[Illustration: [See p. 5 "'GOOD HEAVENS!' HE SAID. 'WHERE'S MY SISTER?'"]
A YOUNG MAN IN A HURRY AND OTHER SHORT STORIES
BY
ROBERT W. CHAMBERS
AUTHOR OF "THE MAIDS OF PARADISE" "CARDIGAN" "THE MAID-AT-ARMS" "THE KING IN YELLOW" ETC
ILLUSTRATED
NEW YORK AND LONDON HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS 1904
Copyright, 1904, by ROBERT W. CHAMBERS.
_All rights reserved._ Published October, 1904.
TO MARGERY
ILLUSTRATIONS
"'GOOD HEAVENS!' HE SAID. 'WHERE'S MY SISTER?'" _Frontispiece_
"'I LOVE YOU ENOUGH TO WAIT A MILLION YEARS!'" _Facing p. 20_
"'I MEANT TO TAKE SOME FLOWERS, ANYWAY'" " 28
"'HERE ARE THE VIOLETS; ... I WILL TIE THEM TO YOUR COLLAR'" " 34
"AWAY THEY WENT, KNEE-DEEP IN DRY SILVERY GRASSES" " 132
"THERE WAS THAT IN BURLESON'S EYES THAT SOBERED HER" " 164
"'I WISH YOU'D GIVE MARLITT ANOTHER CHANCE'" " 242
"HE SAW HER THE MOMENT HE ENTERED THE WISTARIA ARBOR" " 250
CONTENTS
PAGE A YOUNG MAN IN A HURRY 3
A PILGRIM 23
THE SHINING BAND 51
ONE MAN IN A MILLION 95
THE FIRE-WARDEN 123
THE MARKET-HUNTER 171
THE PATH-MASTER 197
IN NAUVOO 223
MARLITT'S SHOES 241
PASQUE FLORIDA 263
A YOUNG MAN IN A HURRY
"Soyez tranquilles, mesdames.... Je suis un jeune homme presse.... Mais modeste."--LABICHE.
At ten minutes before five in the evening the office doors of the Florida and Key West Railway Company flew open, and a young man emerged in a hurry.
Suit-case in one hand, umbrella in the other, he sped along the corridor to the elevator-shaft, arriving in time to catch a glimpse of the lighted roof of the cage sliding into depths below.
"Down!" he shouted; but the glimmering cage disappeared, descending until darkness enveloped it.
Then the young man jammed his hat on his head, seized the suit-case and umbrella, and galloped down the steps. The spiral marble staircase echoed his clattering flight; scrub-women heard him coming and fled; he leaped a pail of water and a mop; several old gentlemen flattened themselves against the wall to give him room; and a blond young person with pencils in her hair lisped "Gee!" as he whizzed past and plunged through the storm-doors, which swung back, closing behind him with a hollow thwack.
Table of contents (by pages)
- 1: A Young Man in a Hurry by Robert W. Chambers
- 2: A jounce sent them flying towards each other
- 3: I also am going to Cortlandt Street
- 4: She looked at the porter who was carrying their valises
- 5: He produced the two tickets and they passed the gate
- 6: It's my grandmother's wedding ring
- 7: She was charming in her supposed role
- 8: And her name is Marie Hetherford
- 9: We're a headlong family but a singularly loyal one
- 10: Then tell Phelan to come here at once
- 11: So Langham had sent her his dog
- 12: And the first man she met was Langham
- 13: And you won't keep the violets
- 14: Then her husband's face grew out of vacancy
- 15: She had telegraphed to the Sagamore Club for rooms
- 16: Her bull terrier came trotting into the hall
- 17: She knew a little about Langham
- 18: The dog dropped his head in her lap
- 19: How long have you been a keeper here
- 20: Him an' Colonel Hyssop an' Major Brent
- 21: Langham took the note with hands that shook
- 22: Leaving him a wreck on his wrecked land
- 23: Also came Peyster Sprowl in some alarm
- 24: Sprowl worried O'Hara for an hour
- 25: Sprowl regarded him with contempt
- 26: When he drove over to Foxville
- 27: Of their arrival Sprowl was totally unconscious
- 28: Looking across the table at Coursay
- 29: Will you kindly let Jack Coursay alone
- 30: And called brightly to Coursay Take me fishing
- 31: Sprowl turned and looked full at the girl on the grass
- 32: Munn named a sum that staggered Sprowl
- 33: And after that began Sprowl
- 34: Munn regarded him in sulky silence
- 35: Lansing was too astonished to reply
- 36: He encountered Coursay in the hall
- 37: Coursay helped himself to some cognac
- 38: Lansing and Coursay inspected them carefully
- 39: I've wired for Courtney Thayer
- 40: Meanwhile young Coursay had a free bridle
