José — page 29: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

29 JOSE. his heart. Dropping the vail again over her face, she leaned back in the corner of the seat. “Tickets, sir!” cried the conductor, approaching the seat. | Baumann negligently drew forth his billets. The official examined them and thrust them into his pocket, without, however, taking his eye from the two passengers. “Anything else, sir?” asked Baumann, in a loud voice, and looking up with a frown. “It seems that my sister and I are classed among the curiosities of the country, or is it customary to treat all strangers in this manner?” Every eye in the car turned toward the speaker, who had purposely raised his voice in order to be heard, and for a moment the conductor hesitated. Then he bent his head forward toward the young man, and with a peculiar smile, said: “You will pardon a question which circumstances warrant mein asking. According to your tickets, you and this lady came from Dixon’s. Did you have any baggage checked there?” “Certainly,” said Baumann, producing two bag- gage checks; “one trunk and a valise; but why do you ask?” The conductor examined the checks, and then re- turned them. “YT beg your pardon, sir,” he said; “there must be a mistake in the persons, doubtless owing to your beard, which is uncommon, and especially the lady’s gray dress.” As if still unable to dismiss the illusion, he sub- jected the couple to another critical inspection. and then passed through the car, replying to a number Gomicbooks.co