Wilmington daily commercial., 1872-06-06
my NIGHT in A BOX. /"

Ser. ali alone here, to Imagine all sorts of
horrid things happening TO her poor old boyr
Couldn't you stay at home just for this one
night? p :.
struggling into my great coat, and possessing
myself al the same time of my big driving
gloves, which my little wife was absently
irving to fit on her own little hands.
mot If very much wished II, Willie? Do
YOU know felt so strange and lonely last
night. when you were away, that could
hardly make up my mind to go to bed at all
And tonight can scarcely bear the thought
that YOU should be so long absent You know
what timid, foolish little thing am"
Her arm quietly stole round me, and she
locked up to my face with wistful, anxious
look, while tear stood glistening in the cor
ners of her sweet, blue eyes
"Why, you wee 6 ose," said |, kissing
away the bright token of her earnestness,
''what has put such absurd thoughts into that
wise noddle of yours Are you afraid that
the fairies will waylay me, and spirit me
tell them that have left fairy at home, and
not even the Establishments of the queen her
self shall tempt me into their uncanny coun-
try. But seriously, Maggie, there is nothing
TO be alarmed about. | shall be home by
seven o'clock at the latest but, since you
are 50 fearful, will call at fathers as pass,
and send up my brother Bob to keep you
company and stay in the house all night.
viii that content you, little woman?"
mo, don't do that. 1t would look fool
ish, and Bob would only laugh at me when
he came He does not understand me.
think no one does understand me except
YOU, dear Will.
'JThank you, Mag, think do understand
YOU. But here comes the gig so goodbye,
and don't fret for the short time | am away
| shall be back long before you have done
dreaming" So saying, / mounted the gig,
and drove rapidly along the frozen road But
my wife fingered by the porch, following me
with her eyes and, so long as the house was
in sight, / could, on looking back, see her
white dress shimmering ghost like in the light
which streamed through the open door,
At the time of which | write l was tele
graph superintendent on the Wilton and
Longbank line of railway. Oneo of the clerks
who was on night duty, had been taken sud-
denly ILL., and, being unable to find suitable
substitute, had taken his work myself until
such time as he should recover. had only
been married few months, and was by no
means reconciled 10 the necessity of leaving
my wife and home to pass the night in thai
nasty old box" as Mag called it-and she
was perfectly correct In her description. But
| knew that 1t was a necessity, and knew
likewise that no grumbling of mine could
menG the matter.
A drive of about eight miles brought me to
my post. There was nothing very eXtraor-
dinary in the duty TO which had been called
away, nor was 1t any new experience to me ;
but ON that night my mind was filled with
vague, indefnable fears, for which tried in
vain to account. The night was clear and
windless, and away in the northwestern sky
the aurora borealis was fitting to and fro in
thousand strange, fantastic shapes As
watched the shifting and quivering CLEANS,
now shooting in rapid succession from one
luminous centre, and anon spreading and
rolling wave after wave across the starry
heavens, | began to think of the disastrous
Omens of war, plague and famine, which in
Olden times men drew from such sights
Somewhat of the same emotion | felt in my
own mind and, reason as | would, | felt il
impossible TO shake off the growing sense of
uneasiness and gloom which had taken pos
session of me. On entering the telegraph
station the clerk whom had come to relieve
was ready to depart.
You won't have much to do tonight
sir, said he. ''rhe instruments are quite
unNOTkable; no signals have been received
for the last three hours. Good night"
When | was left alone / found that it was
as he had said. The electric currents, which
are developed in the atmosphere during most
meteorological changes, had rendered the
wires quite useless and, although the needles
swayed ceaselessly backwards and forwards
they made no sign which the wisdom of man
could interpret. Seeing that my Office was
likely to be a sinecure, | drew my chair to
the stove, and, taking down book which
saw on shelf, | tried to interest myself in
the story. The volume which had discov
cred was "Jane Eyre and although since
that time have read, with tears and laugh
ter, it and the other works which came from
the same true and loving pen, yet ON that
night the spell of her who is so powerful to
awaken our interest and enlist our sympathy
who has given us Black Rochester and
chronicled with no unkindly hand the vagar-
les of the three eccentric curates, and won
our hearts for Professor Emmanuel Carl Paul
had no power to quiet my wild, wandering
thoughts. While was turning listlessly over
the leaves, the stiffness was startled by the
sharp, quick changing of the electric bell, the
usual signal to prepare to read off a message
With shiyer of alarm turned quickly to
the instrument, but soon perceived that the
bell had been rung by no earthly power
for the vibrating needles made no Ineligible
sign, and knew that the sound had been
produced by current of atmospheric cleo
iricity acting upon the wires.
Smiling ut the nervousness which caused
me 10 start at so ordinary an occurrence,
turned from my desk, and again sat down by
the fire But smile as | would and reason as
might, | felt that l was fast succumbng TO
vague, foundationess fears. Thinking that
The atmosphere of the room, which l felt
close and hot might have something to do
with my peculiar condition of mind, flung
open the door and stepped outside, in the
hope that the cool air might scare away the
phantoms of my brain. As crossed the
threshold the midnight express crashed pass
with speed and force which shook every
timber of the building, and, uttering loud
slrlek, disappeared into the tunnel at the end
OF the steep gradient, on the summit of which
my station was placed. When it was gone
there was stiffness, stiffness broken-if | car
call 1t broken-only by the peculiar signing
OF the air passing across the wires, which |.
heard even in the calmest of nights. | stood
and listened TO the strange, melancholy
.Eolian harp-like sound, now so faint as u
be almost inaudible, and anon swelling into d
Wild, low wailing | looked up and saw
Orion and the Pleiades, and thought how
often on nights, not long ago, when | had
watched for Maggie in the wood, had gazeC
up through the tall sombre pines, and watched
Their trembling fires. From that my minC
reverted to the earnestness with which my
Wlte had asked me to remain at home thai