CHAPTER X SIXTY MILES AN HOUR
The station at North Birchland was just a brown stone building, and asmall platform, surrounded by a garden, like all country town stations.But a more animated crowd of young people had rarely gathered anywhere.Dorothy, Tavia and Aunt Winnie were noticeable among the crowd, theirsmart travelling suits and happy smiling faces being good to look upon.Ned, who was to accompany his mother, stood guard over the bags, whilethey were being checked by the station master. Nat, Ted and Bob, who hadcome to see them off, pranced about, impatient for the train, andaltogether they were making such a racket that an elderly lady picked upher bag and shawls, and quickly searched for a quieter part of thestation. It was such a long time since the elderly lady had been youngand going on a journey, that she completely forgot all about the way itfeels, and how necessary it is to laugh and chatter noisily on suchoccasions.
Nat looked in Tavia's direction constantly, and at last succeeded inattracting her attention. He appeared so utterly miserable thatinstinctively Tavia slipped away from the others, and walked with himtoward the end of the station. But this did not make Bob any happier. Hedevoted himself to Dorothy and Aunt Winnie, casting longing glances atNat and Tavia. Dorothy was charming in a travelling coat of blue, and asmall blue hat and veil gracefully tilted on her bright blond hair, acoquettish quill encircling her hat and peeping over her ear. Tavia wasdressed in a brown tailored suit, and a lacy dotted brown veilaccentuated the pink in her cheeks and the brightness of her eyes.
A light far down the track told of the approaching train. Joe and Rogerwere having an argument as to who saw the gleam first and Major Dale hadto come to the rescue and be umpire. As the rumble and roar grew nearer,and the light became bigger, the excitement of the little group becameintense. With a great, loud roar and hissing, the train stopped and thecoach on which they had engaged berths was just in front of them.
"The _Yellow Flyer_," read Joe, carefully, "is that where you willsleep?" he asked, looking in wonder at the car.
"Yes, indeed, Joey," said Dorothy, kissing him good-bye, "in cunninglittle beds, hanging from the sides of the coach."
Dorothy held out her hand to Bob. "Good-bye," she said. Tavia, justbehind Dorothy, glancing quickly up at Bob, blushed as she placed herslim hand in his large brown one.
"You're coming to New York, too, with the boys?" she asked, demurely.
Bob held her hand in his strong grip and it hurt her, as he said verystiffly: "I don't know that I shall." With a toss of her head, Taviastarted up the steps of the coach, but Bob following, still held her handtightly, and she stopped. All the others were on the train. She lookedstraight into his eyes and said: "We're going to have no end of fun, youknow." Bob released her hand. Standing in the vestibule, Tavia turnedonce more: "Please come," she called to him, then rushed into the trainand joined the others.
When the cars pulled out, the last thing Tavia saw was Bob's uncoveredhead and Nat's waving handkerchief, and she smiled at both very sweetly.Then they waved their handkerchiefs until darkness swallowed up thelittle station.
The girls looked about them. A sleeping car! Tavia thrilled with pleasantanticipation. It was all so very luxurious! Aunt Winnie almostimmediately discovered an old acquaintance sitting directly opposite. Thelady, very foreign in manner and attire, held a tiny white basket underher huge sable muff. She gushed prettily at the unexpected pleasure ofhaving Aunt Winnie for a travelling companion. Tavia thought she must bethe most beautiful lady in all the world, and both she and Dorothy foundit most disconcerting to be ushered into a sleeping car filled withstaring people, and be introduced to so lovely a creature as AuntWinnie's friend. The beautiful lady whispered mysteriously to AuntWinnie, and pointed to the hidden basket and instantly a saucy growl camefrom it.
"A dog," gasped Dorothy, "why, they don't permit dogs on a Pullman!"
"Let's get a peep at him," said Tavia, "the little darling, to gotravelling just like real people!"
Immediately following the growl, the lady and Aunt Winnie sat indignified silence, and stared blankly at the entire car.
"They're making believe," whispered Tavia, "pretending there isn't anydog, and that no one heard a growl!"
