The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-08-02

hOarsely; and then adding in lighter tone, !
must borrow the bag too-wish you good
night, a'am ~ opened the door, and gently
reclosing IL when outside, tripped with the
greatest efirontery across the lighted platform,
carrying my bag (solid morocco, silver
mounted), and wearing my bonnet, calash,
etc., while l. their owner, sat in helpless bond
age in corner of the carriage.
Before long, a thrill shot through me, as
heard Thomas Coachmans well known voice
asking grufly, "Wheres missus P' | was
within earshot of friends, then, and no longer
defenseless. But, to my horror, Gubbms
replied-"There she goes yonder. What
hurry she's in, too Come, Thomas !"
That's never she," grumbled Thomas, with
fine intelligence that did him infinite credit
that's not our Miss Prunella that great
gawky maypole, striding along like Cochin
China fowl, l tell you '' But my faithful Cub
bins was positive. She would swear to her
In6lstress' Scotch shawl, she said, among
Thousand; and she dragged Thomas off
through the crowd. Words could never do
Justice to my feelings, left thus deserted, for
that those two trusty followers of mine had
gone IN pursuit of my will o. '-the wisp of a
snSWl, on the shoulders of the impostor, l
ala not doubt. But it was in vain that
trled TO extricate myself from my bonds in
yam that essayed to call to my humble
1riends, betwixt whom and myself the distance
wldened at every instant. l could produce,
ei"hNS W VIC VOlupleLeneSS with which the
| gag mad been arranged, no sound louder than
the gurgling cry of some drowning person,
| While, fastened as was to the woodwork of
| the partition, resembled fixture of the COM
| pany's rolling stock, more than a lady of pro-
| perty and social consideration.
Gradually the crowd thinned, the noise
decreased, the hustle dwindled, and the porters
went composedly about their regular work of
'breaking up" q believe l use the correct
| cxpression) the now empty train. heard a
man come scrambling along the roofs of the
| carriages, to extinguish the lamps, no doubt,
| for the light overhead was abruptly put out,
and l was left in total darkness, shiveriDg in a
| corner of the compartment. / say shivering,
because, though by the almanac the month
| have been February. 1t was one OF those raw
| chill evenings of which we had so many in the
| spring of this year, and trembled, not only
| with fear, but with cold as we'll. But was
| quite powerless even to call for assistance,
and the lamps were put out, and the axles
tapped with hammer, and the coupling
chains and screws undone, and the train
divided into sections, like an eel beneath the
| cooks chopper, without any ones being
aware that the compartment "For Ladies
Only' had still an involuntary occupier.
Presently two men arrived, summoned by a
third, and my carriage was pushed along the
rails, placed on what believe is called turn
table, and slowly spun round. There was a
click and jerk, and the men stood painting
| and resting after their eXertions.
Lively fears came pressing now, like a
| hideous phantasmagoria, on my wretched
! brain as l sat alone in the darkness. What
would become of me gathered from what
| heard of the discourse of the men at work on
| the train, that the carriage of which was a
most unwilling tenant was to be put aside
| ("shunted away" is, l am told, the technical
IT. II. .Ao1
| Here was pleasant prospect l should be
left in some out-of-the-way shed, in some
| dreary storehouse, in crypt, or a tunnel, or
some patch of neglected ground, numbered
with rusty engines and disused carriages, and
there | might starve to death, or be murdered
by thieves, or perhaps eaten by rats. l had
read shocking things of the rats of Paris, and
there l was, dumb, while one cry would save
me. SALONS en- route r' exclaimed one of the
porters, and the carriage was pushed on a
yard or so.
made violent effort to proclaim my
presence. In vain. "Guggle guggle gug-
gle ~ such were the only sounds that could
frame, and for a minute or two continued
juggling like an insane soda-water bottle, and
then ceased, exhausted, despairing.
Gubbins it was, my faithful Gubbins, that
saved me after all. Her voice was sweeter
than music in my ears, as the door was torn
open, and by the bright yellow glare of several
lanterns l saw my two worthy creatures, and
with them halfa-dozen of railway officials led
by man in uniform, with 'Interpreter''
embroidered on his gold-laced cap. Amid ex-
clamations and outcries l was released and
helped to alight. The bandage round my
wrists was united; the gag was taken from
my mouth; and then let my head fall on the
sympathetic shoulder of Gubbins, and en-
joyed for the first time the luxury of a
good cry. % But whatever has come to
you, ma'am Where's your bonnet ?"
was my maids very natural question. And
then, rather incoherently, l suppose, told
my story. The interpreter listened to it with
great eagerness. "Hein 20 he said; "that
famous rascal, the eScroc, that the English
detectives have been watching for, must have
been the purloiner of the bonnet. Parbleu
Madame will have to repeat all this for the
information of the police"
And an agreeable promenade / had of it,
across the rails, and along the lighted plat
form, where every one connected with the sta
tion came out to stare at my bonnetless head
and disOrdered hair, and generally scared and
crumpled appearance. | must have looked
more like some dishevelled virago fresh from
street affray than anything else, as l was
brought into the Office of the commissary of
police, where / found, not merely that func-
tionary and his agents, with their swords and
cooked hats but two English detective
officers, from Scotland Yard, in plain clothes.
There was a dreadful fuss, taking of deposit
tions, reading over of answers, questioning
without end, but at last the truth dawned
upon me.
The mantle monster to whom my misfor-
tunes were due-turned out to be a runaway