Show THE HUSBANDS OF EDITH Eru ITH bu GEORGE BARR bu dodd mead co I 1 OFT AFTER f H nai 1 1 the 01 ellit flit tilde side face was in a condition of lysis due to the muscular exactions required he had a aleho ning fear that the scowl that marked Illar lied its his brow was wan destined to form a perpetual alliance with the smirk at tin corner of tits his noso nose forever destroying the symmetry of lit his face if one who lins lias not the proper facial construction st tion will hut but atto attempt ampt the feat of holdim r n monocle in place for unbroken hours it ho may come to appreciate ate ut tit iv least ast one of the trials which besot t poor barovic katry one seemed to be staring at him HP hemd hem d more than one amerlean american lit in the scurrying throng say to another english and lie he felt relieved until mall nn am iiii ashman or two upset his by brutally alluding to him vs rs a i american toady tt v ts is quite ti train nin time before mrs ard oft was se soon seon on hurrying in from the s m iri ringe aie way pm saied by a trio or of rat fat witt laden with bas and boxes shalie hands silo she warned in n illicit 1 whisper as they cattle came together 1 I rel re ont l cd you yon by tile the clothes ali ink 1 od it my filee face ha be ogled are your bour trunks chocked checked yes this afternoon I 1 have nothing nut ille ilic hans 4 you have the tickets then lt t us w ger g er pr inboard I 1 just volt pt ficro mit arlier arli iler tr slip whispered guiltily W vt hild to say goodby you know imir tild old toxy how flow he hated it T so sent lit toll ind and 0 obrien lit ft ii on it ahead of hiir 1111 my M sister ister them here in unlit nn lit iid I 1 dare say ind and ilce by this tinie time you hil ave theirl rut but of course you i 1 know ruy my maids how flow stupid T ea bat dont ont shake hands she wa warned arned of I 1 tile me dont be alar alarmed ined they have their instructions roxbury Hox bury it hound odd to YOU yon ill mork ck wilts was ley icy cot cold with apprehension ns as thoy they walked down the line of wagons tits lits in the wake of the bit bag bear ers sirs mrs vas us its self poa hessed and as as ho he wag wad ill at ease case and awkward As they ase ascended ended the steps of the carriage she turned back to him and said with the most malicious twinkle in ili her eyes im not a bit nervous but youve youre been married so much longer than I 1 have lie he responded then came the disposition of the bags and parcels she calmly directed the porters to put the overflow into the upper lipper berth the garde came up lip to remonstrate in his most rapid french but where is to sleep if the bags go up there ho he argued mrs Mcd Mede croft dropped her toilet bag and turned to brock with startled eyes her lips parted lie ile was standing in the passage his two bags at his feet an all aroused gleam in his eyes A deep flush overspread his face an expression of utter titter rout succeeded the buoyancy of the moment before really she murmured and could go no further the loveliest pucker came into lier her face brock waved tho the 9 garde arde aside its all right lie he explained 1 I chapt occupy the 1 I mean ill take oue one of the other compartments of As tilt the garde opened ills his lips to protest she drew brock inside the compartment and closed the door mrs Med Mcd croft oil oh what it a wretched contretemps she he cried in ili despair rolv Kox 46 has made it a frightful r mess of it t lifter all ne ile has not taken a compartment for you im lin im afraid have to take this one and and allo lot mo ine go 0 in ill with nonsense Non lie ho lirneo in ili nothing of tile tho sort harrl ill field it 11 bed ba never fear I 1 daresay theres plenty of room on oil the train traill you shant sleep with tile the servants and dont lle lie awake blam we lug poor old rox kox lies iles lonesome and unhappy and ho hel but tit he has it a place to sleep she lamented vin im so sorry mr brock its perfectly horrid and im im dreadfully afraid you wont be able to got get a bertli berth flox holbury bury tried yesterday for it a lower for himself and lic he get bonev one no mr air brock but ill ask the maids to give alve 1 I up ill their tbell Il please lease please dont worry and please dont fall call mo mr brock I 1 hate tho the name grood good night now dont think t about tile roe ill lie ho nil lilt right mid find in me as aly gay as it lark in ili the morn ing ile he did not give hota chance for further protest but darted out of the compartment part ment As tie lie closed the door he had the disquieting disquiet WIX impression that she was sitting upon the edge of lier her berth giggling hysterically CHAPTER 11 III the sister in law RE garde listened list enod to ills demand T and foia separate sep compartment with the dejection of a capable french attendant who is ever ready with joint commiseration and obduracy no he be was compelled