Show by K co u SYNOPSIS aleut harry mallory la ordered to the philippines he and marjorie newton decide to elope but wreck of taxicab pre vente their feeding feeing minister on the way to the train transcontinental train Is taking on passengers porter has a lively atme with an englishman and ira lath a yankee business nan the elopers have an exciting time getting to the train little wellington bound for reno to get a divorce boards train in maudlin condition later mra jimmie appeared she Is also bound for reno with tame object likewise mrs sammy whitcomb latter blames mrs for her carlta troubles classmates of mallory decorate bridal berth alev and mrs temple start on a vacation they decide to cut loose and temple removes evidence of his calling marjorie decides to let mallory proceed alone but train starts while they are lost in farewell gera join mallory s classmates in giving couple wedding hazing marjorie Is distracted ira lathrop woman hating machelor ach elor discovers an old sweetheart anne gattle a fellow passenger mallory vainly hunts for a preacher among the passengers gers mrs wellington bears little jimmie s voice later she meets mrs whitcomb mallory reports to mar orie his failure to und a preacher they decide to pretend a quarrel and mallory finds a vacant berth mrs jimmie discover wellington on the train CHAPTER XVI continued eventually the car quieted and nothing was heard but the rumble and clack of the wheels on the rails the creak of timbers and the frog like chorus of a few well trained scorers As the porter was turning down the last of the lights a rumpled pate was thrust from the stateroom and the luscious eyed man whispered porter what time did you we crossed the iowa state line two fifty five a m from within the stateroom came a deep sigh then with a dismal groan call me at two fifty alve a m the door was closed poor mallory pyjama less and night lay propped up on his all lows staring out of the window at the sv attly shifting night scene the state of illinois was being pulled out from under the train like a dark rug farmhouses gleamed or dreamed the moonlight rippled on endless seas of wheat and indian corn little towns slid up and away large towns rolled forward and were left behind ponds marshes brooks pastures thickets and great gloomy groves flowed past as on a river but the same stars and the moon seemed to accompany the train it the hying witness bad been less heavy 0 heart be would have fouad the reeling scene full of grace and night beauty bui he could not see any charm in all the world except his tantalizing other belt from whom a great chasm seemed to divide him though she only two windows away lie bad not yet fallen asleep and he was still pondering bow to attain his unmarried bride when the train rolled out in air above a great wide river very noble under the stars he knew it for the mis he heard a faint knocking on a door at the other end of the car he beard sounds as of kisses and then somebody tiptoed along the aisle stealthily he did not know that an other bridegroom was being separated from his bride because they were too much married somewhere in iowa he tell asleep CHAPTER last call for breakfast it was still iowa when mallory awoke into bis last moments of heavy bleed bleep intruded a voice like a town criers voice crying lass call for break fuss in the kin ing aar and then again louder lass call for break fuss in aar and finally and faintly lass call break fuss clrar mallory pushed up bis window chade the day was broad on rolling prairies like billows established in the green soil fie peeked through his curtains most of the other gers were up and about their beds bidden and beddings stowed away be hind the bellying veneer of the upper works of the car all the berths were made up except bis own and number two in the corner where little jim mie Welling tons nose still played a bagpipe monody and one other berth which be recognized as marjorie s 1 belated sleep and hers had spared them both the stares and laughing chatter of the passengers put this bridal couples two berths landing like towers among the belts biad provided conversation for everybody had already united the casual group of strangers into an organized gossip bee mallory got into his shoes and as much of hi clothes as was necessary for abo dash to the washroom and took the rest of hig ward robe wt as be issued from bis lonely chamber marjorie appeared from hers much disheveled and i heavy atoe bride and groom ex changed atances of mutual terror and hurried in opposite directions fhe epic kest and ep annest 0 lieu tenants eoon realized that he was reduced td wearing yesterday s linen as well as yesterdays beard this was intolerable A brave man can endure heartbreaks heart breaks loss ol 01 love honor and place but a neit man cannot abide the traces ot time in his toilet lieutenant mallory had seen rough ice in camp and on long hikes when he gloried in mud and disorder and he was to see campaigns in the phil Ip pines when he should not te on his shoes or his uniform tor ahree das at a time but that was the field and this car was a drawing room in this crisis in his affairs little jimmie wellington waddled into tho men s room floundering about with every lurch of the train like a cannoe loose in the hold of a ship he turn bled with the handles on a basin and made a crazy toilet trying to fand some abatement ot his fever by aliling a glass at the ice water tank and emptying it over his head these drastic measures restored him to some sort ot coherency and mallory appealed to him tor help in the matter of linen wellington ef offered him everything be had and JU allory selected from his store half a dozen collar my one of which would have gone round bis neck nearly twice wellington also proffered his safety razor and made him a present of a virgin water of deteel for bis very own with this assistance malbory was enabled to make himself airey airly pre een table when he return id to his seat the three curtained rooms bad been whisked away by the porter abere was no tiace now to hide from the passengers he sat down acing the feminine end of the car watching tor marjone the passengers were watching for her too hoping to learn what un heard of incident could have provoked the quarrel that separated a bride and groom at this time of all times to the general bewilderment when marjoree Marj orle appeared mallory and she rushed together and clasped bands with an ardor that suggested a desire for even more ardent greeting the passengers almost sprained their ears to hear bow they would make up such a dreadful feud dut all they heard was we 11 have to hurry marjoree Marj orle if