Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1872-01-15
BY the Night sExDrcN's'-

n D1gtef december inluNlgHC, anu bHO
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, I assure
you; and l had some difficulty in making
my way from carriage to carriage, even
though [ generally find that people (al-
most unconsciously perhaps move aside
for the guard when they see him walk
ing up or down close to the carriage doors.
This difficulty was increased, too, by the
manoeuvres of my companion, London
detective, who had joined me to give
himself a better opportunity of examin
ing the passengers. 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 unsuspected
scrutiny it was next to impossible for
the thieves he was seeking to escape
even in hampers. | didn't trouble my
self to help him, for | knew it wasn't
necessary; yet was as anxious as hund-
reds of others were that those practiced
thieves, whom the police had been hunt
ing for the last two days, should be
caught as they deserved.
Sometimes we came upon group
which my companion could not take in
at q glance, and then he always found
himself usually cold, and stopped to
stamp little life into his petrifed feet
OF course, for me, this enforced standing
was the signal for attack of that persist
ent questioning with which railway
guards are familiar and, in attending
to polite questioners who deserved an
swering, and unpolite ones who insisted
on it, [ had not much time for looking
about me; but presently [ did catch my
self watching girl who stood alone at
some distance. A girl very pretty and
pleasant to look upon, | thought, though
her face, and her dress, and her attitude
were all sad. She stood just at the door
Of the booking office; tall, slight girl
in deep mourning, with quantity ot
bright, fair hair plated high upon hel
head, as well as hanging loosely on he
shoulders with a childishly innocen
face, and nretty. beWildered eyes
/ wished [ could have gone straight to her
and put her into one-the most comfort
able-of the line of carriages at whicl
she gazed SO timidly, Just as l hesita
ted, a very remarkable figure elbowed it
way to me; a stout, grandly dressed oil
lady, painting painfully, and almos
piercing me with a pair of restless, half
opened eyes, that looked out through tn
gold-rimmed spectacles perched on he
sharp nose. Two porters followed he
laden with bags, cloaks, umbrellas, an
fowers-the only flowers in the station
r [ expect, that winter-and one of th
S men winked at me over her head, Will
the other guarded her treasures with
t face Of concentrated anxiety, and thought
/, engrossed by possible fees.
This is the London train, is i
J ga'ad ?" she asked, peering sharply int
II my face with her half-closed eyes, as
9 she found it difficult to distinguish M
d even through her spectacles
From her whole attitude guessed he
! to be deaf but never guessed hoe0 de-
' until, after yelling my answer SO lor
e that the engine driver must have heal
it eighteen carriages off, she still remai
y ed stonily waiting for it.
,, deaf as a dozen posts" said the
tective, aloud, giving the old lady an e
pressive little nod in the direction of Il
train.
''Slow tramp she asked, in tn
plaintive tone which the very deaf oft
use.
"Mail!'' [ shouted, putting my mou
as close to her cheek as | fancied S
would like
"A5e.P she shrieked back at me, t
TX speetacles shaking little on her th
I'd nose. 'Why should you want ale
/! listening to civil questions that you 3
paid to answer Ale indeed l belle
railway men think of nothing else"
Then she shook her head angrily a
waddled off, looking as acid an old PAL
J." as I should ever try to avoid. In
every door she peered through her q
tering glasses, the two porters followi
tn her, until she made stop before
TX empty second-class carriage near my VI
and with much labor and assistance
herself and her packages into it.
When passed few minutes aft
ro' ward, she was standing in the doorw
ght effectually barring the door to any OF
passenger by her own unattractive
pearance there, and prolonging with
'hc evident relish the anxiety of the Oh
70 quious porters. [ fancy that though
'nu purse she fumbled in was large, the c
she wanted was but small, for | pas
on and left her still searching and s
u q -