Townsend Harris High School - Crimson Gold Yearbook (Flushing, NY)

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Indeed, she replied to the fellow's query, with the frost of the Arctic in her voice, What business is it of yours? I sure do admire your nerve. Why what- She was about to continue in a vein considerably warmer than Arctic or any other kind of frost, but the man, panic-stricken though he was, was not to be interrupted. Listen, miss, please do no fly off the handle. I- I. He stopped, hesitated. She was struck by a strangely fearful note in his voice. Somewhat mollified, she said to herself, Queer duckf Aloud she said, W-e-l-l, I like that. Say, what's biting you, anyway ? NO. Edith had not forgotten her grievance against mankind. The man seemed to be trying hard to brace himself. Even Edith, little hot-head though she was, could see that he was trying to get a grip on himself-and she wondered at it all. He nodded toward the three nonde- scripts. It's about them-Now take a good look at them-Don't you see something unusual- Edith did as she was asked more for the sake of humoring this almost- raving maniac than with the hope of seeing anything out of the ordinary. With a decided thaw in her voice she said, Yes, that middle one looks like he's been on a big bust, making lot's of whoopee-and the other two-not much better! What's so funny about that? And then Edith did see some- thing very much out of the ordinary.- Look at that!-the middle one-his head-his head-is rolling-as if he had a broken neck! And those others-H Edith didn't know exactly what was wrong with those others, but that there was something wrong she was absolutely certain. To tell the truth, the strangers questions, said and unsaid, and this sudden enlightment were making Edith more than a little uneasy, to make a molehill out of a mountaing but she would not let this man see just how uneasy-not on her life. Firmly, she went on. Well what of it? Plenty. Now, I am going to tell you something that may shock you good and proper. But don't, what- ever you do, faint or cry out. just hold tight and keep cool-that fellow in the center is dead-murdered-by those others in all probability. Edith gasped. Words failed to come. Which was, perhaps, just as well. Remember what I have said. If you start cutting up any ructions, we will be in one mighty bad fix. They -well they look like they'd stop at nothing to- Good gosh l-But how do you know all this? The man smiled at the feminine in- nocuousness of the question. Edith, now almost completely mollified thought it a very pleasant, comfort- ing smile. He continued, sure of his ground, You see, for one thing-I'm a doc- tor. One look at that seeming in- ebriate-the way his eyes bulge out of their sockets-you can't see it from here-but it was enough. Edith, be it known, was not the fainting kind. Yet now she felt dizzy, nauseated, oppressed by an irresistable weight of fear and fright such as she had never known. The full realiza- tion of her appallingly narrow escape from God knows what-in her terror she thought it was as bad as that- almost proved too much for her. But she was made of sterner stuff than even she herself knew. After a few seconds this revulsion of feeling passed, leaving her with badly quak- :ads M l . A in Q '5' X 4 li gal ral gl Q K-1 Si i .l 0 l In V Av ab . ' sv-fe 4 ' 'e A E S 9 Zu, 6 S -in KX :- Page Fifty-One

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J . f 1 x v.. S H51 4 . Q39 .4 ux.. S JJ l , J 5 1 vm ,ri iilllr 3 PM lllli ,asia Q r All , If W5 fs 4 . f r Vifl .JB Page Fifzy this time. Covertly raising her eyes, she looked at this prime offender. There he was, still staring in that un- canny and annoying fashion, first at the three men, then at her. This was much too much, the very height of effrontery. The fellow sim- ply could not be made to behave, and that galled. Edith seldom, if ever, blushed. She blushed now, the hot, angry blush of mortification, aroused ire, and hurt pride. She felt inclined to treat the nervy fellow to the same dose she had wanted to deal out to the impudent Jimmy. Fortunately for all concerned, she still retained sufficient grip on herself to recognize the utter futility-and the possible dire conse- quences-of such an action, So, be- ing innately intelligent, and intensely feminine, with a disdainful, contemp- tuous shrug of her shoulders, Edith once more resolutely took refuge be- hind the work of Beach. There are few things better con- trived to put one to sleep than oc- cupancy in a swaying, lurching subway at an ungodly hour of the morning, or a book one cannot find interest in to save one's soul, or a completely ex- hausted body. A combination of all these things at one and the same time cannot be beaten as a sleep-producer, even the strongest willed must soon succumb to such a union. What wonder, then, that with dreamland just in the offing, Edith felt dimly, through the haze that was her fast evaporating consciousness, that she must not fall asleep, that this would not do at all. For an instant she struggled with the hosts of Morpheus. Then with a start, she roused herself and almost instinctively looked toward the other end of the car. All thought of sleep now vanished, every last vestige of tiredness now left her, Morpheus' hosts were utterly routed. That fourth man, the fresh, persistent, annoying fellow was slow- ly, and with some circumspection, walking toward her. Darn! -Unashamedly, and in a most unladylike manner, she swore un- der her breath-and again made a pre- tense of reading. The fellow stood before her. Edith looked up at him through a red blaze of ire. At a saner and cooler time she would have decided that besides being well-dressed and of some refine- ment, he was also nicely tall and more than a little handsome. As it was- well never mind what she decided- sufficient unto the thought is the deed thereof. . -p . ah 5 0. Q rr ' rs N : XX l X i XX. . lu. J I ll ln I . - r -M F XX' Q X. V l f 7 4 M ly K 1 5 llllllllll ' x will Q ,f y tl' r 'N L Wi? V Z - f' , 'l-.rw--www-fgoef, He sat down beside her after a moment. Edith set herself for what she thought was coming. Inwardly she was seething, outwardly she gave no sign of her inward emotion. That is, she thought she didn't. Presently the man asked-Edith could have screamed at its pitiful cas- ualness- What is the name of that book you are reading?,' If Edith had noticed, she would have seen that the man was as greatly agitated at having to talk to her as she was because she didn't want to talk to him. But Edith at this time was not noticing such minor details.

