The Cushing Democrat (Cushing, Okla.), Vol. 5, No. 36, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 19, 1911 Page: 3 of 4
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Oklahoma Digital Newspaper Program and was provided to The Gateway to Oklahoma History by the Oklahoma Historical Society.
- Highlighting
- Highlighting On/Off
- Color:
- Adjust Image
- Rotate Left
- Rotate Right
- Brightness, Contrast, etc. (Experimental)
- Cropping Tool
- Download Sizes
- Preview all sizes/dimensions or...
- Download Thumbnail
- Download Small
- Download Medium
- Download Large
- High Resolution Files
- IIIF Image JSON
- IIIF Image URL
- Accessibility
- View Extracted Text
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
(
>
aa* mr
*h tea#aew I both aad
»'■ » own* lIlWI T%»
• MJr | llH H<••♦*> l«"l.
in I »«)4« after Ik* •• «»" •«»*
MHfb to "tuff lu lt«» 11 **»
•ixl |b lu ••r4l> i
! i r t«« I Mm m a.* «•*»•*« « -*
>**-k »m* »*aUbia I ■**»«»> *h»a I
■ iiui iKu- *b« ft '*<1 ii« tii m »«#<
■ * ktf «**«»( lO «M H»l ike owner Of IkMM
> thr Im-II aad |t|,l It MM k»-uWr lk*M W> «"f»
rr . am* Jo " h- Uhl. «• k* piled th» Mblqtoluw*
r*~ be *.k«d i»k •**•*
. =:»» Ik- > uH.iiii* oil Whea I |<H »ke uwmt of I be.
• ( <-1-1 »*>) •• tl>*i eUrth**" I r*iocied grtml>. k» all!
>r ( i, iiiiuucki n**d i iki'Mil u here ■ 'b«* ran
..l. juluu* Hut Pull
«>ij tin lit* xmtlut'iir • •• rotulag. k» w
» i It ran* iteetf sured me »»*«> that there wee ao bag
do foi» n.rnh by ri aoewnlng the deacilpima «f mine on
■ law for thla ik* >ar I slamm*4 Biy way io Ik#
d II If you waken Ike dreealt'l room. wa*hed < bilked m»
ii "Ibrre art- lni|M>r #"»«*'> and a bait neck Imo A flf'ren
,i grip" collar, and waa lark again In leaa
• (.unite %•>!« # ,ban Ave mlnuiea Tbe car. aa wwll aa
• Mi i»r«r Ii* Porter "• occupant* waa gradually lakitia
„j. d»» * ' °* * daylight »|i|>fiir«Br* I bubbled
I ,,,id ......i. "»• •k«*» *as nbouiln
■ Mb Milo l"l
" 4»W-
/aa. „*l -•
"The Man's Imi l.'urdered
41
Igely
Self . r on-- waa eating Iaat low
Ir hi* ckaJr, hi* chin on his cheat.
ui 1/ f< 'il« of thick flesh protruding
o* i-r I i collar. H * wu* probably '.ti.
In d. |c;otesq *. sullen, and yet not
w iIn.in a suggestion of power. Hut ho
ki ft In n drinking: a* I looked, hi'
ri iaed an unsteady hand and sum-
mined % wa ter with a wine list.
ink lea, my ui
M ||<9
: lit d
.nuila- : to
p | I Blared
tether
nd aiu
Por I I
alve face a h;i
horror, not hint:
wcot
nd Bee
ml lug
lean. I
' >< • i.
it v <
iked
an
in i;
1 be ottag woman bent acrosa the
taala aid si oke again quickly. Rhe
k: d ur ?onarfoualy ralaed ber voice.
N it be utlfu!. In her oarnestnesa and
acaa« ih« latl-er interest id 1
kid :m Idle Inclination to adviae the
w .Iter o re nove the bottled tompta-
ti'ia fr< in th? table. I wonder what
w >tild ave 'lappencd if I bad? Sup-
D< se H i riiii tou had not been intox
ii ited .vbea be entered the Pullman
cir Oa arlo hat rPsht!