"I'm simply dying to see the little fellow!" said Dorothy, unaware thatthe future held an opportunity to see the dog that now reposed in thebasket.
"Well, Dorothy," said Tavia, "according to the looks across the aisle'there ain't no dog,'" Tavia loved an expressive phrase, regardless ofgrammatical rules.
"Did Ned get on?" suddenly asked Dorothy. "I don't see him."
"He's on," answered Tavia, disdainfully, "in the smoker. Didn't you hearhim beg our permission?"
After an hour had passed Aunt Winnie came toward them and said:
"Don't you think it best to retire now, girls? You have a strenuous weekbefore you."
Dorothy and Tavia readily agreed, as neither had found much to keep themawake. Many of the passengers had already retired, some of themimmediately after the last stop was made. Tavia could not remain quiet,and happy too, where there was no excitement. She preferred to sleeppeacefully--and strangely, the Pullman sleeper offered no fun even to aninventive mind like Tavia's.
"Ned might have stayed with us," sighed Dorothy. "Boys are so selfish."
"Wouldn't you like to go into the smoker too?" suggested Tavia.
"What! Tavia Travers, you're simply too awful!" cried Dorothy.
"Oh, just to keep awake. After all, I find I have a yearning to stay up.All in favor of the smoker say 'Aye.'" And a lone "Aye" came from Tavia.
"Besides," said Dorothy, "the porter wouldn't permit it."
"Unless we carried something in our hands that looked like a pipe," musedTavia.
"We might take Ned some matches," rejoined Dorothy, seeing that thesubject offered a little variety.
"When the porter takes down our berths, we'll quietly suggest it, and seehow it takes," said Tavia. "Along with feeling like storming the smoker,I'm simply dying for a weeny bit of ice-cream."
"Tavia," said Dorothy, trying to speak severely, "I think you must behaving a nightmare, such unreasonable desires!"
"So," yawned Tavia, "I'll have to go to bed hungry, I suppose."
"Do you really want ice-cream as badly as that?"
"I never yearned so much for anything."
Dorothy was rather yearning for ice-cream herself, since it had beensuggested, but she knew it was an utter impossibility. The dining car wasclosed, and how to secure it, Dorothy could not think. However, shecalled the porter, and, while he was taking down their berths, she andTavia went over to say good-night to Aunt Winnie and her friend.
"I'll try not to awaken you, girls, when I retire," said Aunt Winnie."Ned's berth, by a strange coincidence, is the upper one in Mrs.Sanderson's section. Years ago, Mrs. Sanderson and myself occupied thesame section in a Pullman for an entire week, and it was the beginning ofa delightful friendship."
Mrs. Sanderson told the girls about her present trip, but Tavia was sohungry for the ice-cream, and Dorothy so busy trying to devise some meansto procure it, that they missed a very interesting story from thebeautiful lady.
Then, returning to their berths, Tavia climbed the ladder, and everythingwas quiet.
"Dorothy," she whispered, her head dangling over the side of the berth,"peep out and find the porter. I must have ice-cream."
"Why, Tavia?" asked Dorothy.
"Just because," answered Tavia in the most positive way.
Dorothy and Tavia both looked out from behind their curtains. Every otherone was drawn tightly, save two, for Aunt Winnie and her friend and Ned,who had come back, were the only passengers still out of their berths.Ned winked at the girls when their heads appeared.
Holding up a warning finger at Ned, who faced them, the girls stole outof their section and crept silently toward the porter. In hurriedwhispers they consulted him, but the porter stood firm and unyielding.They could not be serve
d with anything after the dining car closed.
So they then descended to coaxing. Just one girl pleading for ice-creammight have been resisted, but when two sleep-eyed young creatures, beggedso pitifully to be served with it at once, the porter threw up his handsand said:
"Ah'll see if it can be got, but Ah ain't got no right fo' to git ittho!"
Soon he reappeared with two plates of ice-cream. Tavia took one plate inboth hands hungrily, and Dorothy took the other. When they looked at AuntWinnie's back, Ned stared, but Aunt Winnie was too deeply interested inher old friend to care what Ned was staring at.
