/ Bt.rsiV.AHU SMITH'S BOOK >rc ? THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE CAR THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE CAR BY THE AUTHOR OF ETTDORHPA (JOHN URI LLOYD) BOSTON RIC7HARD G. BADGER & COMPANY Jon ei wqole nsxo-ft e'jsmooBT no 301 u aril ; afttb sot larilo moil ii-ft eirfj rflsanad nodBmiol oirtsolov inuoM 3vol I ob aearij idl JoVl .^looi ^Ino ai hig 3ftBt}8 aHl ~io a^lse arfj loi Jud ,jsmo^BT moriw lot isrf lo ^sioBe ei ^lomsm aaorfw .jndmunom IBJB^O B ebnBJg BmoofiT inooM The ice oft Tacoma' s fix different from other ice cliffs ; the upheaved volcanic formation beneath this frigid cloak is only rock. Not for these do I love Mount Tacoma, but for the sake of the strange girl whose memory is sacred* of her for whom Mount Tacoma stands a crystal monument. THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE CAR BY THE AUTHOR OF ETIDORHPA (JOHN URI LLOYD) iDEARTEET* iVERITATE BOSTON RICHARD G. BADGER & COMPANY M DCCC XCVII COPYRIGHT, 1897 Bv JOHN URI LLOYD, CINCINNATI, O. (All rights reserved) TO MY WIFE The illustrations are by Mr. J. Augus- tus Knapp ; the cover design by Mr. Theodore Brown Hapgood, Jr. XVlll List of Illustrations " THE ICE ON MOUNT TACOMA " Frontispiece "I RETURNED TO MY BROODING" . Page 28 "SATURATED WITH BRIGHTNESS" . . 37 "I SAW BEFORE MY EYES " .... 5! Preface. THIS sketch, designed as a slight tribute to womanhood, was written for one who takes on herself many cares that the author's shoulders should bear, and whose full praises can be sung only when words as yet unframed are put in print. Fashioned for her alone, it came through accident before others, and in momentary indiscretion was read to the Cincinnati Woman's Club. Let him hope that in dress, at least, it may credit those who honored him by listening on that occasion, and who, indeed, are somewhat re- sponsible for its present publication. Preface. Yet the author seeks not to evade the blame, if any such be attached to this desire to please his friends. He must, perhaps, seek forgiveness from her who sat in the sunlight, who unconsciously inspired these lines, and who, now looking up- ward, sees always before her glad eyes those snow-capped scenes in the lovely land of the Sierras before whose beauty imagination pales. Would that her face, which the author dare not venture to picture, might grace these pages ; but it must remain unseen. Let the story of contrasts that spelled this pen sug- gest the vision that vanished in the sunshine of a lost summer. Preface. Should this offering to innocence and purity, this token to the maiden and the wife, leave the reader crav- ing yet another sentence, seeking yet another thought-step upward, the aim of the author will have been accomplished. J. U. L. The Right Side of the Car. 1 9 ood fortune I had been invited to ac- company a person- ally conducted excursion party of physicians, happy mortals who, with their wives as companions, gladly looked forward to the pleasure of a trip across the continent in a special car. I was the only man among them who was not a physician, and, after having accepted their generous in- vitation, I alone of all that happy party looked backward. Homesick 1 A story of the Northern Pacific Railway. 25 The Right Side of the Car. before the first wheel turned, the " blues " possessed me entirely by the end of the first hour ; and, dom- inated by disagreeable thoughts, I threw myself into a corner of the parlor section, where, with a copy of Solomon's proverbs, as best fitted to my unsociable temperament, I was left alone by my considerate friends. Naturally, under the circumstances, meditation and seclusion made me sulkier still. In the course of our journey a telegram was brought to our director. It came from a physician who, know- ing of our excursion, asked if we would escort a Miss Myrtle to her home on the western coas?, a request which was willingly granted. The ladies of our party playfully decided that, since I travelled alone, it should be my duty to serve as the young 26 "I returnecf to li^^ooding, a prey to abnormal reflections." The Right Side of the Car. before the first wheel turned, the " blues " possessed me entirely by the end of the first hour ; and, dom- inated by disagreeable thoughts, I threw myself into a corner of the parlor section, where, with a copy of Solomon's proverbs, as best fitted to my unsociable temperament, I was left alone by my considerate friends. Naturally, under the circumstances, meditation and seclusion made me sulkier still. In the course of our journey a telegram was brought to our director. It came from a physician who, know- ing of our excursion, asked if we would escort a Miss Myrtle to her home on the western coasr, a