The Argosy, March 1907 — page 104: what you’re looking at

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

9 a xz into the room. that she didn’t care whether she ever heard of him again. She would blot him from her memory and never think of him more. She went to bed, but not to sleep. It was only about ten o’clock, and, despite her earnest efforts, she kept hearing his last words repeat phates with an- noying persistence. It was impossible not to think of him, as she soon discovered, and she began figuring what he could be doing at that moment. Had he gone home direct, and to bed, as she had done? Was he as miserable as she felt? Or—horrible thought! had he called on the other girl? No; for she had seen him disappear around the corner. But probably this was but a trick and he had come back by another street. She could not lie still, and getting out of bed, went to the front window and peered forth. A sigh of relief escaped her. The house across the way had no lights in the front room, and so of course Dun- ning was not there. Foolish of her, any- way, to think such a thing. He was probably now in bed, where she ought to be, and where she hastily tucked her- - gelf. The pillow was rather damp with her tears, so, turning it-over, she rested her still burning cheek on_ her palm and went to sleep. She was at her dressing-table the next morning when her brother Will bolted ‘Morning, sis! Hear of the tragedy last night?”’ he asked, fearful lest some one else had brought the news. “ Tragedy!” lowing her brush to come down with a rap on the table before her. “No. What tragedy?” ‘What every one in town is talking about this morning. See, here it is in the paper—three columns—but I can tell you better than they have it. The papers put in so much that isn’t true, and fill up with repetitions, so that you don’t know what they have been talking about when you get through reading.” “Well, you tell me about it, then. I don’t feel much like reading, anyway. ~ Was some one murdered?” exclaimed Henrietta, al- THE ARGOSY. “Yes, No, I don’t haven’t found out yet. this way: know. They You see, it was You know where the Alpine Avenue cars come down that steep grade near Center Street?” éé Yes. »? ‘Well, it was near the bottom of the grade. It was about ten o’clock last night “Ten o'clock!” Henrietta’s heart jumped to her mouth for some uwnac- countable reason. “Yes. When car No. 124 japea the corner at the top of the hill the motor- man noticed about a block away -half a dozen men near the middle of the street, but thought nothing of it just then. As the car came closer to them it became evident that two of the bunch were hay- ing a scrap——’ ‘A what?” “A scrap. <A fight, you know. And they were dangerously near the. car- track. So to avoid any possible acci- dent the motorman threw on his brakes, intending to stop the car or go past the crowd more slowly. But the wheels re- fused to brake and the car kept moving along at an increasing speed. Of course, it all happened in a very short time. “The steep incline caused the car to: travel pretty fast, and in spite of his ex- ertions, the motorman could not check its speed in the slightest. tinued to rush down the hill and toward the group of wrangling men. The fighters could now be seen plainly, and several of the. passengers near the front windows jumped to their feet. Among them was a woman, who, of course, screamed at the top of her lungs, and this threw the whole car into a panic. Every one stood up. “Just as the car was nearly on top of the fighting men, who were clinched to- gether, one of them tore himself loose from the other’s hold and, drawing back, delivered a right-hand blow which sent his antagonist reeling backward and right in front of the street-car, which passed straight over him. ‘The motorman had given up all- hope of bringing the runaway car to a stop before the foot of the hill was reached, and when it did finally come to a stand- still the doors were opened and the pas- sengers hastened back to the scene of +. The car con- . COMMICLOOOLKSa(6) mm