to inform monsieur the american to the dismay of tile the pseudo E englishman jig Its hinan it would be impossible to ar ange for another compartment the train was crowded to its capacity many had been turned away no a louis would not bo be of avail the deepest grief and anguish filled his hia soul to see the predicament of monsieur but there was no relief brocks miserable affectation of the english drawl soon gave way to sharp emphatic americanisms it wits was after 8 and the train was well avell under way the street lamps were getting fewer and fewer and the soft fresh air of the suburbs was waa rushing through the window but hang it all I 1 cant sit up all night growled brock in exasperated finality mayeur Mai Alls leur eur forgets that lie he has a berth it is not the fault of tile the compagnie that lie he Is 19 without a bed did not bleur book the compartment himself tres blen As tile the result of strong pe persuasion the garde consented to make the grand tour of tile the train do de in search of a berth it goes without s linying that lie ho was intensely mystified by br ks incautious remark that he would b be satis satisfied fled with an upper it if he cot ant do tiny any better for tile the we life of him hill monsieur the garde could not co c mpr chend the situation ile he went n ivay shaking its his head ond and looking of ni the hio ali tickets ats its as much na as to say that ah i american Is never satisfied not ivyl jovn with tile the best bro brock lowered it window seat in the pa passage ellid sitt down staring blankly and blackly out into the whizzing the ilip predicament nid come upon win so mul suddenly denly that in ho lind had not until now found fo allind tile opportunity to analyze it in ili its the ilie worst that could come or of it of a course was tile the poor comfort of it night in ili a chair he know that it a train of sleeping coa coaches clies ah f ho le suddenly remembered the luggage van As a last resort he might find lod loding lodging ing among tile the trunks and then too there wits was something irritating in tile the suspicion that she had laughed as if it were a huge joke perhaps even now she was doubled up in her rit narrow irrow couch stifling the griggle giggle that would not be suppressed when the garde came back with tb the lugubrious information that nothing positively nothing 1 I was to bo be had it is painful to record that brock swore in it a manner which won the deepest respect of the trainman ata at 4 lit in the alie morning ms leur an old gentleman and tits his wife will get out at strassburg their destination Th they eyare are in this carriage and you may take their compartment if ins leur will pot object to sleeping in a room raun just vacated by two mourners who today buried a beloved son in ili paris they have kept all of the flowers in their four good lord what arn am I 1 to io do till then abent groaned brock glaring ill 9 with Uli unmanly manly li hatred atred at the he door of the Med Alede croft compartment perhaps madame may be willing to take the upper ventured the guard timorously but brock checked hlyn him with ath a peremptory gesture he proposed instead the luggage van whereupon the garde burst into ol a psalm of utter dejection 1 it i was against the rules irrevocably then I 1 guess ill have to sit here all night said brock faintly he was waa forgetting tits his english if ni will not occupy his own bed yes said the guard shrugging ft hl alq shoulders and washing his hands of the whole incomprehensible affair 1111 Myie ur will then bo be up to receive the customs officers at the frontier perhaps b he e will give me the keys to trunks so that she may not be disturbed ask her for em yourself growled crock brock after one dazed moment of dismay tho the hours crawled slowly by he p paced aced the length of the wriggling corridor rador a hundred times back and forth he b e sat on 04 every window seat in tho the carriage car ringe he nodded and dozed and groaned and laughed tit at himself in the deepest derision all through the dismal night light daylight came at 4 ile he saw the sun rise for the first time in his life lif e he neither enjoyed nor appreciated tile the novelty never had ho he witnessed anything so mournfully depressing as the first gray tints that crept up j mock him in his vigil never had he seen anything so ghastly as the soft red glow that suffused the morning sky ill sleep all day if I 1 ever get into that a abed d bed he said to himself bitterly wistful the customs officers had eyed him suspiciously at the border they had bad evidently been told of his strange madness in refusing to occupy the berth he had paid for their examination of his effects was more thorough than usual it may have entered their heads that ile he was standing guard over the reposa of a fair accomplice they asked domany embarrassing and disconcerting cortin questions that he was devoutly