request . which was willingly granted. The ladies of pur party playfully decided that, since I travelled alone, it should ol vpiq B .snibpcnd ym oJ^bamujai I mV a auty ur serve as the young .enortosRai [BrmondB The Right Side of the Car. girl's special attendant. This func- tion I did not decline, though in truth, I was too absent-minded to take much interest in the matter, or even to notice the good-natured remarks of my fellow tourists. I returned to my brooding, a prey to abnormal reflections. When I arose late the following o morning and parted the curtains in front of my berth, I caught a glimpse of a feminine outline in the section opposite mine, and at once it flashed upon me that here was the charge I had almost unconsciously accepted. Somewhat vexed, I glanced indiffer- ently at the face of the girl who had come to disturb my thoughts, when suddenly my unconcern gave way to curiosity. Her countenance was of that peculiar cast which only once or twice in a lifetime surprises one's 3 1 The Right Side of the Car. vision, telling as it does of experi- ence, of soul development and intel- lectual attainment, though not of years. She may have been under fifteen, she may have been over twenty. Her full countenance was turned away, but even from the pro- file view I saw enough to enable me to guess of her past and to read something of her future. The maid- en was surely treading rapidly the path that leads to silence. Although I sat out of the range of her vision, my steady, earnest gaze drew the girl's attention ; for a moment she glanced at me, smiled pleasantly, and then turned back again, looking diagonally through the window into the northwest. That sudden face- flash was to my gloom as the glitter of a mirror that reflects into a shad- owed crevice or deep grotto a sliver 3 2 The Right Side of the Car. of sunshine which could never have fallen directly into its depths. The girl's native gladness, expressed in a single kindly glance, had soothed my heart-throbs. Silently I thanked her I, who a moment before con- sidered her presence an infliction. As the hours of that day passed, my accidental ward sat strangely absorbed in reverie, gazing ever into the northwest, and scarcely turning her head towards the others in the car. Even when addressed by one or another she answered dreamily, and seemed to be indifferent to their presence. It was saddening to see one so young and so fair thus clos- eting herself in unapproachable pri- vacy, a privilege, we are wont to think, of those whom age or long experience of sorrow consign to pes- simistic gloom. The noisy party 3 33 The Right Side of the Car. surrounding us, revelling in mirth, did not interrupt this strange child's reverie, nor, indeed, did they dis- turb me ; insensible to their happi- ness and to the varying charms of the flying landscape, I sat moodily in my own section. At last, by common consent, we two were left unheeded, she alone in her sweet- ness, I in my acidity ; but it made me glad to be in the car with this bright face. Late in the afternoon the declin- ing sun shone fiercely into that opposite section of the car ; it was reflected with double heat across the arid plains that edge the great desert. Leaning towards the pale, listless maiden, I ventured to address her. " Will you not sit on the shady side of .the car?" She turned her face to me and 34 The Right Side of the Car. answered, " I do not dislike the sun- shine. This is the right side of the car for me." Then she turned again towards the northwest, and in the full glare of the sun continued gaz- ing into the distance. An annoying titter from some one who had observed my attempted advances reached my ear ; by her it was unnoticed. A waggish friend leaned over and whispered, " How is your charge ? " " Do not disturb me," I replied. " Can you not see that this girl is not of your merry party, and that I am an unsocial guest? Leave me to myself, and do not annoy the girl." After this uncalled-for, petulant rebuke, I slunk back to the hermitage of my window-cur- tained alcove with freshly homesick feelings. 35 The Right Side of the Car. I sat in the shade, penetrated by the shadows, while on the other side of the car, saturated with brightness, unconscious of her beauty as is the drooping lily-of-the-valley, the girl shone in the sunlight. I watched her as a crusty botanist might study the charms of a morning-glory shrinking in the zenith of its loveli- ness. Would that I could describe her face ! She was not what men call beautiful, yet the features were of extreme delicacy and refinement. The thin lips of wax-like translu- cence, the flushed cheek with its central spot, seemingly of artificial crimson, the great eyes so touching- ingly attractive, all helped to tell the story of a life worn prematurely near to its close, of an unsullied soul stepping out of earth-light into God-light. 