She Was in Earnest

1899

"When she will, she will, you can depend on't," is a line which many men have quoted of many women. The saying is often unjust, and the woman is often justified, but now and then the cap fits perfectly.

Not long ago a fast express was bowling over the sands of Arizona. Just how it happened was frequently explained and never understood, but as the train sped along the side of a parched river, it suddenly left the rails, rolled down the bank and landed in three feet of muddy water at the bottom of the river-bed.

Within the cars there was some natural confusion. Men, women and lunch-boxes were thrown into a heap, and not an umbrella nor parcel was left in the racks.

One by one the occupants of the rear car extricated themselves from the mass, and sought for means of escape, while stanching various wounds caused by broken glass. Every exit was jammed tight. Just then, in the midst of the doubt and confusion, rose a woman's voice in emphatic demand.

"Let me out! Let me out! If you don't let me out, I'll break a window." — Youth's Companion.