"Duck!" cautioned Tavia, who was ahead of Dorothy, as she saw Aunt Winniesuddenly turn her head. They slipped into the folds of a nearby curtain,but sprang instantly back into the centre of the aisle. Snoring, deep andmusical, sounded directly into their ears from behind the curtain, andeven Tavia's love of adventure quailed at the awful nearness of thesound. One little lurch and they would have landed in the arms of thesnoring one!
Just to make the ice-cream taste better, Aunt Winnie again turned partly.Dorothy and Tavia stood still, unable to decide whether it was wise toretreat or advance, Ned solved it for them by rising and waiting for thegirls. Aunt Winnie, of course, turned all the way around and discoveredthe two girls hugging each other, in silent mirth.
"Tavia would have cream," explained Dorothy.
"But it would have tasted so much better had we eaten it without beingfound out," said Tavia, woefully.
"Just look at this," said Ned, "and maybe the flavor of the cream will begood enough," and he handed the girls a check marked in neat, smallprint, which the porter had handed him: "Two plates of ice-cream, at 75cents each, $1.50."
"How outrageous!" cried Dorothy.
"We'll return it immediately," said Tavia, indignantly.
"I paid it," explained Ned, drily. "You wanted something outside of mealhours, and you might have expected to have the price raised."
"At that cost each spoonful will taste abominable," moaned Tavia.
Said Dorothy sagely: "It won't taste at all if we don't eat it instantly.It's all but melted now."
"Yes, pray eat it," said the gruff voice of a man behind closed curtains,"so the rest of us can get to sleep."
Another voice, with a faint suggestion of stifling laughter, said: "I'min no hurry to sleep, understand; still I engaged the berth for thatpurpose----"
But Dorothy and Tavia had fled, and heard no more comments. Aunt Winniefollowed.
"How ridiculous to want ice-cream at such an hour, and in such a place!"she said.
"Old melted stuff," complained Tavia, "it tastes like the nearest thingto nothing I've ever attempted to eat!"
"And, Auntie," giggled Dorothy, "we paid seventy-five cents per plate!I'm drinking mine; it's nothing but milk!"
Soon the soft breathing of Aunt Winnie denoted the fact that she hadslipped silently into the land of dreams. Dorothy, too, was asleep, andTavia alone remained wide-awake, listening to the noise of the cars asthe train sped over the country. Tavia sighed. She had so much to bethankful for, she was so much happier than she deserved to be, shethought. One fact stood out clearly in her mind. Sometime, somehow, shewould show Dorothy how deeply she loved and admired her, above everyoneelse in the world. After all, a sincere, unselfish love is the best onecan give in return for unselfish kindness.
The next thing Tavia knew, although it seemed as if she had only justfinished thinking how much she loved Dorothy, a tiny streak of sunlightshone across her face. She sat bolt upright, confused and mystified, inher narrow bed so near the roof. The sleepy mist left her eyes, and witha bound she landed on the edge of her berth, her feet dangling down overthe side of it. The train was not moving, and peeping out of theventilator, she saw that they were in a station, and an endless row ofother trains met her gaze.
"Good morning!" she sang out to Dorothy, but the only answer was the echoof her own voice. Some few seconds passed, and Tavia was musing on whathour of the morning it might be, when a perfectly modulated voice said:"Anything yo'-all wants, Miss?"
"Gracious, no! Oh, yes I do. What time is it?" she asked.
"Near on to seven o'clock," said the porter.
"Thank you," demurely answered Tavia, and started to dress. All went welluntil she climbed down the ladder for her shoes and picked up abeautifully-polished, but enormous number eleven! She looked again, AuntWinnie's very French heeled kid shoes and Dorothy's stout walking bootsand one of her own shoes were there, but her right shoe was gone!
She held up the number eleven boot and contemplated it severely. To besure both her feet would have fitted snugly into the one big shoe, butthat wasn't the way Tavia had intended making her _debut_ in New YorkCity. She looked down the aisle and saw shoes peeping from under everycurtain, and some stood boldly in the aisle. The porter at the end of thecar dozed again, and Tavia, the number eleven in hand, started on a stillhunt for her own shoe.