Por t .iey were about to make a Jour-
ac y, I ;*thered, and the >01111? wom-
an wial-rd to go alone. I drank three
t upa «' coffee, which accounted for
my wa iefulre^a later, and shameless-
ly watched the tableau before me. The
*r:i»an s protest evidently went for
nothing; across the table the man
griiBted monosyllabic replies and gre w
H>ore and Wore lowering and sullen.
Oaee, curing a brief unexpected plan
Imefmo in the music, her voice came
to aie sharply.
"If I could only see him in time!"
she wa* sayiv.g "Oh. it's terrible!"
In spite of my interest I would have
forgotttn tbo whole incident at oncc, 1
erased it from my mind as one does |
the inessentials and cluttering^ of
memory, had I not met them again, !
» later that evening, in the Pennsylvania j
station. The situation between them j
had not visibly altered: The same j
dogged determination showed in the
man's face, but the young woman— j
daughter or wife? I wondered—had j \y//i
drawn down her veil and I could only
suspect wbat white misery lay be-
■ eath.
I bought my berth after waiting in
a Hue of soma eight or ten people.
When, step by step, I had almost
reiached the window, a tall woman
wliem I had not noticed before spoke
to me from my elbow. She had a
ticket and money in her hand.
"Will you try to get me a lower
ir'nei you buy yours?" she asked. "1
have traveled for three nights to up-
pers."
I consented, of course; beyond that
I hardly noticed the woman. I haS
a vagu" impression of height and a
certain amount of state!tnesS, but the
crowd was pushing behind me, and
some one wras standing on my foot.
I got two lowers easily, and, turning
with the change and berths, held out
the ticl ets.
"Whi:h will you have?" I asked.
"Lower 11 or lower 10?"
"It irakes no difference," she said.
"Thank you very much Indeed."
At random I gave her lower 11. and
called a porter to help her with her
luggage. I followed them leisurely to
the train shed, and ten minutes more
saw us under way.
I looked into my car, but it present-
ed tke peculiarly unattractive appear-
«t c« common to sleepers. The berths
w?re mad* up; th» center aisle was a
Ii:.tk kf twee') wal's of dingy, breeze-
repellirg curtain*, while the two scats
at #ach end of the car were pi'ed high
with s' it casrt and umbrellas. The
perspir ng porter was ti yirg to be in
six pla. es at once: somebody has aaid
t>nt Pullman pollers are black so
tt.ey won't show the dirt, but they
cirtaia y show (h* heat.
Nine-fifteen was an outrageous hour
tr go to bed. espei a'ly since I sleep
little f>~ BOt at a 1 cn the train, so 1
B-.ade ray way to the sn oker and
Pissed the ti»ie unti' nearly 11 with
c'garet •• and a nisga7:.ae
Tke car was very close It was a
warn light, and berore turning in I
stood si short time in tbe ve»t;bule.
The tr »!■ had bee* atopping at fre-
qneat iatervals and. inding the brake-
■naa there I aaked the troub'e
It se med that there wa* a hoi box
on tke next car aad that not only
v-ere we la«« but we were d- laying
tfce si-<- >ud Mctioa. Ju«t beb'nd I wa*
b*-g «b ng to feel pleaaaatly drowsy,
ar.d tb^ a*r was growiag coo:- r as we
g • lot tbe asooatalaa 1 *a d good
t ji- to tbe braketao aad went Ha a
to bt bent To ay »si»rf»* lower
-ven
prock
illl
was not d
In order to
per to skei
1 was
and I
upper
Intcrlt
berth.
"You'll hnv
said, shaking
merely grutiti
he did so. I f
first time. It
tha
ei.Cil'y. No
i»i ened tha
Yf x, the in-
inuch asleep
iiciiuiiig odeir of
I that he would
!cep until morning.
The car was full,
I -posi-d to take an I
allow th!
comfortably in my
I alii not psychological. Kinotlons
have to be written l:\rgo before I can
read theiu. Hut a woman in trerjbl-
ahsays appeals to inc. and this woman
was more than that. She was lu dead-
ly fear
If I had not been afraid of being
ridiculous. 1 would have followed her.