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, Gm .1 Q 4 as X N ' - i G 3, Plfl .JS f w 'N E 1 0 43 lx. j If I lxlelll Q I5 .-fs it Q M 943 S5 ll gh . . K 0 'V 455 few j F jf lilo jf! Page Fifly-T ing knees. She just managed to whis- I A per, H-o-w are we going to get out of this? The man hesitated for a moment, as if pondering a matter of the gravest importance. Then he took her hand in both of his and spoke to her in the tone one uses to quiet a frightened child. I believe I have a plan, al- though I suppose it is a pretty terrible plan. just now they're not bothering us over here. We must keep them that wayg do nothing that will let them think that we're on to their game. But if we make one false move there'll be the devil to pay. Now here's my plan-it's all I can think of at the mo- ment. It will be at least another five minutes before we pull into the next station. In the meantime you and I must act as if-well, it's raw but it can't be helped--as if I've made you., We musn't sit figgeting by ourselvesg' that'll give them a chance to start thinking things-understand? Edith was not stupid. This man appeared to be sincere. His uncer+ tainty and wariness when he had first come to her, his earnestness and frank- ness now, the evidences of her own eyes-all bespoke the fact that he was not trying to put over a fast one. In a wee small voice she answered: Yes, Good, When the train reaches the next station, be ready to get out that door in nothing Hat.-And no monkey businessf' His glance down the other end of the car indicated the great importance of no monkey busi- ness. Somewhat reluctantly, it must be confessed, he let his arm go around her waist. Edith wanted to shriek, but thought better of it. With as much reluctance he let his head drop on her shoulder. Edith was not sure now what She wanted EQ Clog aftC1J- wards she thought that she had rather enjoyed her little escapade. Gone was her grievance against man-kind if she could have recollected that she had had any such grievance. Perhaps the pressure of the moment had taken care of that. Perhaps the man beside her had something to do with her change of face? One would think so. She almost fell asleep again, even though she was supporting a goodly portion of the not inconsiderable weight of the man leaning on her shoulder. Only the thought of what those two might do kept her awakeg one cannot conveniently doze between shudders, to say nothing of sleep. Those five minutes were the longest, and in a way, the shortest five minutes Edith had experienced in her twenty odd years of life. When finally the train roared into the station, it was with mingled feelings of relief and regret that she saw she 1TlL1St quit this subterranean hearse, relief at leaving the gruesome companionship of the murdered man for the moment being the stronger feeling. As the train was pulling out, Edith as if fascinated, cast one last, long look at the remaining passengers of the car she had just left. There were the two on the ends with eyes fixed straight ahead, with loathesome faces intent on the corpse between themg that horrid rolling of the head, the staring, popping eyesg the blue lips of death. And then the train and its awful cargo were gone. Edith turned toward a nearby bench with chill shiv- ers playing tag up and down her spine. She sat clown to collect her badly scrambled wits, the doctor followed-H for obvious reasons. He took out his card-case and handed her a bit of stiff, white linen, with a quizzical smile and an expression about his eyes of