relieve when they passed on still suspicion N the 5 rijn was lateano late and at 5 lie he wak was desperately combating an impulse to 6 leave it at strassburg find lodging in a hotel and then refreshed set out for london to have it out with the malevolent Med Mede croft the aisem barking of the venerable mourners however restored ulm him to a legree degree of his peace or of wind mind after till iiii tit u reviewed it would be cowardly mid luw filase 1 to desert a trusting wife fit pictured tired her as asleep and securely lv lit in his hia no lie ho lur e it ii out with Mcd Afee croft tit some litter inter dy day ile ho was congratulating hi himself on it the acquisition of a bed although it might possess J tile odor odo r of it hed bed of tuberoses tube roses when all of ills his calculations were upset by bv tilt the appearance of a german bur burgher her lind and 1114 family it wits was well then that liv d that these people had booked ka k chii part parlement ement fron from strassburg to all M nich brock resumed tits his window sent wilt despondently awaited the cull to to brank arval fast ho he fell sound asleep wish lda ii monocle in ili position nor did it iii ilici tt kr to him that ills hat dropped tile the window and ana went scuttling of T across the preen green holds whet next lit he looked at tits his watch it was 44 A small boy was standing nt r the end of the passage staring WWI eyed at him two little girls canev piling filling half dressed from it a compartment evidently in response to the y youngsters oung whispered command to hurry out and soe see the funny man brock scowled darkly and tit the trio darted swiftly into the compartment he dragged t tits his stiff ie legs fl into th the 0 dining car tit at stutt stuttgart r art lind and shoved chovet 1 them under a table the car was quite empty As lie he was staring r bank ly at the menu the conduct eur from tits his car hurried in with the wol word wold d unit th it madam would not breakfast until 0 she was still very sleepy would it Med Mcd croft be good enough to order hor her coffee and rolls bro brought tight to her compartment part ment at thill that hour ali and would lie be mind seeing that tile the maid saw to it that ang haggles ies surely lind had lits ills biscuit and a walk tit at the next stati station olf 1111 haggles aggles r queried brock broch lins passing sIng his hand over tits ills brow the other othel shrugged tits his shoulders and looked askance oil oh yes I 1 understand murmured tile the pimpled oil one recovering himself for the next ten he wondered who btag haggles agles could bo be ho he till had eaten his 1114 strawberries and was waiting for tho the eggs and coffee resentfully eying tile the early risers ahoi were now coming conijn in ili for their colace coaree and rolls they had slept he fie could tell by ibe complacent milliner manner in which their hair was combed till and iq ly the interest they found in the alie see scenery which lie he lind had come by tedious familiarity to loathe and scorn the notions actions of two young women near tile door attracted ills his nt attention from their actions lie suddenly r gathered that they were discussing him and in ill a mol more moll L or loss less facetious fashion tit at that they whispered tind and looked shy and alid grinned in ili a most disconcert disconcerting im ina manner tiner lie turned red about tile the cal bairt 4 and began to wonder fiercely reely why ills eggs aggs 11 till and coffee were so 0 o slow in fit pom coming jig then hell to ills his consternation tile the young women plainly of the serving class hore boro down upon liim him with abashed smiles flo noticed for the first ehno that one of them wits was carrying a very cry small child till in ili her arms As she entile came il alongside longside grinning sheepishly silo she o extended the small one tr t td d tile the astounded broch till and said qaid in ili excellent ailt old inglish good morning mr Mod croft than with a rare atlon bib biby papa boniv now silo she pushed the it almost ost into brocks brock i face fie did di not elpel observer JL thit that it wits was a be child and unit that it had it a look of in ili its eyes lie ile only knew that lie was glaring wildly rt at the fiendish nurse e tit the e truth slowly beating its way into tits ills be addled addle 1 I brain for a full minute lie he stared IS as ii if petrified then administering 1 a I sickly grin grill ho he sought to bring ills his wits up lip to the requal requirements of the ta ira ordinary situation tie ile lifted tits his band and mumbled come lang haggles Ka ggles les I 1 a bi biscuit but here have a roll do give tile nio ti a a kiss lie lidded added tile tho last in ili most heroic surrender the nurse and the maid stared hard at him tile the baby turned in affright r to cling closely to the neph neck or of tile the for I 1 mer f to be continued J ava 4 |