The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1872-05-24
Miscellaneous.
BY THE NIGHT EXPRESS.


A bitter December midnight, and the
up express painting through its ten min
utes' rest at Rugby. What with passen-
gers just arriving, and passengers just
departing; what with the friends who
came to see the last of the departing
passengers, or to meet the arriving ones;
the platform was full enough, can as.
sure you; and / had some difficulty in
making my way from carriage to car.
riage, even though generally find that
people almost unconsciously, perhaps)
move aside for the guard when they see
him walking up or down close to the
carriage doors. This difficulty was in
creased too, by the mannuvres of my
companion, London detective, who
had joined me to give himself better
opportunity of examining the passen-
gers. Keenly he did it, too, in that
seemingly careless way of his; and,
while he appeared to be only an idle
lounging acquaintance of my own, !
knew that under his unsupported scru.
tiny it was next to impossible for the
thieves he was seeking, to escape-even
in hampers. didn't trouble myself to
help him, for knew it was MT necessa
ry, yet / was as anxious as hundreds o1
others were that those practical thieves
whom the police had been hunting foi
the last two days, should be caught, as
they deserved.
Sometimes we came upon group
which my companion could not take in
at glance, and then he always found
himself unusually cold, and stopped to
stamp little life into his petrified feet
OF course for me this enforced standing
was the signal for an attack of that per.
sistent questioning with which railway
guards are familiar and, in attending
to public questioners who deserved an.
swering, and unpolite ones who insist
ed on it, had not much time for look.
ing about me; but presently l did catch
myself watching girl who stood alone
at some distance. A girl very pretty
and pleasant to look upon, thought,
attitude were all sad. She stood just at
the door Of the booking Office; tall,
slight girl, in deep mourning, with q
quantity of bright, fair hair plated
high upon her head, as we'll as hanging
loosely upon her shoulders; with q
childishly innocent face and pretty, be-
wildered eyes. l wished | could have
gone straight to her, and put her into
one-the most cOmfortable-of the line
of carriages at which she gazed timidly
just as l hesitated very remarkable
figure elbowed its way to me; a stout
grandly dressed old lady, painting pain
fully, and almost piercing me with q
pair Of restless, half'opened eyes, that
looked out through the gold trimmed
spectacles perched on her sharp nose
Two porters followed her, laden with
bags, cloaks, umbrellas and flowers
the only flowers in the station, 1 expec
that winter highland one of the mer
winked at me over her head, while the
other guarded her treasures with face
of concentrated anxiety, and thoughts
engrossed by possible fees.
"This is the London train, is it
ga'ad?" she asked, peering sharply int
my face with half closed eyes, as if sh'
found it difficult to distinguish mi
through her spectacles.
From her whole attitude / guessed
her to be deaf, but l never guessed hov
deaf, until, after yelling my answer 81
loud that the engine driver must hav
heard it eighteen carriages off, she still
remained stonily waiting for it.
"Deaf as a dozen posts" said the dc
tective, aloud, giving the old lady al
expressive little nod in the direction @
the train.
! "Slow train? ?p she asked, in tina
plaintive tone which the very deaf oftel
use.
"Mailw Shouted, putting my mout
as close to her cheek as l fancied sh
would like.
"Ale" she shrieked back at me, tn
spectacles shaking little on her thi
nose. "Why should you want ale fa
listening to civil questions that you ar
paid to answer. Ale indeed l believ
railway men think Of nothing else."
Then she shook her head angrily an
waddled of, looking as acid an old pal
ty as should ever Try to avoid. In u
every door she peered through her gil
tering spectacles, the two porters 70
lowing her, until she made stop b'
fore an empty second class carriage nes
my van, and with much labor and a
sistance got herself and her package
into it.
When passed, few minutes afte
wards, she was standing in the doc
way, effectually barring the door to an
other passenger by her own unattrac
i've appearance there, aud prolongin
with an evident relish theanxiety of ii
obsequious porters / fancy that thoug