"What"s yer got in yer basket?" he demanded presently.
A look of indignation flashed over Jeanne"s face. She opened her lips to reply. "None of your business," as some of the girls she knew would have done, but something that her mother had once said came into her mind just as she was about to make the retort.
"My dear," her mother had said, "no matter how rudely others may behave, be a lady. Because some one else has been impolite does not excuse it in you."
As this came to Jeanne she closed her lips resolutely and, turning her back very decidedly, looked out of the window.
"Yer needn"t put on any of yer airs with me," growled the fellow, who was evidently in a surly humor. "Can"t yer answer a civil question?"
Still Jeanne made no reply, and the man reached out to take hold of her basket. But the girl was too quick for him, and lifting it into her lap held on to it tightly while she placed her feet upon her satchel.
"Yer needn"t be so s.p.u.n.ky," said the fellow sheepishly. "I jest wanted to see if yer didn"t have somethin" to eat."
"If you are hungry, you should have said so," said Jeanne, relaxing instantly, for her warm heart was always open to appeals of this nature.
She opened her basket and took out some dainty sandwiches. "You are quite welcome to what you wish to eat," she said graciously, "but you were not very nice about asking for it."
"A feller don"t stop fer manners," said the man nibbling at the sandwiches gingerly, "when he"s as hungry as I am. Is that all ye"ve got in there?"
"I have some more lunch," said Jeanne rather indignantly, for the fellow did not seem very ravenous for a hungry man. "I shall keep that for the rest of my journey."
"Whar yer goin"? Ain"t yer got n.o.body with yer?" queried the man a gleam coming into his eyes.
"Don"t you think that you are rather inquisitive?" questioned Jeanne boldly. "Why should you want to know where I am going?"
"Because folks have to be keerful in times like these," said the other brusquely. "Haven"t yer got some money too?"
"I have none to give you," answered Jeanne. "And I would rather that you would not sit by me any longer. Will you please go away?"
"Not if I knows myself and I think I do," laughed the man. "See here! I"ll go away if you will give me your purse. I know that it"s in that there basket. You take too much care of it fer it only ter hold yer food. Now give it to me quick."
"I won"t," said Jeanne determinedly clinging to the basket, for she had put her purse there after buying some fruit. "If you touch this basket I"ll scream and the people will know what you are doing."
"Pooh! I"ll tell them that you are my crazy sister that I"m taking to an asylum," said the fellow easily. "Now you"d better give me that money."
"People would know that I was not your sister," exclaimed the girl scornfully. "You don"t look in the least like my brother. Now, sir, go away."
"Not without that money. Sit down," he commanded gruffly as the girl half rose from her seat.
Jeanne cast a wild, imploring look about her for help and sank back in her seat despairingly, for the pa.s.sengers seemed intent upon other concerns, and the noise of the train prevented the conversation from being overheard.
"Are you going to hand out that money?"
"Ye-es," faltered Jeanne, reaching for her purse.
"What do you mean by frightening this girl?" demanded a voice, and a hand was laid upon the ruffian"s shoulder. "Get out of my seat, you rascal, or I"ll have you thrown off the car."
A cry of delight escaped Jeanne"s lips as she saw that the man who had come to her a.s.sistance was the old gentleman who had bought the handkerchiefs from her during the fair.
"I--I did not mean any harm," stammered the fellow, resigning the seat with alacrity. "I was jest trying ter scare the girl a little."
"Well, let me catch you "jest trying ter scare her," any more, and it will be the worse for you," cried the old gentleman threateningly. "Now clear out, and let me see no more of you."
The fellow slunk off and her friend in need took the seat by Jeanne"s side.
"That fellow was annoying you terribly, was he not?"
"Yes, sir; I was very much frightened, especially when he demanded my money."
"What! Did he do that? Why the scamp! This is worse than I thought. I"ll get the conductor after him."
"Oh, let him go," pleaded Jeanne, who was quite a little upset by the episode. "Please stay with me."
"Very well." The old man saw her nervousness and acquiesced willingly.
"He can"t get off the train so long as this rate of speed is kept up, and I"ll see about getting him later. Now tell me all about it."
Jeanne gave him a succinct account of what the man had said and done.
"And I was so glad when you came up as you did," she said in finishing.
"But I did not expect to see you here, sir, and I thank you so much for your a.s.sistance."
"Tut, tut! It is every American"s duty to look after women folks when they travel alone. I had just come from the smoker and saw as I entered the door that something was wrong. As the ruffian had my seat I came up at once and demanded it of him. But you are not more surprised to see me than I was to recognize the little patriot of the handkerchiefs. Aren"t you a long way from home?"
"Yes, sir; I am, but I am going to visit my Uncle Ben in New Orleans."
"Rather a troublesome time for a visit," remarked the other musingly. Then as a deep flush suffused the girl"s cheek, he added keenly, "I know that there are sometimes reasons why visits should be made even though the times be perilous. There! I am not going to ask any questions, so don"t look at me like that. My name is Emanuel Huntsworth, and I live near Corinth, Mississippi. I was formerly a New Englander but settled in the South a number of years ago. My Union sentiments having made me obnoxious to my neighbors I feared for the safety of my family and am returning from moving them North. I am going back now to wind up my business, when I shall go North once more to do what I can for the government. If you have no friends with you, perhaps you have no objections to my company as far as our ways lie together."
"I should be pleased to be with you," said Jeanne sweetly. "I am all alone, Mr. Huntsworth. My name is Jeanne Vance, and I live in New York City. I was all right until I got on this train, but now I can"t help but be a little uneasy since that man acted so."
"The rascal! I had forgotten him. Conductor," as that individual came by.
"I think there is a man on this train that will bear watching." Thereupon he related the incident to the official.
"I will look after the fellow," said the conductor.
But search failed to reveal the presence of the man on the train and soon Mr. Huntsworth and Jeanne were convinced that, fearing the consequences of his actions, he had jumped from the train.
CHAPTER V
CASTING BREAD UPON THE WATERS
"You must be very tired," remarked Mr. Huntsworth, as the train drew in at the Memphis station. "It has been a long hard trip, and if you"ll take my advice you will stay here for a day or two before trying to go farther on your journey."
"Oh, I must not," exclaimed Jeanne quickly. "I must get to New Orleans just as soon as I can. It is very necessary."
"Necessary, eh?" The old gentleman regarded her with a quizzical expression on his face. "Why should you be so anxious to see your uncle? You must be very fond of him. Have you visited him often?"
"No, sir," answered Jeanne in some confusion. "I never saw him in my life.