36 " Saturated^vith brightness, unconscious of her beauty as is the drooping lily-of-the-valley, the girl shone in the sunlight." The Right Side of the Car. 1 sat in the shade, penetrated by the shadows, while on the other side of the car, saturated with brightness, unconscious of her beauty as is the drooping lily-of-the-valley, the gir) shone in the sunlight. I watched her as a crusty botanist might study the charms of a morning-glory shrinking in the zenith of its loveli- ness. Would that I could describe her face ! She was not what men call beautiful, yet the features were of extreme delicacy and refinement. The thin lips of wax-like translu- cence, the flushed cheek with its central spot, seemingly of artificial crimson, the great eyes so touching- ingly attractive, all helped to tell the story of a Jife worn prematurely near to its close, of an unsullied soul stepping out of earth-light into God-light. 'io gjjoioenooni/ jgeanjHghdjSjiw bsJBiimS ,-p{lBV-3rfj-lo-yIiI niqooib arfj ei KB yjusad isH srfa ni anorfg hr arh The Right Side of the Car. As an earth-born orchid is not earth-bound, but sends its feeler into space above ; so this human creature of mortal mould, feebly clinging to things below, appeared to be reaching up into ethereal realms. An indescribable sensation of mingled joy and sorrow came over me as I watched the peaceful face of the young girl, and thought how unconsciously she was standing at the very edge of eternity. In this mood the shadows of night found me, still wrapped in gloom, yet vaguely happy. On the maiden's brow I saw fall the last ray of the sun, but not the darkling shadows ; for before the sunbeam vanished I averted my eyes. When, next morning, I parted the curtains of my berth, I beheld 41 The Right Side of the Car. the trim, girlish figure seated as before in the opposite section of the coach. I observed also that the serene face was still turned intently towards the northwest. Before go- ing to breakfast, I stepped to her side, and said, " May I escort you to the dining-car ? " " Thank you, I breakfasted at the first call," was the reply. " Then I will offer to attend you to lunch when the noon hour comes. You have been placed in my charge, and," I added apologetically, " I am old enough to be your father." "With pleasure," she answered, and I threw a triumphant look at my teasing fellow-travellers. The day passed like the day be- fore, the fair invalid silent in her place, I morose in mine. Like a crab peeping from beneath a stone 42 The Right Side of the Car. at a butterfly resting in the sunshine, I gazed at her who gave no heed to any one. With book neglected at her side, and lost in her meditations, she peered unceasingly through the window. When in the afternoon the sun again shone upon her, I once more offered my place on the shady side, and she replied as before : " Thanks, but this is the right side of the car for me." We had long since passed the Minnesota and eastern Dakota fields and meadows ; we had swept through the grotesque Bad- Lands of western Dakota, and crept over the arid plains beyond. We had moved up the picturesque valley of the Yellow- stone, where for three hundred miles, valley, river, and hill form the most enchanting scenes. Day and night 43 The Right Side of the Car. came and went ; we passed moun- tain-gulches and canyons, rivers, plains and mountains, to shoot at last into the great fierce desert of desolation that separates the Cascade Range from the Rocky chain. One of my companions finally ventured to address me again concerning the girl who sat opposite. " For what is your charge look- ing?" " Be quiet," I whispered. " Can't you see that she is leaning over the verge of eternity and looking into Heaven ? " I felt the bitterness of my speech soon enough to arrest my voice, and thus the finishing sentence " Neither you nor I know what such as she can see " was unspoken. But the question nettled me. Why should not I, in whose charge 44 The Right Side of the Car. the girl had been placed, be told the reason of that persistent skyward gaze ? With this thought in mind, I moved over to the seat beside her an act which I had not presumed to venture on before and abruptly said : " Tell me why you gaze so stead- ily through the window." " I am looking for my home." Her quick answer chimed so un- expectedly with the rhythm of my thoughts as to startle me. Did she realize that her fatal disease would soon take her to another home ? And was she really looking into its windows ? " But we have travelled more than a thousand miles since you commenced your