"If Mallory catches us, he'll kill us," said Lieutenant Shaw. Lieutenant Hudson only laughed and drew out a long streamer of white satin ribbon. Its glimmer, and the glimmering eyes of the young man excited Mrs. Whitcomb so much that after a little hesitance she moved forward, followed by the jealous Ashton.
"Oh, what's up?" she ventured. "It looks like something bridal."
"Talk about womanly intuition!" said Lieutenant Hudson, with an ingratiating salaam.
And then they explained to her that their classmate at West Point, being ordered suddenly to the Philippines, had arranged to elope with his beloved Marjorie Newton; had asked them to get the tickets and check the baggage while he stopped at a minister's to "get spliced and hike for Manila by this train."
Having recounted this plan in the full belief that it was even at that moment being carried out successfully, Lieutenant Hudson, with a ghoulish smile, explained:
"Being old friends of the bride and groom, we want to fix their section up in style and make them truly comfortable."
"Delicious!" gushed Mrs. Whitcomb. "But you ought to have some rice and old shoes."
"Here's the rice," said Hudson.
"Here's the old shoes," said Shaw.
"Lovely!" cried Mrs. Whitcomb, but then she grew soberer. "I should think, though, that they—the young couple—would have preferred a stateroom."