The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1870-12-16
EseAPED .FRaMrJUSTEoE.a !

q .s ESCAPED FReMIJUSTIGE.T
II was a bitter night in JannaryA- 8
might when homeless wanderers on the
rnoors might have sunk down and froze
p 20 death, and the very marrow seemed to
CONCEAL In ones bones = 1g77l eaa
=. There's one advantage IN steam, y
gTowled fat old gentleman IN the cor.
ner seat; ksvind and weather don't af.
feet it No flesh and blood horse could
stand q night like this, but the iron
horse keeps straight ahead, whether the
thermometer is at zero or at boiling
water heat. ilfrt03 ssgit
just then the conductor entered.
Tickets. gentlemen, if you please. y
=" It's dreadful night, conductor ~
said, feeling with stiffened fingers for my
ticket, IN the breast pocket of my coat.
- dreadful, 81, y feelingly responded
the conductor. "Why, the brakemen
. can't live outside, and SO I look the
other way; when they creep in, poor fel-
lows, to get breath of warn air at the
stove. We have not had such night
since year ago the End of February,
when Tom Blakeslee, the baggage. mas
= ter froze both his feet and woman
who was coming on from Chicago, got
at Bunn's -Four Corners, with baby
her arms, a-corpsei"
Froze to death9"
Aye, frozen to death, and she never
thought, poor thing, but it was asleep.
My baby's cold, says she, but well
soon warm 1t, when we get home It
was Just such night as this y sr
And the conductor opened the door,
and plunged across the coupling into
the next car, crying out:
ssHardYick n
It was quite considerable city, with
q handsome iron depot, fiaring gass
lamps, and the usual crowd around the
platform, with hands IN its pockets, and
its cigar ends flaming through the
night
Our car was nearly the last of the long
train, and but one passenger entered it,
IA slender young girl, wrapped in a
gray blanket-shawl, and wearing a neat
little travelling hat of gray straw,
trimmed with stone-colored velvet flow
ers. She seemed to hesitate, Ike one
unused to travelling, and finally sat
down near the door. s.ai,Hs ---.-si
"Pardon me, young lady, said ], but
you had better come nearer to the
stove zssI
She started, hesitated an instant, and
then obeyed gs =,
"Does this train go to Bayswater9n
she asked in voice SO deliciously soft
and sweet that it seemed to thrill
through me- Z, ,=,-.- -
youln - ..,.. =. :
.'Oh, no-at least not until we reach
Bayswater. I would like a carriage
then e-a;l -=ss'f
ave shall not be there = yet these
three hoursn
"Do we stop again?"
"Only at Emouth"
She drew deep sigh, seemingly of
relief, and settled back in corner By
? the Light of the lamp that hung in its
brass fixture opposite, could see her
face, that of lovely child. apparently
she was no more than sixteen, with
large blue eyes, golden hair, brushed
smoothly back from her face, and a lit
tie rosy mouth, like that of baby.
"Do you expect friends to meet You
at Bayswater, my child 2" 1 asked Incl
dentalIy
.sNo, sir, am going to school there
"It viii be an awkward hour for you
"Oh, am not afraid, - she said, with
an artless little laugh; 81 shall go
straight to the seminary
So the express train thundered on,
with steady ceaseless pulsing at its iron
heart, aud constant roar
Suddenly the signal whistle sounded,
the train began to slacken its speed.
=. "Surely we're not at Exmouth vet,
I thought, unless have fallen uncon-
sciously asleep and allowed the progress
of time to escape me.n
/ glanced at my watch it was barely
haf-past eleven, and IEnewwe were not
due at Exmouth until after lively. 1
rubbed the frost from the pane and look
ed out
We had stopped at lonely little way
station In the midst of dense pine
woods
els this Exmouth?"
1t was the soft voice of the pretty
traveller opposite.
"No-I don't know what place it is;
some way station
: Does this train stop at way stations7n
Not generally; they must have been
specially s;gnalled here. You are cold,
my child; your voice trembles.n
'f It is cold, she said, in a scarcely
audible voice, drawing her shawl around
her. Oh, I wish they would hurry oni"
We are moving once more" J" said.
Conductor for the man of tickets
was passing through the car-stwhy did
we stop at that backwoods placeg"
=s Out of water, " was the reply, as he
hurriedly passed by.
Now 1 knew perfectly well that this
answer was not the true solution of the
matter. Our delay did not exceed half
minute, altogether too short time for
replenishing the boilers and where on
earth was the water to come from in that
desolate stretch of barren pine woods.
Five minutes after, the conductor re
entered the car. I made room for him
at my side. or
"Sit down, conductor; you've moth
ing to do this minute.
~ he obeyed. .--s- y
What do you mean by telling me
such a lie Just now ~
I spoke under my breath; he replied
in the same tone
About whatfn # t7
.s,st /" About the reason you stopped Just
now.
he smiled. - :
= ssTo tell you the truth, / stopped to
tlke on q single passenger-a gentle
man who has come down from Bayswa-
teri
"For the pleasure of travelling once
more over the same route 2"
g Exactly so-for the purpose Of tray-
cling it in certain society. Don't be
alarmed for your own safety-it's de-
tective policeman"
- was about to repeat the words in as
tonishment, when he motioned me to
silence - -
y ssWhere is hegn -
ssThe detective? He sits by the door
yonder, with a ragged fur cap pulled
over his eyes. Did you ever see more
perfect specimen Of the dilapidated
eouptrymsn1" 7"