- 41: Lansing turned and entered rooms 5 and 6
- 42: He muttered under his breath Sprowl
- 43: Garcide turned his flushed face to the window
- 44: John Garcide MY DEAR GARCIDE
- 45: Puff after puff of perfumed balm
- 46: Under the screen of alders by the water
- 47: Of course I've spoiled your sport
- 48: Miss Garcide wept over her for an hour
- 49: I'm going to walk down to the little foot bridge
- 50: Garcide has authorized me to offer myself to you
- 51: I love you if ever man loved on earth
- 52: From flapjacks to the piles of little
- 53: Crawford looked at her with a ghastly smile
- 54: That is the parson of Foxville
- 55: Because Grier couldn't sell God's free critters
- 56: Turned towards old man Santry once more
- 57: Young Burleson had retained Grier's keepers
- 58: What was he doing building deadfalls
- 59: I'm afraid that somebody tried to burn the vlaie
- 60: Filling the noon silence with their harsh squak
- 61: Burleson came pounding along behind
- 62: Burleson pulled up short and shouted
- 63: Motioning Rolfe to his stirrup
- 64: And Barry found it where the grass had been afire
- 65: Or stupidly stifling in the heart of some vast plain
- 66: The wreck of the house of Elliott
- 67: Miss Elliott remained very still and thoughtful
- 68: Burleson and I don't even ask you
- 69: She flung the bridle over hastily
- 70: Presently Burleson looked around
- 71: Abe lost his temper and his belt
- 72: She no longer wore her sombrero and boy's clothes
- 73: That he didn't think he was omniscient
- 74: Turning half defiantly on Burleson
- 75: And plover answered plover from swamp to swamp
- 76: Where young Burleson presently found them
- 77: And she looked at Burleson dreamily
- 78: And two woodcock are as good as a turkey
- 79: The Brier Brook swales were yours
- 80: God did not create the partridges for Mr
- 81: Then turning the pickerel over
- 82: Jocelyn eyed him sullenly without replying
- 83: And he came and stood squarely in front of Jocelyn
- 84: Then Gordon asked him for the third time what he meant
- 85: Other twigs hung dangling every few yards
- 86: You are perfectly free in these woods
- 87: Woodcock shot in Brier Brook swales
- 88: Jocelyn took it as though stunned
- 89: You go to them rich hotel men in Saratogy
- 90: For because Dan McCloud is your cousin
- 91: After a silence Byram spoke more calmly
- 92: Byram glanced at him with a scowl
- 93: If you didn't have that there rifle began Byram
- 94: Remembering the miserable end of old man Elton
- 95: An' save them two dollars tew pay yewr pa's bad debts
- 96: An' the Lord will pay yewr taxes
- 97: Poverty was an antagonist like young Byram a powerful one
- 98: Byram began moving towards the house
- 99: Tansey covered him with his shot gun
- 100: There must be a hole in the mail pouch
- 101: Since she had been postmistress in Nauvoo
- 102: It promised to be a calm evening in Nauvoo
- 103: The counterfeit an absolute fac simile
- 104: And the click of the gate latch
- 105: Lame girl to turn him from his destiny
- 106: Counterfeited what you are doing now
- 107: You need not worry Marlitt was useless
- 108: I wrote to Marlitt care of your office
- 109: Distorted into a furious sneer
- 110: Listlessly watching the flight of the sparrows
- 111: And the perfume of the wistaria were too much for Tennant
- 112: He saw her the moment he entered the wistaria arbor
- 113: I hypnotized you into coming here
- 114: They generally sell peanuts out there
- 115: I'd complete the picture and eat peanuts
- 116: Flooding the arbor with silvery radiance
- 117: Haltren stood up among the reeds and inspected the landscape
- 118: Haltren bent to his oars again
- 119: Haltren hung to the wheel one second
- 120: Scowling his acknowledgments at Haltren
- 121: Darrow stared into the tumbler
- 122: Haltren that she had better paddle north
- 123: Because Flyover Point blocked the view
- 124: You know the Seminoles hate the whites
- 125: Swinging the paddle to her shoulder
- 126: And the reeds are green and gold
- 127: The Dione was saluting her castaways