But I fancied that tbe apparition of a
man in a red and yellow bath robe,
drunken 1 w,,h Hn (batch of hair, walk
Ing up to her and assuring her that
i he would protect her would probably
to get out of this,' iJP"1 1,er 'nto hysterics I had done
him angrily. But he ! th,at burga.rs had
I ai d „„ I ed over. As | ti ^La> ^t0 ^ ^
startled the parlor maid Into bed for
a wee k. So I tried to assure myself
that I had imagined the lady's distress
—or caused it, perhaps—and to dis- j
miss ber from my mind. Perhaps she
ably ilghl. and found oiyaelf rat ing *
vnuag woiiiaa In blue with an unfor
grtable fare r Thre- women already "
McKiilgbi aaya: Thai's going aome.
even If >*>u don'i cnuat the Uiluiore
aurae 'i Hhe aiood. half-turned to-
. ward me. one band Idly drooping, the
'•llniuiaa „,|lrr ttaMlylag her aa she gated oul
al the flying landscape I had an In
alant Impression that I had met bar
••oiuewhere. upder different clreum
i'ore cbaarful one*. I thought
for tha girl's dejee'lon now was etrl
dem be.|de her. aiding down, a small
nd tal leg aoniaa. <onslderably o'der, was
talking Id a rapid undertone The
was g'vlig quick orders In Prem h, gtr| led Indifferently now and then
preauinablv to a maid The porter | rancled, nlihough I waa not anre,
waa < n In- l.nees, looking under tbe that in> appearance brought a atarlled
berth look Into ihe young woman's face I
Not there, sir." he said, dusting his ,at down, and. handa thrust deep lu'.o
kne- He was visibly more cheerful >,». o<hei man's poekat*. stared rue-
haxiug been absolved of reaponslblll- *uUy the other man's ahoes
ty. "Iteckon It was liken ahlle you xha stage was aat. In a moment
was wandel In' around the car last . _ ,.
. - . tbe curtain waa going up ob the flrat
„ j act of ibe play. And for a while wa
would all aav our little apeeihea and
itig our 11 !e songs, and I, tbe vil-
lain. would hold center stage while the
Then he
J dignity "I,
it » r Tou
II
id turned over
• '<> th*- porter It wsi
tip ti I wa* sliuply a
"f the useni *le. plug ear rob-
I waa In a lather of peraplra-
by that tlme° The lady down ti e
■till
it It. -itill r arer a feminine tulca
* ' rid It'« 100 lata
lei - d la auch mat
t < g Iter we u|i*te| the our
ltd tie doctor, bcndlrg down,
•tii 1 Ml tufva g aac* 1 bat iw'.
I'.g head, ihe tal led jaw. !|
•n t'B the akeei. The evnn
»ci!fd on'y a n-oi^erl Ileal!
1 "n In the .- ^ar "hire of *«
'ills, the co'or'eas lips, th*
g *a»t 01 l.« ilnlater line*
■ l.» 1. ^ Wish l»a n»w 1
'ate wa« no' unli »ni!#o **1
5 y hj'r m»$ »1 til plentiful, tke
i.ie* ti e- 5 fend well o it,
Tbe doc'or atralgb'eiiid hhntelf
'•irnad 10 iee. "Dead for ronie tf 1
be avid >'innlng a professional
over 'I • Ins. "These are dr
k»r you »ee, aad rignr
I« e-, l eitab'^had A frle*
yoiirsT*
"I I'on'1
"Never .
"Tb-e
elli p a'i v
"Vo hi
know sn*
•ow iilm at all
Mm li'lt oace b«
i iiH't know If he
I raM
'oral
Is ti
"I'll give you $50 If you And It
said. "A hundred. Iteach up
shoes and I'll—"
1 stopped abruptly. My eyes were
tupefiad anin/.eiuent on a ■■■?
coat that hung from a hook at the
foot o* my b 1.I1. I-Yom tbe coat tbey
trav
sblr
d, da;:: d. to the 10; t bosomed,<1)0' ' * va
Ksl.ie it. find from ti re to th< ,T,et w,:h "°
the
ures for the
quarrelsome
man of the restaurant.
1 was less dis; <e-d than ever to re-
linquish my claim, but the porter, , , ^
after a little q. !■,t investigation, of-! was ***» anxio,m about th<¥
i
un-
pleasant gentleman of the restaurant.
