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

ny teitlpie ieAoW-Taveller chuokled Ogrishly |
as the last door was slammed. as the Whistle |
sounded, and Off went the train again bonn5
for Paris. Nov, miss, or ma'am vvbicbavar
you may be, there's time enougb for ns 40
settle our little affairs before we get 10 paris
You seem sensible, tdyish old girl, and I'm
sure you won't make any Unnecessary fuss
Pm not man to be triaed with 20
AS the wretch made the above reuorl,s
he drew out his silver hunting watch
opened 1t, and looked at it as If he
were computing the number of ninutes that
remained to him. 'Iots of time -, bo
observed, putting up his watch. What did
the monster mean trembled from head To
1901, ana should liked to have tainted, but
did not dare to permit myself SO much az n
slight hysterical attack. The case was too
serious for such palliatives. Did he mean to
murder me / could not tell. He was a live
riddle, beyond my guessing. When vexed, he
was ferocious enough but it was facetious
sort Of ferocity after all, and l am not sure
that he did not frighten me more by leering
and chuokling, as If he had been an ogre
indeed, than solemn and melodramatic viii
lain could have done. 1t was with a keen
and a melancholy interest that l suffered my
thoughts to stray to Rhododendron Villa the
home that / should perhaps never see again;
to my garden blooming in beauty; my azaias;
my velvet lawn and glossy shrubbery; my
birds, twittering behind their cage-wires; and
poor libby, most faithful of cats whose smooth
white fur her mistress would never more
caress. How l regretted my pusillanimity in
not calling for help at the Creil station
Here l was now, as much alone with this
man, mad or felonious, as if we had been cast
away together on some desolate island.
The man seemed to be in no particular
hurry. He was master of the situation, and
he knew it. He had drawn a thick parcel,
wrapped in leather, from his breast pocket,
o,,1f CO... L. o,,I
lingering this, as if to satisfy himself that its
contents were yet intact. Then he replaced it,
and turned TO me, watch in hand: "Time's
| upl'' he said briskly; eve must look sharp,
now ~ ANY one might have knocked
me down with a feather. The crisis
had come. Perhaps in few moments
should be hurled, dead or dying, out of the
| doorway Of the carriage, and my bones
crushed to splinters beneath the grinding iron
wheels. go, my good man - began, but my
tongue seemed to refuse its Office. The tyrant
| laughed, but not in the same way as before.
| Evidently, as we drew near to Paris, he was
| himself growing fdgetty and i'll at ease. CLARK
| ye, ma'am," he said, kissing the words like a
snake, into my ear; 'I'm desperate man. Pm
| drove and hunted till don't care what do,
so as can only pull through. If you choose,
the little matter of business can be got over
quietly and in friendly spirit. But I'd as
soon swing for a sheep as a lamb, so make
up your mind-yes, or no?''
"Anything-anything ladylike - l gasped
out, feebly. "You've hit it," said the stranger
with an undeserved admiration for my sup
posed astuteness. "And pretty sharp you
must be to find out what Pm driving at. Now
don't you scream, or any of that. Hold your
hands out, together-so!" And he produced
red handkerchief, in which he proceeded,
deity, to form the moose of a slip-knot. To
bind my hands together was clearly his
intention.
Such power of resistance as there
l won't'' l screamed out "Touch me, at
| your peril. /" 1t was useless. My pro-
test and my kicking Qor am certain did
kick, and vigorously went for nothing. In
one moment l found my hands squeezed to-
gether, and my wrists tied as firmly as if my
captor had never in his life done anything but
handcuff other people. l shrieked and shrieked
again, almost cracking my voice in my frantic
| efforts TO establish communication with the
guard. No one heard me or needed me, of all
the hundreds whirling up to Paris in my
nominal company. And in a minute more /
was gagged, gagged with my own white
| pocket et-handkerchief and square of unfinished
| Berlin woodwork, that the miscreant snatched
| up from the same basket that had contained
the wicker-covered bottle. l knew there were
needles left sticking in it, and l shuddered,
no time for remonstrance.
By this we were near enough to Paris for
my bewildered eyes to distinguish the glow of
sullen light that always heralds ones approach
to a great city, and, as we rushed on, the
myriads of yellow lamps, like so many fiery
eyes, began to twinkle and glimmer through
the night. / sat, idly watching them, as |
have heard that condemned persons sometimes
count the spikes of the dock or the curls of
the Judges wig. Every moment might be my
last. When l looked round again, my tor
mentor had metamorphosed his personal APP
pearance in manner that would have struck
me speechless, even without the aid of the gag.
He had taken up large black silk cloak of
mine, a cloak which | had often worn in going
out on foot, to drink tea with my neighbOrs in
summer, and which / called a calash. This
he had wrapped round him so as to make it
resemble the skirt of dress, and over it he
wore my cashmere patelot braided in jet, with
great Scotch shawl draping his shoulders.
He had pocket looking. glass in his hand,
by the help of which he contemplated his
own features with a self-satisfed smirk, while
he adjusted a silk neck-scarf with fringed
ends, so as to hide his shaggy beard. Was
he mad, or
Before l could frame conjecture he turned
and with unceTemoniOus haste transferred my
bonnet-a lilac bonnet, with black marabou
feathers and rich bugle trimming--from my
head to his own. 1t was done rapidly, and so
roughly that l felt doubly thankful that my
hair is really and truly my own, as otherwise
it might have followed the bonnet. He tied
the strings under his chin, with hasty jerk,
and drew down the thick veil, so as to hide
his face. Tins accOutrad the wretch might