Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1870-10-07
, MISCELLANEOUS.
ROMANCE IN A RAILWAY CAR.
by JUSTIN Mccarthy.

by JUSTIN MCCARTHY.
aassfa B asa -
Two young barristers, travelling fror
London to Liverpool, took their seats on
evening in first class carriage of the fiv
o'clock express at the Euston Square sta
= Uon = a station known, Iventure to think
to every American who has ever invade,
the old country. There were only tw,
other seats occupied in the compartment
Z entered by the two young men. Two la
dies-at least, lady and her maid--wert
the other occupants. The lady was young
and pale and pretty; the maid was fresh
blooming, round-eyed north country cir
the moment she spoke word her &C
cont made it plain to one of the two ad
vocates, himself from the lakeland o
Northern England, that the girl came from
dear old Cumberland. Two gentlemen
one apparently the young lady's father
attended her to the carriage door, sn6
waited at the door until the train actually
moved off, They both, especially the one
who seemed to exercise parental authori
ty over the young lady, kept necessarily
casting expectant, eager, suspicious eyes
about the platform, as if they looked fol
or dreaded the arrival of somebody
These little facts the two barristers, &C
struct them into evidence, observed al.
most unconsciously, and by the sheer
force of habit.
The older man, whom both the youths
learned in law assumed to be the father OF
the departing young lady, at last nodded
Significantly to the other, and said, in q
low tone: at is all right, Cunningham
He is not here. Thank Reavenl" !"
"He can't come now," said the other.
"It would not have much mattered
even if he had" the elder observed "He
should not have exchanged a word with
her-not one word But Pm glad to es
cape scenes and tears and confusion, for
all that"
The lady in the carriage had heard
nothing of this. She sat at the farther side
of her compartment. Doubtless what
was said would never have been spoken
had she been near enough to hear it. One
of our lawyer friends, however, did hear
it-m fact, he could not help himself; he
had no choice but to hear.
The elder of the two speakers had
taken farewell of the girl when he put
her into the carrisge-that is, he kissed
her very coldly, and said good-by, and
added q few whispered words, which
seemed to be something in the nature of
caution or menace. Now, as the train
moved off, he only nodded farewell. He
had formally handsome face, regular,
cold and harsh, with thin lips and very
white teeth.
The train then went on, and very soon
whirled through the pleasant suburbs of
that side of London, and away into the
open country. The young lady seemed
very melancholy and absorbed. She re-
piled gracefully to few civilities and at
tentions offered by the two barristers, but
was evidently not much inclined to any
manner of conversation. She exchanged
few words every now and then with her
maid, but for the most part remained ST.
lent "a H
Itwas growing to be late in autumn,
and, dusk soon began to come on. The
evening was soft and beautiful; the face
of the country looked tender and poetic,
with all it's autumnal charm and melan-
choly grace around it. ~
Our two friends talked together on
many subjects, at first in low tone, then,
as the young lady appeared to be asleep,
or wholly absorbed in her own thoughts,
they began to speak little more freely
dloudly. Something or other, perhaps
the gray poetic sadness of the evening,
set them talking Of the old world ghosts
the dear, delightful, torturing, hair lift.
ing, Blood chilling spectres who used to
haunt our childhood. They actually be-
gan telling each other ghost stories, and
did not observe the shuddering terror of
the Cumberland lass, who could hardly
sit still in her seat, go great was her inter
est, excitement and superstitious dread.
81 don't know" said one of the two
young men, Lewis Rossmore by name,
why railways should be supposed to
have necessarily banished ghosts. l can
quite imagine ghost making his appear
ance in this very train, for instance"
"Can you," replied Fred Sargent. "I
confess can't; but l think you North
men, near the Scottish border, have more
imagination than we prosaic cockneys."
AT the same time he happened to glance
at the young lady in the corner, and her
pale, sod face seemed ghostlike enough in
the gray eVecing light. Sargent thought
for q moment of the legend of the com
pany who sat one evening telling ghost
stories until at last the turn came to pale
young lady, who had been silent all the
time, and who now, when asked to con-
tribute her share to the entertainment,
said, in low, toneless voice, "I have no
ghost story to tell, but am ghost my
sell" and so vanished.
"Yes," pursued Lewis Rossmore; "I
can easily imagine it ; and 1 think it could
be done with rather a fine effect. Look
here, Sargent, take note Of this idea,
and make something of it for one of the
magazines. Two people are travelling
alone in railway--the express-and have
just passed one Of the only stopping
places Behold, as the t1ain is rushing at
full speed across the open country, fifty
miles an hour, and the evening is gro wing
dark, like this, they suddenly perceive
that one of the seats has an occupant,
whose presence was not observed be-
fore -"
Goods sake don't ye 20 on in that
way" broke in the Cumberland girl, un-
able TO contain herself any longer, "Don't
ye go on so, gentlemen it's enough to
raise ghost right j. the midst of us ALP
The young men laughed at first, but the
superstitious fear of the poor girl was so
obviously genuine and profound that
Rossmore discontinued his goblin inVen-
tion, and they reassured her and talked
for few moments of something else
then the train stopped for five minutes at
the one only station where 1t was to make
oAJ HoiV uullhS tuO AOAB JOutnOys tNO
one got out Of the Compartment in which
our friends were, and no one got into it I;
and when the train had fairly moved on,
and our two friends felt secure against
further disturbance, they settled them.
selves for sleep. The young lady appear
ed " be already asleep.f -
Both young men slept. Suddenly a
loud shrek caused both TO start up and
rub their oVeg. q =. d 80 ftf.. - fEf
II was the Cumberland girl who had
given the alarm. H.. ,a. .....
cts a ghostl it's ghosti" she cried
That's what comes OF your deviltry ana
your talk--you'Ve brought ghost among
usf" 90.
The evening had sunk into almost com
plete darkness the one lamp, the high,
est luxury in the way of illumination, to
which even first class passengers in an
Eaglish express are treated, was burning
very dimly but 1t needed little light to
see that there was fifth figure In the
carriage 1.-THE figure Of man. There he
- aaattradlU ii tall afanAaW man ataa,.