I thought smugly that I could have
j told her all about him: That he was
j sleeping the sleep of the just and the
1 Intoxicated in a berth that ought, by
all that was fair and right, to have
I been mine, and that if I were tied to
a man who snored like that I should
! have him anaesthetised and soft- pal-
ate put where it would never again
flap like a loose sail in the wind.
We passed Harrisburg as I stood
there. It was starlight, and the great
crests of the Alleglianies had given
way to low hills. At intervals we
passed smudges of gray white, no
doubt in daytime comfortable farms,
which McKnight says is a good -way
of putting it, the farms being a lot
more comfortable than the people on
them.
1 was growing drowsy; the woman
with the bronze hair and the horrified
"Which Will You Have, Lower Ten or
Eleven?"
fered a solution of the difficulty.
"There's no one in lower nine," he
suggested, pulling open the curtains
just across. "It's likely nine's hia
berth, and he's made a mistake, owing
to his condition. You'd better take
nine, sir."
I did, with a firm resolution that if
nine's rightful owner turned up later
1 should be just as unwakable as the
man opposite. I undressed leisurely,
making sure of the safety of the forged
notes, and placing my grip as beiord
between myself and the window.
Being a man of systematic habits,
I arranged my clothes carefully, put-
ing my shoes out for the porter to
polish, and stowing my collar and
scarf in the little hammock swung for
the purpose.
At last, with my pillows so arranged
that I could see out comfortably, and
with the unhygienic-looking blanket ,, , . . ,
turned back-I have always a distrust colder- t0°- and 1 turned wlth a shiver
of those much-used affajrs-^d prepared to.goTi"' .
to wait gradually for sleep. , As did so' a bit of paper fluttered
ThQ into the air and settled on my sleeve
k
She Gave a Startled Glance, Wheeled
and Disappeared.
face was fading in retrospect. It was
! collar and crav:u in the net Lammwak
across the witido'va.
"A Ii Hird red!" tbe porter repeated,
showing Ins teeth. But 1 caught blm
: by iIk arm and pointed to the loot of
. the be rib.
"W hat -what color's that coat?" I
askt el unsteadily.
"Gray, sir. His tone waa one of
gentle reproof.
"And—the trousers?"
He reached over and held up one
creased log. "Gray, tco," he grinned.
"Gray!" I could not believe even his
corroboration of my own eyes. "But
ruy c!othes were blue!" 'Ihe porter
was amuse d: he dived under the cur-
tains and brought tip a pair of shoes.
"Your bho»:s, sir," le taid with a
flourish, 'iteclion you've been dream-
ing, sir."
Now, there are two things I always
avoid in my dress—possibly an idio-
syncracy, of my bachelor existence.
These tabooed articles are red neck-
ties and tan shoes. And not only were
the shoes tbe porter lifted from the
floor of a gorgeous shade of yellow,
but the scarf which was run through
the turned over collar was a gaudy
red. It tcok a full minute for the real
i'iiport of things to penetrate my
e'a/.i el Intelligence. Then I gave a
virdk-tive kick at the offending en-
semble.
" ; bry're ne't mine, any of them," I
snarled. "They are some other fel-
ow • I'll sit here until I take root
before I put them on."
"They're nice looiin' clothes," the
porter put in, ing the red tie with
: ; . < <'i 1;ii.'i. "Ain't everybody would
have left you anything."
"Call the conductor," I said short-
ly. Then
curred to me. "Oh. porter—
the number of this berth?"
"Sevi n, sir. If you cain't
those shoes—"
"Soy; !" In m.v relief I almost
fhonied i 1. "Why. then, H'a simple
CHAPTER IV.
wa* not ikat la. I
hlng a' out h! V I cor
ed 11 If. It a.y flrrt b
the doctor glanced up at aie
<ti»1 then turned his attention aga
'he body. Like a flask there bad
to aic the vision of the woinaa
the bronze hair and the tragic
wbvia 1 had surprised la tke
bule between tke cars, somewhat
tke small hours of the morning,
acted on my first Impulse—the mi
Hue one of shielding a woman.
