At this moment Sommers was jostled against a stylishly dressed woman, who
was trying to work her way through the seething mass that swayed up and
down the narrow court. He turned to apologize, and was amazed to see that
the young woman was Louise Hitchcock. She was frightened, but keeping her
head she was doing her best to gain the vestibule of a neighboring store.
She recognized Sommers and smiled in joyful relief. Then her glance passed
over Sommers to Dresser, who was sullenly standing with his hands in his
pockets, and ended in a polite stare, as if to say, 'Well, is that a
specimen of the people you prefer to my friends?'
"You've got one of your crowd on your hands," Dresser muttered, and edged
off into the mob.
"What are you doing here?" Sommers demanded, rather impatiently.
"I drove down to meet papa. He was to come by the Michigan Central, and
Uncle Brome telephoned that the railroad people said the train would get
through. But he didn't come. I waited and waited, and at last tried to get
into the station to find out what had happened. I couldn't get through."
Sommers had edged her into a protected corner formed by a large telephone
post. The jostling people stared impudently at the prettily dressed young
woman. To their eyes she betrayed herself at a glance as one of the
privileged, who used the banned Pullman cars.
"Whar's your kerridge?" a woman called out over Sommers's shoulder. A man
pushed him rudely into his companion.
"Why don't you take your private kyar?"
"The road is good enough for _me_!"
"Come," Sommers shouted in her ear, "we must get out of this at once. Take
my arm,--no, follow me,--that will attract less attention."
The girl was quite at ease, now that this welcome friend had appeared
opportunely. Another prolonged shout, almost a howl of derision, went up by
the fence at some new trick played upon the frantic railroad officials.
"What people!" the girl exclaimed scornfully. "Where are the police?"
"Don't speak so loud," Sommers answered impatiently, "if you wish to escape
insult. There the police are, over there by the park. They don't seem
especially interested."
The girl closed her lips tightly and followed Sommers. It was no easy task
to penetrate the hot, sweating mob that was packing into the court, and
bearing down toward the tracks where the fun was going on. Sommers made
three feet, then lost two. The crowd seemed especially anxious to keep them
back, and Miss Hitchcock was hustled and pushed roughly hither and thither
until she grasped Sommers's coat with trembling hands. A fleshy man, with a
dirty two weeks' beard on his tanned face, shoved Sommers back with a
brutal laugh. Sommers pushed him off. In a moment fists were up, the young
doctor's hat was knocked off, and some one threw a stone that he received
on his cheek.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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