The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1866-12-18
THE SIGNAL.NTAN.
One OF Charles Dickens New Christ
mas Stories.
From all the Year Round.J


Halloal Below therer'
When he heard voice thus calm
y hIm, pc was standing at the door q
his box, with flag in his hand, furl
ed round its short pole. One woul
have thought, considering the natur
of the ground, that he could not hay
doubted from what quarter the vote
/, came; but, instead of looking up {,
where stood on the top of the stee,
cutting nearly over his head. he turn
ed himself about and looked dow
the Line. There was something re-
markable in his manner of doing so
though | could not have said for m,
life, what. But, / know it was re,
markable enough to attract NV no.
tIce, even though his figure was fore.
shortened and Swallowed, down in the
deep trench, and mine was high above
him, and so STEPPED in the glow of an
angry sunset that / had to shade nv
eyes with my hand before saw him
at all. -
Halloal BelowI'
| From looking down the Line. he
turned himself about again, and. rails
him. "0'e
LIS there any path by which / can
come down and speak to you?'
He looked up at me without renlv-
ing, and | looked down at him without
pressing him too soon with a repe-
tItlon OF my idle question. Just then.
there came a vague vibration in the
earth and air, quickly changing into
violent pulsatlon, and an oncoming
rush'that caused me to start back as
though 1T had force to draw me down.
w hen such valor as rose to my hight
from this rapid train had passed me
and was skimming away over the |
landscape, | looked down again. and |
saw him Returning the flag he had
shown while the train went by.
i repeated my inquiry. After a
pause. during which he seemed to I
regard me with fixed. attention. he
motloned with his rolled-up flag
towards point on my level, some two
or three hundred yards distant. I'll
called down to him, All right" and
made for that point. There. by dint
OF looking closely about me, I found
a rough zlgzag descending path notch
WAACn lOl1OWCu.
The cutting was extremely deep and
unusually precipitate. IL was made
through a clammy stone that became .
Dozler and wetter as | went down. /!
For these reasons / found the way |
ong enough to give me time to recall !
singular air of reluctance or com
oulslon with which he had pointed !.
tut the path. :
When | had come down low enough =
lpon the zigzag descent to see him U
gain, L saw that he was standing be- !;
Ween the rails on the way by which y
ne train had recently passed, in an =
ttltude as if he were waiting for me v
. appear. He had his left hand to e
is chin, and the left elbow rested ON W
Is right hand, crossed over his breast. 81
lis attitude was one of such expecta- III
on and watchfulness, that I stopped W
moment, wondering at it. al
resumed my downward way. and. ~
epplng out upon the level of the u
'liroad and drawing nearer to him, rs rs
wv that he was dark, sallow man. "
lth dark beard aud rather heavy Ii
'ebrows. His post was in as SOLITARY pc
ID dismal a place as ever saw. On ~,
ther side a dripping wet wall of Jag co
q stone, excluding all view but a pm
rip OF sky, the perspective one way ne
iy a crooked p olongation of this tu
eat dungeon; the shorter eerspec- az
re IN the other direction, terminal al
; In a gloomy, red light, and the an
,omler entrance to black tunnel lat
whose massive architecture there
8 barbarous, depressing, and for ma
idlng air. So little sunlight ever TO
Ind its way to this spot, and il had Tor
earthly deadly smell; and 80 much wa
d wind rushed through it that II Wit
uck chill TO me. as If / had left tho wa
,ural world. rim
5etore he stirred, [ was near enough WIN
him to have touched him. Mt uni
N then removing his eyes from wai
ne, ne stepped back one step and OF
ed his hand. casi
his was a lonesome post to occunv the
'aldl, and 1T had rivetted my atten- l n;
], when l looked down from up 10 q
der. A visitor was a rarity. I
ulQ suppose; not an unWeleome
ty, Il hoped2 In me he merely
a man who had been shut mn
bin narrow limits all his life. and
;; being at the last set free, had
ly-awakened interest in these
It works. To such purpose [
Re to him; but | am far from sure mp
he terms used for, besides that AZ"
not happy in opening any con-
alton, there was something In the
that daunted me.
e directed most curious look to- now
Is the red light near the tunnels -
tn, and looked all about it, as if O
etthinng were missing from it, and
! looked at me. O.
ne light was part of his charge?
it not?
e answered in a low voice: Don't
know it is?n
le monstrous thought came into