The doctor kad unfastened th<
•f the striped pajamas and ex|
the dead man'a ckest. On th
aide was a sn ail punctured woul
Insignificant size.
"Very neatly done," the doctor
with appreciation. "Couldn't
done It better myself. Right thr
the Intercostal space; no time
to gruat."
"Isn't the heart around there
where?" I a '.ced. The medical
turred toward me and smiled
aterely.
"That's where It belongs. Just
:>«rn to where the j -.hat puncture, when It isn't gad
the body a gribly around In a >• an's throat or bie
1 hid a new respect for the 4f
nr any one lr.deed » ho could
ven a feeble joke under such cir
or who ce> ild run an
r.: - : fi-.-er thi\f wound'
• one o,'d liov. a healthy,
.:! r>-;>n bn'da the 'jeficnl profe
ii I'"!!' con'j*i*. plun-r, regard tint
;. 1, (.-• :m emergency
••nil tv.- n tv-ns meekly, tc
• ■ : o k* ; s the Ins end ouf
. r. ■ •;:! ! • r• • veilt, takes hi*
it . 1:,; o*i*,ire. li s to him 111
1 he poiier waa standing beside low-
er ten He h^.d reachrd in and waa
valiantly. Hut his e*orta
tetponse. He winked at
me over his shoulder; then he uafant-
-ned tlie curtains and bent forward.
elilnd him, I saw him stiffen, heard
ills muttered exclamation, saw tlie
ilui.h pallor that spread over his
ace a 1.'I neck. Aa he retreated a
tep tk» irteiior of lower ten lay open
ta th- i'a>.
'I ll* i kb Is it was on his back, the
e». . 1. ei Ming sun striking full on
Wi 1 "ace. Hut the light did
ret '1 turb klm. A small stain of red
: ii ihe front of his ris;ht clothes
i..l 1 -d scioss tke sheet: his half-
• *. e. v. • re fix*d, without seeing,
911 th" ?. wood above.
* -:.r I 'li f-r's fhaklfg shoul-
ile* * and ftarei
ti 1» n i ■ >. a; t r.d
' *,; .< n ol n otion. "Good Lord," I
1 !, "the 11:11'* been murdered!"
nfcers Seven and Nine.
,ud, i'. hen 1 tiled to recall our
ol the hoily in lower ten, I
;t my n o.-t vivid Impression
:h*u ii'.- (!e by the revelation
i'nied curtain. I had an In
picture of a slender blue
•hi v. l:o seemed to sense my
: ha 11 hear them, of two
■ is that clutched desperately
t Inside them. The girl in
sUiod bent toward us, per-
• r* r^htlng in her face,
vi ( hi'g nands the porter at-
" Maw the curtains togeth-
1 i*i a i'?ralysis of shock, he
■?;, t». uge of my berth and
vw,'.\ing. In my excitement
! • yen's sake, keep your
r an," I said bruskly. "Tou'll
• . v; ry woman In tbe car In hya-
fnd if you do, you'll wish
'd change places with the man
p." He rol'ed his eyes.
n an near, who had been rend-
' t n'ght's paper, dropped It
klv snd tiptoed toward us. He
possible explanation oc- :"d between the partly open cur-
what's c'oFed them quietly and went
beck, ostentatiously solemn, to his
eat The very crackle with which he
•i«d his paper added to the burst-
* - - oslty of the car. For the paa- | they can hook their—"
re-"-a knew that something waa j She stopped suddenly and si
wear
sf-ip in ft.*
>, 1" it, do?"
>' 'I erect, a?
->s ever th
his glasses,
?" I aske
• drawing!
face, andj
e wiped
*■" It Is not suicide," he annou
'.•*. "It is murder."
O. : rse, I had expected that
he word itfie brought a shive
vas just a l itMli'.zy. Curious
hro' f.h the car were turned t<
is, and I could hear the porter
■tie breathing audibly. A stout
4B In negligee came down the
tnd querulously confronted the
'er. She wore a pink dressing-ja
*nd carried portions of her clotht
"Porter." she began. In the
he lady who had "dangled."
a rule of this company that
low a woman to occupy the
room for one hour and curl
with an alcohol lamp while
able peop'e haven't a place
But sleep did not visit me.
train came to frequent, grating stops,
and I surmised the hot box again. I
am not a nervous man, but there was
something chilling in the thought of
the second section pounding along be-
hind us. Once, as I was dozing, our
locomotive whistled a shrill warning
"You keep back where you belong,"
It screamed to my drowsy ears, and
from somewhere behind came a chas-
tened "All-rlght-I-will."
