pect to find them in a greater state of barefootedness than they
were when we saw them last, but in some instances they were.

We were kindly yet firmly informed by Mr. Rankin that the ladies had
been rescued. It seemed that everybody wanted to save the girls. Mr.
Rankin knew this, and knew that if the young and thoughtless gentlemen
were allowed to rescue the girls it would cause remark. He said he was
an old line democrat, and that his days of kittenhood were over, and
that it was proper that he should superintend the removal of the girls.

Mr. McKittrick, the conductor, argued the matter with him. He said he
had been running a train a good many years, and had seen all phases of
humanity, and that he was inured to a life of hardship, and had seen
many sad sights, in the sleeping cars, and he insisted that he be
allowed to superintend the removal of the girls.

The discussion became warm, and finally they compromised by agreeing
that McKittrick should rush into the rooms and drag them out of the fire
and smoke and hand them to Mr. Rankin at the foot of the first pair of
stairs, who would dispose of them in safety. They both agreed that the
first outside vandal who laid a hand on them should die.

The first trouble they had was with Prof. Haskins.

He came out of his room with nothing on but his glasses, an ascension
robe and one boot. He rushed through the hall, and while in front of the
room of the girl who wore the black tights with the crochet work on
the limbs he ventured a joke. He is the telegraph manager and he said,
"There is a line down here," as a two inch stream struck him about the
alleged pistol pocket. The girl, who was tying her wardrobe up in a
napkin, heard him and said, "There is no _lying down_ here, not much."
Prof. Haskins was shocked that any female should thus mistake him for a
democrat, and falling over a zinc trunk head first, he went back to his
room to send his son Harry out to help.

Mr. McKittrick rushed into a room and grabbed a corset in his arms and
handed it down stairs to Rankin There is no person who can fool Rankin.
He didn't want to be rescued.

Just at this point a girl with a waterproof on came along the hall and
Mr. Cole asked her if she didn't want to be rescued. She said she had
been carried down stairs six times already by a big granger, and she
would shoot the next man that attempted to rescue ner. She said there
was no danger, and wanted to know why the big galoots did