Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 164, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 July 1912 — Wasted Effort [ARTICLE]

Wasted Effort

“And,” Mrs. Bellflre added with a slightly acid touch, “you might be here on time, for a change.” Bellflre quailed, as a well trained husband should have done under the circumstances. For on the previous five evenings dinner had waited, cooled, collapsed into a sodden mess because of his nonarrival at the proper time. "I will be home tonight,” he assured his wife, “at 8 o’clock. I shall start in plenty of time to allow for distractions —and, anyhow, I don’t think. I should bp blamed because ah old friend sprung up out of the earth and talked a half hour, or for a slow watch or for a slow client! However, barring earthquakes and convulsions of nature, this evening will see me here when you expect me!” “t certainly hope so,” Mrs. Bellflre told him. “I am sure the cook will leave if it happens again!” Bellflre started that evening for the suburban express train, which left at 6:26. He was going to make a good job of it and arrive home with fifteen minutes to spare. It was bitter cold and the train so crowded that the best be could do was to wedge himself to dodging the rain of clnderß. Ordinarily it took the express train fifteen minutes to make the run. It had been traveling five minutes when it stumbled and then stopped. It Aid not resume its progress. Men began to fold their newspapers and scowl. Then they began to investigate. It seemed that the locomotive was frozen up! A roar of indignation arose from the passengers. Somebody scratched the frost from a window and announced that they were nearly opposite an intermediate station. Then a local train puffed in at that platform.

In the exodus which ensued Belllire found himself crushed off on the snow covered ground. He stood knee deep In a snowbank and blinked at the distant platform, the trainmen swinging warning lanterns and Ordering their escaping trainload back. Then he, too, began hopping over Intervening tracks. He might lose his life, but he had to be home at 6 o’clock. He dodged a through train, knocked down a fat man and joined the shivering crowd clustering about the wrong end of the local platform. The ascending spirals of frosted breath that went up from every Individual looked like dozens of little campfires. On the end of the platform the ever present busy person was giving orders. “Now, we’ve got to get the ladles up here!’’ he said. “This man and I’U give ’em a hand—-and you fellows down there get ’em started!’’ A riot ensued, punctuated by shrieks of, “Oh, It’s jo terribly high l” “Take WlUie first! Wll-l-ee! Stay away from the edge of that platform!” “Oh, I’ve dropped my bag!” “Why don’t they have steps here? I should think there would be steps!” BeUfire, being large, soon found that he was doing most of the heavy work. The process of boosting numberless women, each weighing twentyfive pounds of furs and other wraps above normal. Is exhausting. When BeUfire at last clambered up he was disheveled, puffing, Ump. He dragged himself to that level just In time to see the last of the crowd swing on the last platform of the local that had pnlfed In. > When he had become petrified to his knees another headlight loomed up—and dashed by without stopping. It was an express train temporarily out of its orbit because of BeUflre’s frozen train. By the time another appeared BeUfire was loe to his neck. Stiffly he stumbled on board and dropped himself against a door. He did net dare sit down because he was firmly convlnoed that if he did so he would splinter Into icicles. When he had thawed out enough to have human Intelligence BeUfire observed that the train was making no stops whatever. Just as this fact dawned upon him the lights of his own station appeared, blinked, vanished. He grabbed the conductor and protested raucously. , “Nope," said the conductor. “This aga|n till it gets to nowerdale at the end of the line.” V. Flow erd ale Is exactly twenty-one miles beyound BeUfire’s station. A ▼ell will be drawn over the comm union that BeUfire had with himself during the trip out, the dismal wait and the trip back on a local. The vary least and mildest thing that he eould imagine lira. BeUfire doing was dismantling the flat paoMay her trunk. At ten mlwltee past 8 BeUfire slunk Into his apartment The worst was aonfirmed, tor there were no lights. "tally." he began huskily, “listen while I explain, won’t you?” There was silence as he turned on a fight Then ha saw a peacUsd scrawl In the mirror. She had left him, he knew! Finally be summoned enougr courage to read his wlftfs message. Dear John,” It ran, “mother phoned Bor ue to come to dinner tonight Pome ifir* 1 thankruUy kl Then hTwentViftoflhe Chicago Daily News.