T grew more and more wide-awake
At Cresson / got up on my elbow and
blinked out at the station lights. Some
passengers boarded the train ther®
and I heard a woman's low tones, a
southern voice, rieh and full. Then
quiet again. Every nerve was tense.
Time passed, perhaps ten minutes,
possibly half an hour. Then, without
the slightest warning, as thp tra;n
reminded a curve, a heavy be»dv • aa
like a butterfly on a gorgeous red and
yeltow blossom. I picked it up curi-
ously and g'.anced at It. It was part
of a telegram that had been torn into
bits.
There were only parts of four words
on the scrap, but it left me puzzled
and thoughtful. It read: "—ower ten,
car seve—" "Lower ten, car seven,"
was my bertli—the one I had bought
and found pre-empted.
CHAPTER III.
Across the Aisle.
No solution offering itself, I went
back to my berth. The snorer across
had apparently atrangled, or turned
over, and so after a time I dropped
asleep, to be awakened by the morn-
ing sunlight across my face.
«r ev. '.?h. T
that's all.
wrong berth,
is nine* Only— n
* With
I was conscious of
the
;n who b«
•It
r,::
fir." The darky
elf. "Y» i and th,;
t got n ixed In the
'ir." It *a« e'ear
<' been drl i'.i.ig.
h. Of course,
ion. This wa
h. that wss hi-
• . ,1 'la his or *,
1 r ;l to Irritation
'o the next berth
«*o."tly Inxlaunt-
■ C'it up, sir. Ars
'q gft up."
n«e from huk-
•< mat he had
rd was looking
3'v." he said
3 my clothes
ip -I My vn-
suddea | to lower ten. Her shining pi
; grew pasty, her jaw fell. I
tbe curtains closed the por- ; trying to think of soaiething
" was more himself: he wiped his and of saying nothing at alb
'ins wl'.h a handkerchief and atood —she had burled her eyes in
ert-et. descript garments that knag
"It's r*y last trip In this car,** he re- arm aad tottered back tke
x'-Vrd he»r11v "There's semetking kad come. Slowly a little kad
► rrrg with that berth. Laat trip tke gathered around ns, silent far
y>< 1b it te>ok an overdoae of soaae part The docter was
' ? s'-'JT and w« fouad her. jos' search of the berth whea ti
- th>t Head' * ml it ain't more'n ar albewsd his way thr
y. —f r'.»irh« now «iace there was by the inquisitive maa. wfca •
' orn in that very spot. No sir, deatly suatsaoBed htm. I
:t a!*!"' nat ir;!.** sight, for a time, of the gtl
Ai 'hat moment a thin man with **De it himself?" tie
- '•■nt eyes snd a spare grayish queried after a bualaeee-llha,
ceeked up the nisle aad tke body
-■ =*ed l^ert'e m*
"e-ter aick?" he la-ulred. taking in
*l k a prc'esaloaal eye the portei'a
• - fare My »wi exclte-
-'»• »ad tke sMxht'y g«alng curtains
»' 'ewe' ten. He resched for the
>• ' • and nulled out aa old-
i V f*«»'4 wa*< b
!Iw:' I inly flfty' What's tke mat-
•r' Had a shwek"" be aak«d
t anew
•'b baa
'Ne. he didn't." the 4
ed There a Be weapon
window is closed He
throwa It out. aad he dl
It. what oa earth are
for. waa?"
£on>e one waa oa tha
feet, fare dnva. head
,be berth Now lie g
ipnlo** revealiac ihe
rfn*. ard
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
The Cushing Democrat (Cushing, Okla.), Vol. 5, No. 36, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 19, 1911, newspaper, January 19, 1911; Cushing, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc284061/m1/3/?q=%22Business%2C+Economics+and+Finance+-+Advertising%22: accessed July 2, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.