Jane Allen, Center

by George Cary Eggleston

  CHAPTER VII--LOST--A GIRL

  "What a wonderful sleep!" Jane was just stretching out in her bunk. "Isuppose Judy is up and dressed, and interviewing the crew." She pulledthe little window curtain back cautiously, and sent her half-openedeyes after the fleeting landscape. "And a lovely day. I am glad ofthat, for even in a train one enjoys fresh, clean weather." She slippedinto the dark blue travelling kimono, and slippers to match, in whichJane might make her way to the dressing room without attracting undueattention. Thus attired she put her hand up to give the curtain of theupper, Judy's berth, a signal yank.

  "Judith," she called lightly. "Are you up, Judith?"

  No answer. Her chum was, she presumed, dressed and out for exercise.With the convenient little dressing bag Jane hurried off to make herday's toilette, being assured she would meet Judith either on the wayto, or in the ladies' room.

  But Judith was not in sight, neither along the way nor in thedressing-room. Jane made her toilette in haste, and thus refreshed fromthe "wonderful sleep" polished off with accessories of the besttravelling comforts, she stepped from the compartment.

  "Where can Judy be?" she asked herself in some anxiety. Then the entirelength of the coach was covered, to make sure the girl had not buriedherself deep in a seat beside some new-found acquaintance. But no Judywas to be sighted.

  Jane returned to her berth and signalled the porter he might "make itup." At an opportune moment she asked him had he seen her friend.

  "No, Miss, that is, not since quite early. She went out to theobservation, but I saw her come back. No one out there now," repliedthe white-linened porter.

  The thought of the observation car, with its open-end vestibule gaveJane a little shiver. Of course Judith was accustomed to travel.Nothing could happen to her. Still, where was she?

  "I'll take another look in the observation," she remarked. "I fancy shemight like to see early morning developing." And Jane left the porterwith his tasks.

  It seemed everyone was passing into their breakfast with that avidityso marked in hotels and "en routes," when people have so little tothink of except eating, drinking and sleeping. Jane felt the call of anappetite herself, but had no thought of going to breakfast withoutJudith. Where could the girl be? Each probable rendezvous uncoverednegatively, added to Jane's momentarily increasing anxiety.

  "Strange!" she commented. "Judy is always ready to exchange notes inthe morning. She would hardly undertake anything so absorbing as tokeep her away all this time. Besides, what could she find engrossing onthis Limited?"

  Finally realizing she could not find her chum, she sought out herfaithful porter. Not delaying to ring the bell, Jane looked about andsoon found Alfred (this was his name she overheard) arranging cushionson the rear sofa, for a baby to rest there.

  "I can't locate my friend," she began. "Have you seen her?"

  "Say, Alf," interrupted another member of the working force coming upfrom the next car. "I got a--what do you call a sonomballist? The sortthat plays baseball in a sound sleep," the black-faced man grinned. "Igot a strange lady in a strange place, and she belongs in your car. Yougot to extract her."

  "What--what you--all mean, Ferd?" asked Alf, while Jane waitedapprehensively.

  "You come along wiff me and I'll demonstrate," proposed Ferd, otherwiseFerdinand. "I'se been argufying wiff de lady, didn't like to shake herzactly. But she don't pear to want to come back to you, Alf. She hastook a notion to me." He grinned and chuckled in the good naturecharacteristic of the well-trained Pullman porter.

  Jane listened with increasing anxiety. It might really be Judith, butwhere was she?

  "What you asked for, please?" Alfred inquired of Jane. "Ferdinand hasno 'cuse to interrupt," he apologized.

  "Oh, that was all right," Jane quickly assured him. "I wonder if he mayhave found my--friend?"

  "Not likely a young lady," said Alfred with a strong emphasis on_young_. As if an _old_ lady might be suspected of anything queer, butthat a young miss would assuredly hardly be so careless.

  "But my friend is very absent minded." Jane prepared him. "She doesqueer things through forgetfulness."

  "Can you come right now?" insisted the waiting Ferd to Jane's porter."I'se got to get rid of this--lady somehow."

  "I'll go too, if I may?" timidly inquired Jane. "I have lost a friend"(this to Ferd). "She is very absent minded."

  "Laikly she is my--discovery," ventured the colored man striving to bepolite and finding it difficult to treat the situation seriously. "Comeright along."

  At the other end of the car Jane stood stock still, as she read thesign "Gentlemen Smoking." But Ferd promptly assured her.

  "Not a soul in here but the lady. Not a man could get in, and there wassome kicking. All right for ladies to smoke. Lots of 'em do, but theyhas to have their own private quarters." He was opening the door of thesmoking room with that caution usually displayed if a cat is expectedto jump. Jane followed, and once within the room she sprang to thecurled up figure, sleeping peacefully, in the big cushioned chair. Itwas Judith!

  "Judith!" Jane called. "Judy, wake up! Come!"

  The unconscious girl slowly--too slowly, came back to the realm ofdirected thought. She was awake at last.

  "Why--Jane--" she drawled. "What's the fuss? I was dreaming aboutwonderful cigars."

  Both porters stepped back respectfully--or to laugh safely. Dreaming ofcigars appealed to their sense of humor.

  "Judith--this is the gentlemen's smoking room," Jane breathed, tryinghard to drag the still drowsy girl to her feet. "How ever did you getin here?"

  By this time Judith realized something was wrong. She gathered thefolds of her Burgundy robe tight around her, and tried to inflict asevere look on the giggling porters.

  "You sure did hol' de fort, Miss," Ferd insisted on saying. "Thegent-men had to go without their smoke this morning."

  Too embarrassed for further conversation the girls stole out of theusurped room. Just at the little turn in the aisle, the very narrowplace where a crowd is always trying to squeeze by at once, theyencountered a group of would-be smokers ready to defend their rights.They were talking none too meekly, and seeing the girl still innegligee one had the poor taste to remark: "There she is. Somesleeper!"

  Judith blushed to the roots of her dark hair, but Jane glanced at thebounder defiantly. Didn't he have manners enough to respect a girl whowas just absent minded?

  "A good thing they had to--fast a little," Jane whispered in Judith'sear. "It won't hurt them any. They smoke enough now to fumigate the carwith the fumes they carry out of that room. Pretty room, isn't it?" Shesmiled to give back Judith's assurance.

  "Oh, I am so embarrassed," murmured Judith. "And have I actually beensleeping there, and keeping that raft of men outside?"

  "Oh, yes, dear, but that is nothing to worry about," the kind-heartedJane protested. "In war times they had to go without smoking or shouldhave. Now they can't seem to live a moment on the train, without thecompany of their cigars. Do let us hurry in to breakfast!"

  But even the reliable good nature and love of humor, characteristic ofJudith was some time in returning to the very much embarrassed girl.