startled spinster an instant proof that her vis a vis did not share her prohibition principles or practices she regarded the elephant with mouse like terror and the elephant regarded the mouse with elephantine fright then he removed himself from her landscape as quick ly as be could and lurched the aisle calling out merrily to ue porter s chauffeur chauffeur don t go BO basht round these corners he collided with a email train boy singing his nasal lay but it was the behemoth and not the train boy that collapsed into a beat sprawling aa helplessly as a mammoth oyster on q tablecloth table cloth the porter rushed to bis aid and hoisted him to his feet with an uneasy sense of impending trouble he felt as if someone had left a mon stroba baby on his doorstep but all he cald was tickets please there ensued a long search tat flabby hands flopping and fumbling from pocket to pocket once more the porter was the discoverer I 1 see it don t look no mo here I 1 Is up in yo hatband he lifted it out and chuckled had it right next bis brains and coulden couldn t kemem ba he took up the appropriately huge luggage of the bibulous wanderer and led him to the other end of the aisle anumba numba two Is yours sah right heah all nice and cosy and already made up the big man looked through the curtains into the cabinet cabined confinement and groaned that haven t you got a mans size berth sorry zah that a as big a bubb as they Is on the train have I 1 got to be locked up in that pigeon hole for tor bow many dayi Is it to reno the porter greeted that meaningful name with a smite we r doo in reno the the of the to th day sah bassah he put the baggage down and started away but the fat man seized his hand with great emotion don t leave BC all alone in there porter for I 1 m a broken hearted man Is that so 7 too dad sah were you ever a broken hearted man porter always sab did you ever put your trust in a false hearted domant often sah was she ever true to you por ter never bah porter we are partners in ery and he wrung the rough black band with a solemnity that embarrassed the porter almost as much as it would have embarrassed the passenger him self if he could have understood what be was doing the porter disengaged himself with a patient but hasty I 1 m afraid you 11 have to me I 1 got to he p the other passengers on bode don t let me keep you from your duty duty Is the the but he could not remember what duty was and he would have dropped off to sleep II 11 he had not been startled by a familiar voice which the porter had luckily escaped can t you raise this light or rather can t you lower it this light Is so in fernalld fer nally dim I 1 can t read to the englishman s intense amazement bis call brought to him not the porter but a rising moon with the profound query chassa thing like dim light when the light of your life has gone out I 1 beg your par donT without further invitation the mammoth descended on the english roans territory I 1 m a broken hearted man air mr I 1 dlan t get your name er ah I 1 dare say thanks I 1 will sit down he lift ed a great carry all and airily tossed it into the aisle set the gladstone on the lap of the infuriated english man and squeezed into the seat op making a sad mix up of knees my names wellington ever bear of wellington me any relation to the duke bagh he no longer interested mr wedgewood but mr wellington waa not aware that he was being snubbed he went right on getting acquainted are you married sir mr T my heartfelt hang on to your luck my boy don t let any female take it away from you he slapped the englishman on the elbow amiably and his prisoner waa too stilled with wrath to emit more than one feeble mr wellington mused on aloud oh it I 1 had only remained single but she was so beautiful and she swore to love honor and obey mrs wellington Is a queen among women mind you and I 1 have nothing to say against her except that she has the temper of a tarantula he italicized the word with a lant fillip of his left hand along the back of the seat he did not notice that he filliped filli ped the angry bead of mr lathrop in the next seat he went on with his por trait of his wife she has the ganza of a sultana another fillip tor mr lathrop the lousy of a cobra the of a humming bird mr lathrop was glar ing round like a man eating tiger but wellington talked on she drinks swears and smokes cigars otherwise ashes fine a queen among women Is elther this amazing vision of worn nor this beautiful example of longing for confession and sympathy awakened a response then as mr wellington shook with joy at tho prospect of dear old renol he tagan unconsciously to draw ira lathrop s bead after his hair across the seat the pain of it shot the tears into lathrop s eyes and a he writhed and twisted be was too full of profanity to get any on aard out TO BE CONTINUED 1 |