The Adventures of Elizabeth Ann | Page 4

trains.
She had not liked the day coaches, she told Mr. Robert. The people had
no berths with clean sheets and comfy pillows, but slept on the same
seats they sat in during the day.
They ate their meals, too, most of them without leaving the car, and
Elizabeth Ann was sure they could have been more neat. She saw
egg-shells and pieces of bread and butter on the floor of the cars. They
were crowded, these coaches, and there were many children. A little
girl, wearing a red hat and holding a baby not much larger than the doll
Nancy, had smiled at her.
"I'll ask her to come play with me," said Elizabeth Ann, slipping down
the aisle of her car to the door.
There was no one to stop her. Caroline was busy smoothing out a
headache for a lady at the other end of the car. Mr. Robert was smoking
a cigar and playing a game of chess with another man in the smoking
car. Mr. I Hobart was busy in some other part of the train.
"I won't stay to play with her, but she can come play with me," argued
Elizabeth Ann, hugging Nancy tightly as she entered the first day
coach.
By this time she was used to the swaying motion of the train and could
walk down the aisles without bumping into the seats on either side. She
did not remember in which car she had seen the little girl who wore a
red hat and held the baby, but she thought she could find her without
much trouble. She had persuaded herself that the conductor would not
mind if she only went into the coaches and did not stay. You know how
easy it is to make yourself believe what you want to believe? That is
what Elizabeth Ann did.

She had not gone very far before she wished she had not started. The
people stared at her, and it was not at all like walking through the cars
in the morning holding to Mr. Hobart's hand. Some big boys in one
corner tried to catch Nancy's foot and one did pull her slipper off.
"You give that back," commanded a large, red-faced woman who was
eating peanuts out of a paper bag. "Are you looking for anybody in
particular, dearie?"
"I wanted--there was a little girl in a red hat I saw this morning," said
Elizabeth Ann unhappily. "Do you know her?"
"She got off at the last station," replied the large woman. "She was
carrying a baby, wasn't she, her little brother? Yes, that's the one; she
and her mother got off 'bout an hour ago. Did you know her?"
Elizabeth Ann was about to say that she only wanted the little girl to
play with her, when something cold and wet struck her face and
spattered her dress. Dark ugly stains began to show on her frock.
"I'm awfully sorry," said the girl across the aisle who had been trying to
pry the cap from a bottle. "Mercy, that grape-juice has spattered you,
hasn't it? I didn't know the top was coming off so quick. Come down to
the water-cooler and I'll try to wash it off for you."
She was a girl of seventeen or eighteen and not very tidy in her own
dress. When she tried to wash the grape-juice from the front of
Elizabeth Ann's dress and her hair-ribbon--it had even spotted that and
there was a great spot on her little nose--she made matters worse. She
used so much water that she quite soaked the pretty pink dress and it
ran down and soaked the tan sandals.
"Well, I don't believe it is going to come off," said the girl after she had
used a great deal of water and made the little girl very uncomfortable.
"I'm sorry, but I guess you'll have to change your dress. Oh, here comes
the conductor--I'll have to show my ticket again."
The conductor! Poor Elizabeth Ann turned hastily to face the door.

Sure enough Mr. Hobart was coming down the aisle. And he saw her.
"Why!" he said, astonished. "What are you doing here?"
But he didn't wait for her to tell him. Perhaps he thought there were too
many people listening. He took her hand and she trotted Miserably
beside him, back to her own car. How everyone did stare at the little
girl in the water-soaked shoes and frock, with dark red spots on her
face and dress and hair-ribbon!
The surprised Caroline met them at the door of the little room called
the drawing-room which was empty, for no one had engaged it for the
trip East. Mr. Hobart motioned her aside and went in with Elizabeth
Ann.
"Now," he said, closing the door and sitting