She passed several pairs of shoes, but none were hers. At the end of thecar, she jumped joyfully on a pair, only to lay them down indisappointment. They were exactly like hers, but her feet had developedsomewhat since her baby days, whereas the owner of these shoes stillretained her baby feet, little tiny number one shoes! On she went,bending low over each pair. At last! Tavia dropped the shoe she wascarrying beside its mate! At least that was some relief, she would notnow have to face the owner in her shoeless condition and return to hisoutstretched hand his number eleven.
Tavia thought anyone with such a foot would naturally feel embarrassed tobe found out. Now for her own. She stooped cautiously, deeply interestedin her mission, under the curtain and a heavy hand was laid on hershoulder. She looked up in dazed astonishment into the dark face of theporter. Mercy! did he think she was trying to enter the berth? Sherealized, instantly, how suspicious her actions must have appeared.
"Please find my shoe!" she commanded, haughtily, "it is not in my berth."
The porter released her. "Yo' done leave 'em fo' me to be polished?" heinquired, respectfully.
"No, indeed," replied Tavia, trying to maintain her haughty air, "it hassimply disappeared, and I must have two shoes, you know."
"O' course," solemnly answered the porter.
"Tavia," called Dorothy's voice, "what is the trouble?"
"Nothing at all," calmly answered Tavia, "I've lost a shoe; a merenothing, dear."
One by one the curtains moved, indicating persons of bulk on the otherside, trying to dress within the narrow limits, and the murmur of voicesrose higher. Shoes were drawn within the curtains and soon there werenone left, and Tavia stood in dismay. Aunt Winnie, Dorothy and Ned andlovely Mrs. Sanderson joined Tavia, others stood attentively andsympathetically looking on while they searched all over the car, dodgingunder seats, pulling out suit-cases and poking into the most impossibleplaces, in an endeavor to locate Tavia's lost shoe.
A sharp, sudden bark and Mrs. Sanderson returned in confusion to hersection and smothered the protests of her dog. She called Ned to help herput him into his little white basket, at which doggie loudly rebelled. Hehad had his freedom for an entire night, running up and down the aisle,playing with the good-natured porter.
Doggie played hide-and-seek under the berths and dragged variouspeculiar-looking black things back and forth in his playful scamperingand he did not intend to return to any silk-lined basket after such awild night of fun! So he barked again, saucy, snappy barks, then hegrowled fiercely at everyone who came near him. In fact, one of thepeculiar-looking black things at that very moment was lying in wait forhim, expecting him back to play with it, and just as soon as he coulddodge his mistress, doggie expected to rejoin it, reposing in a darkcorner of the car. At last he saw his opportunity, and with a mad dash,the terrier ran down the aisle, determination marking every feature, aspretty Mrs. Sanderson started after him, and Ned followed. Tavia satdisconsolately in her seat, wondering what anyone, even the mostresourceful, could do with but one shoe!
A sudden howl of mi
rth from Ned, and an amused, light laugh from Mrs.Sanderson, and, back they came, Ned gingerly holding the little terrierand Mrs. Sanderson triumphantly holding forth Tavia's shoe. By this timeevery passenger had left the car, and the cleaning corps stood waitingfor Aunt Winnie's party to vacate the vehicle.
Tavia put on the shoe, but first she shook the terrier and scolded him.He barked and danced up and down, as though he were the hero of the hour.
"We must get out of here, double-quick," said Ned.
"Oh, dear me!" exclaimed Dorothy, "where is everything! I never can grabmy belongings together in time to get off a train."
"I'm not half dressed," chirped Tavia, cheerfully, "and they will simplyhave to stand there with the mops and brooms, until I'm ready."
Aunt Winnie sat patiently waiting. "Do you want to go uptown in thesubway or the 'bus," she asked.
"Both!" promptly answered the young people.
Dorothy Dale in the City Page 11