curious watch. How can you see your home through mountain-chains and sand- 45 The Right Side of the Car. hills, from the bottom of canyons and the winding bed of rivers, through desert dust-clouds that cover the way and blot out the landscape ? " " Ah," she said, " I think of my home at times like these, and am looking for it now. I live at the base of Mount Tacoma." " Mount Rainier, you mean," I interrupted. " No, not Rainier ; " and as she spoke these words she flushed, and turned upon me a look of reproach. " Do you not love your own coun- try ? " she continued. " Why do you call that noble mountain, * the mother of mountains,' after an ob- scure British admiral who never saw this continent ? Shame on such Americans ! I look for Tacoma. That is the real name, the Indian 46 The Right Side of the Car. name given to the mountain long before the British landed in America. Tacoma, Mount Tacoma, my Ta- coma ! " The momentary flush vanished, the pensive gaze returned; her last words were uttered in a plaintive, caressing tone. She con- tinued softly : "I live near that noblest peak of all the Cascade range, and I long again to see it looming above my home." My question had touched and opened her heart, yet after a slight pause, as if to excuse herself for withdrawing from conversation, she said, " I am looking for my home now," and again she turned her face northwestward. " But," I persisted, " we are in a blinding desert. We must travel three hundred miles before you 47 The Right Side of the Car. reach your mountain. Would it not be better for you to join our party, to talk and laugh with the young people, instead of sitting lonely here ? " " Ah," she replied, ignoring my suggestion, her mind dwelling only on her beloved mountain, " three hundred miles, did you say ? Then I am very near the end of my jour- ney. You do not know Tacoma, else you would not speak so lightly. Only three hundred miles from my home ! " And once more she turned to the northwest. " May I stay here beside you ? " I asked, then impulsively added : "You are in the sunlight, I am in the shadow. Your home is before you, your thoughts are happy, your hopes are radiant ; my home lies far behind, and to me the shadows ever 48 The Right Side of the Car. lengthen. May I sit here in the sunlight with you ? " " Yes," she replied, but, un- conscious of the bitterness covered by my words, she gave me no glance. And so, side by side, we passed into the depths of that dreariest of American deserts, all sage brush and prickly pear, sand and heat ; until at last even the contorted sage brush disappeared, the splotches of cactus vanished ; we had passed nature's life-line. No vegetation could thrive in that torrid earth ; only white sand and white heat remained. Then, as by a wizard's touch, my mind closed to things about and to scenes behind ; the great desert disappeared ; the white-hot sun dimmed; the voices of my com- panions were silenced ; the rattling 4 49 The Right Side of the Car. wheels and the puffing of the engine were unheard ; the thumping of the anguished heart that never stops writhing in pain, that cries unceas- ingly, " Do not forget, do not for- get," was at last forgotten. Things material had passed away, and, neither awake nor asleep, I sat beside the unsociable girl, she gazing into the depths of space through one pane of glass, I staring through another. At last, at last in life's journey, I rested on the right side of the car. How long this exalted mental state continued I know not. But when normal consciousness returned I saw before my eyes on the distant horizon's edge, a strange dome- shaped, cloud-like something that I felt was not a cloud, because it was less substantial even than a bank of 5 " I saw before my eyes, on the distant horizon's edge, a curious dome-shaped, cloud- like something that I felt was not a cloud, because it was less substantial even than a bank of mist." The Right Side of the Car. wheels and the puffing of the engine were unheard; the thumping of the anguished heart that never stops writhing in pain, that cries unceas- ingly, " Do not forget, do not for- get," was at last forgotten. Things material had passed away, and, neither awake nor asleep, I sat beside the unsociable girl, she gazing into the depths of space through one pane of glass, I staring through another. At last, at last in life's journey, I rested on the right side of the car. How long this exalted mental state continued I know not. But when normal consciousness returned I saw before my eyes on the distant horizon's edge, a strange dome- shaped, cloud-like something that I felt was not a cloud, because it was less substantial even than a bank of JQBleib aril no ,83^3 y^H) siobd wse I> -buob