Weekly Trinity journal., 1871-01-28
ESCAPED FROM JUSTICE,

row seemed to CONCEAL in one 5 bones.
There's one advantage ia steam," growled
fat old gentleman in the corner seat "wind
and weather don't affect it. No flesh and blood
horse could stand night like this, but the iron
horse keeps straight ahead, whether the ther-
mometer is at zero or at boiling heat"
just then the conductor entered.
4" Tickets gentlemen if you please"
cts dreadful night, conductor" | said,
feeling with stffened fingers for my ticket in the
breast pocket of my coat.
" Dreadful, sir feelingly responded the CON
ductor. Why, the brakemen can't live out
side, so look the other way when they creep in,
poor fellows, to get breath of warm air at the
stove. We have not had such a bad night since
"a year ago the I'd of February, when Tom
Blakeslee, the baggage-master, troze both his
feet and woman who was coming on from Chi
cago, got off at Bunns Four Corner, with her
baby in her arms, corpse ~
"Froze to death p
faye, frozen to death, and she never thought,
poor thing, but it was asleep. My babys cold,
says she, but we'll soon warm it when we get
home. 1t was Just such night as this.
And the conductor opened the door, and
plunged across the opening into the next car,
crying out, Hardwick -
1t was quite considerable city with q hand
some iron depot, faring gas lamps and the
usual crowd around the platform with hands in
l'o PoN hVtoi anu Tvs blBhl CuuS uuuluB lHIOuBH
the night.
Our car was nearly the last of the long train,
and but one passenger entered it-a slender
young girl wrapped in gray blanket shawl,
and wearing neat little travelling hat of gray
straw, trimmed with stone colOred velvet flow
ers She seemed to hesitate like one unused to
travelling, and finally sat down near the door.
Pardon me, young LADY," said |, d" but you
had better come nearer to the stove"
She started hesitated an instant, and then
obeyed.
g Does this train go to Bayswater ?" she asked
in voice so deliciously soft and sweet that it
seemed to thrill through me.
"Yes; can be of any service to you ~
ooh, no-at least not un;i we reach Bayswa-
ter. would like a carriage then"
" We shall not be there yet these three hours. "
/" Do we stop again?"
Only at EXmOuth"
! She drew deep sigh, seemingly of relief and
settled back in corner. BY the light of the
lamp that hung in its brass fixtures opposite, |
| could see her face, that of "A lovely child. APP
parently she was more than sixteen, with
large blue eyes, golden hair, brushed smoothly
back from her face, and little rosy mouth like
that OF Il baby.
" Do you expect friends to meet you at Bays
water, my child p asked incidentally.
"No, sir. | am going to school there"
=" 1t will be an awkward hour for you to
rive atone in the morning"
"Oh, am not afraid she said, with art
less little laugh shall go straight to the sem
mary"
SO the express train Numbered on, with cease
less pulsiug at its iron heart, and constant roar
Suddenly the signal whistle sounded, the
train began to slacken its speed.
Surely we are not at Exmouth yet"
thought, ''unless | have fallen unconsciousy
asleep and allowed the progress of time to es-
cape me-"
glanced at my watch it was barely halfpas
eleven, and knew we were not due at Exmouth
until after twelve. | rubbed the frost from the
pane and looked out.
We had stopped at lonely little way station
in the midst of dense pine woods
=" Is this Exmouth2"
1t was the soft voice of the pretty traveller op-
posite.
"No-I don't know what place it is some
way station"
4" Does this train stop at way stations p
"Not generally they must have been specially
signalled here. You are cold, my child your
voice lrembles."
d" 1t is cold" she said in scarcely audible
voice, drawing her shawl around her. Oh |
wish they would hurry onW
" We are moving once more" | said, Coon
ductor" for the man of tickets was passing
through the car-"why did we stop. at that
backwoods place ~
"out of water" was the reply as he hur-
redly passed by.
Now knew perfectly well this answer was
not the true solution of the matter. Our delay
did not exceed half minute, altogether too
short for replenishing the boilers and where on
earth was the water to come from in that desc
late stretch of barren pinewoods.
Five minutes after the Conductor re-entered
the car. | made room for him at my side.
" Sit down, Conductor, you've nothing to do
this minute"
He obeyed.
" What do you mean by telling me such lie
spoke under my breath; he replied in the
same tone.
"About what P
" About the you stopped to take on a
single passenger-a gentleman who has come
down from Bayswater"
'' For the pleasure of travelling once more over
the same routep'
Exactly so-for the purpose of travelling itin
certain society. Don't be alarmed for your own
society-it's "A detective policeman"
was about TO repeat the words in astonsh-
ment, when be motioned me to silence.
Z" The detective? He sits by the door yonder
with ragged fur cap pulled over his eyes. Did
you ever a more perfect specimen of the di-
lapdated cOuntrymanP
| smiled: could hardly help it.
"What is the case2'
I" A murder--a man and wife and two little
chldren-their throats cut last night, and the
house set on fire afterwards"
q Great Heavens what monster +"
We had continued the conversation through
out in whisper, scarcely above our breath,
and now The Conductor rose and left me to study
the faces of my fellow passengers with curious
dread and horror.
Somehow, often as | revolved the matter in
my mind, my fancy would settle coarse,
gross-looking man opposite with a bushy beard
and shaggy coat with the collar turned up
around his ears felt convinced that this man
with the heavy hanging jaw was Cain and as
looked furtvely across | caught the wide open
blue orbs of the fair little girl
Obeying the instantaneous impulse of my heart
| | arose and went over To her