we want to get any breakfast all right honey come along then the inscrutable couple scurried up the aisle and disappeared in the corridor leaving behind them a mighty riddle they biased in the corridor of that car kissed in the ves kissed in the two corridors of the next car and were caught kiss ing in the next vestibule by the new conductor N the dining car conductor who flat himself that he knew a bride and groom when he saw them es carted them grandly to a table tor two and the waiter fluttered about them with extraordinary cons on they had a plenty to talk of in pros hect and retrospect they both felt sure that a minister lurked among the cars somewhere and they ate with a zest to prepare for the ceremony arguing the best place for it and quarreling amorously over details mallory was for one of the vestibules vesti bules as the scene of their union but marjoree Marj orle was for the baggage car till she real iced that might be ing to attend then she swung round to the vestibule but mallory shifted to the observation platform marjoree Marj orle had left with mrs temple who promised to hide him when the new conductor passed through the car and she reminded harry to get the waiter to bring them a package of bones tor their only child so tar on the way back from the dining car they kissed each other good bye again at all the trysting places they had sanctified before the sun waa radiant the world good and the very train ran with jubilant rejoicing they could not doubt that a few more hours would them legally man and wife mallory restored marjoree Marj orle to her place in their car and with smiles of assurance left her tor another par son hunt through the train she wait ed tor him in a bridal agitation he ransacked the train forward in vain and returned passing marjoree Marj orle with a shake of the head and a sour countenance he went out to the observation platform where be stumbled on ira lathrop and anne cattle engaged in a conversation of evident intimacy for they jumped when be opened the door as if they were guilty of some plot mallory mumbled his usual ex cuse me whirled on his heel and dragged his discouraged steps back through the observation room where various women and a few men of evi dent were draped across arm chairs and absorbed in lazy con vers atlon or bobbing their heads over magazines that trembled with the mo alon of the train mrs wellington was busily writing at the desk but he did not know who she was and he did not care whom she was writing to he did not ob serve the baleful glare of mrs whit comb who sat watching mrs welling ton knowing all too well who she was and suspecting the correspond ant mrs was tempted to spell the word with one r mallory stumbled into the men a portion of the composite car here he nodded with a sickly cheer to the sole occupant dr temple who was looking less ministerial than ever in an embroidered skull cap the old rascal was bitting tar babi on hia bumbar vertebrae one of bis hands clasped a long glass filled with a liquid of a huo that resembled some thing stronger than what it was mere ginger ala the other hand toyed with a long black cigar abt shohe curled round the old man i head like the fumes ot a sultan a and through the wisps hia faco was one of oriental luxury mallory 8 eyes were caught arora this picture of beatitude by the en at the other door ol 01 a man who had evidently swung aboard at the most recent sop tor mallory had not seen him his gray hair was crowned with a soft mack hat and his spare frame was swathed in a frock coat that had seen better days his soft gray eyes seemed to search timidly the smoke clouded atmos phere and he had a bashful air which mallory translated as one of diffidence in a place where liquors and cagara were dispensed with equal diffidence mallory an danced and in a low tone accosted the newcomer cautiously excuse me you look like a clergy man the hell you bayl mallory pursued the question no further CHAPTER in the car it was the gentle strangers turn to miss his guess he bent over the chair into which mallory had flopped and said in a tense low tone you loofe like a sport im to make up a game ot stud poker will you join me mallory shook his heavy head in refusal and with dull eyes watched the man whose profession he no longer misunderstood saunter up to the blissful doctor from and mur anui again you join me join you in what said dr temple with alert courtesy A little game 1 I dont mind the doctor smiled rising with amiable readiness the checkers are in the next room quit your the stranger coughed how about a little freeze out freeze out said dr temple it sounds interesting Is it something like authors the newcomer shot a quick glance at this man whose innocent air he suspected but he merely drawled well you play it with cards would you mind teaching me the rules said the old sport from ypsilanti the gambler was growing suspicious of his too too childlike innocence he whined say your little game eh auf decided to risk the venture he sat down at a table and dr temple bringing along his glass drew up a chair the gambler took a pack of cards from bis pocket and shuffled them with a snap that startled dr temple and a dexterity that delighted him go on its beautiful to see he explained the gambler set the pack down with the one word cut I 1 but since the old man made no effort to comply the gambler did not insist he took up the pack agan and ran off five cards to each place with a grace that staggered the doctor mallory was about to intervene for the protection of the guileless physician when the conductor chanced to saunter in the gambler seeing him snatched dr temple a cards from his band and slipped the pack into his pocket what s the matter now dr temple asked but the newcomer huskily answered walt a minute walt a minute the conductor took in the scene at a glance and stalking up to the table spoke with the grimness ot a sea captain say I 1 ve got my eye on you don t start bothin the stranger stared at him wonderingly and demanded why what you darivin at you know all right the conductor growled and then turned on the befuddled old clergyman and you too me too the preacher gasped yes you too the conductor repeated shaking an accusing forefinger under his nose your actions have been suspicious from the beginning weve all been watching you dr temple was so agitated that he nearly let fall his secret why do you realize that I 1 m a ah dont start that sneered the conductor 1 I can spot a gambler as far as I 1 can see one you and your side partner here want to look out that s all or drop you at the next tank then he walked out hia very shoulder blades uttering threats TO BE CONTINUED |