Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1872-01-06
A Story Of the Moscow Railway.

every trae believer in the British system of
travelling Is bound to go through. had ira
veTsed the Giittering halls OF the Imperial Pal
ace, and made the circuit OF the red turret-
crowned wall which girdes the KremIin; had
locked down upon the frozen Moskvs from the
suinmit OF the Ivan Ncliki tower, and maryeled
ii the fantastic oOloring of the pineapple-shaped
church Of Nasili the Blessed. I had stood
within the yoiceless lips OF the Mammoth Bell
and Peered into the mouth OF the Monster Can
ron. ] had bought photographs in the Konz-
Tetskl Most and siPpedtea in the Troitski Trak-
teer- ami was now awaiting the arrival of a
trend from St Petersburg. in whose company
' PROF ossd extending my travels eastward a.
Tar a. Mimi.
Amendment authority has said. s.In travelling
through romantic country. select practical
companion, IN q fiat country. select a romantic
one Strictly speaking. the scenery OF Central
hus>la can hardly be called romantic, the best
way 10 form an idea of II being TO multiply
billiard board BY i've millions and abstract the
cushions, but nv proposed companion was one
who would have neutTaliZcd the effect of a tro-
peal sunset OF q moonlight view from Mount
thvet- more thoroughly practical man than
Pred Alifact never breathe,l and I would con-
tdentially have prescribed him ~ a corrective
u An imagination a. luNuriant a. that Of
Victor Hugo or the author Cf "PhantaSieS."
No play OF fancy had moments chance
with remCrseless Manchester intellect. and We
had joke against him on that score at Rugby
which y hardly forgotten Vet. ODe of the in
mates OF our dOrmitOTy was telling a story
h9TFoS.' r.tSEsH'. OF phantom ship, the crew
whereof had persisted in mutual conflict. and
were thCnCrtCTth doomed To remain lifeleSs on
tilt QuEIUg the dtE. while at I'M at thew
acted again the butChtry which had been the
closing scene Of their mortal career. Just At
thiS moment. while the indraUn breath of the
audience justified their emotion. Fred'S slow
~cnteutiOU> tones were heard We'll, ! really
don't see Why the poor fellows might'n have
gone and amused themselves during the d4v
anu Then come back IN time 10. the night in the
. evening"
had good breakfast ready Tor Fred. for the
PRACTICAL man has practical appetite, likely 70
te doubled after such a journey. To 20 from
81 Petersburg 10 Moscow in winter i no light
matte. IA the first class YOU steWed alive in
she second yOu are frozen to death; and in both,
smothered with smoke BY your fellow passengers;
and although IN no point Of speed great All
vance has been made (the time OF transit being
reduced from twenty hours TO nineteen and a
Lsif) Vet this, under such circumstances is quite
long enough. Ten a. m. being the usual hour
IT arrival. had plentiful repaSt on the table
~ 1850, concluding that, a. the train StOpS ONLY
nine times for Refreshments. NV fTieRd would
probably stand in need OF il. The half
hour struck and he did not appear. I went
holding a sledge coming iOltng into the
~.Ow-heaped courtyard bearing Fred and All
hi> fortunes, but nothing was to be seen. The
three-gusrteTs struck, then the hOur, and was
beginning 10 feel surprised, for these creeping
trains are usually punctuel. when the long -ex-
Iected guest made his appearance. But iu-teaI
e bursting into the room with loud laugh ami
hoiSterOu> greeting, according 10 custom, he en-
tered with the uncertain step OF a Sleep-walker
and without utteTing s0IBd. IL needed but
one gtI &c at his face TO tell that something ex-
Ta"rdiEary must have bef.llIen him. The i0vial
TubicuHf ySage was now deadly pale. the firm
W 9UiycTcf COnyu-iyely; the clear. bright eve
was dI!at,d with horror. Few men who hal
seen Fred Alifact on the brink OF an Alpine
IreCiTice, OF in the midst OF Atlantic hurri-
cane. would have recognized him now.
WI at on eIrth's the matter with vcrr rnqn -
asked why, yoI look as il you had seen
I've seen worse replied ne, in a treruulous
voice. Good heavens. I've once heard Of >u-h
things, bat HeveT believed in them before. Bv
s'uyt, it, too horrible
i a 1ll1,l
GIVE me SON. breakfast and then IN tell
Nou- Perhaps I y be at'c To eat now: haven't
touched "a morse al G4v.''
'Nhdt, not Tor twenty hours Nou on yht to
he hungry then. Well, eat n.-t and talk after
lie maize the attcmut. bJ- II was a miserable.
rreteNce. To m. VINO remembered his break
last before ascending Mont Blanc. and hi- sun
Ter after swimming across the Vi>tuIa there
a. something portenfyu- ia this sudden loss
Of appetite; and ! eagerly awaited the recital
Gi MS adventures, which he commenced as foI-
lows.
We left Petersburg az the usual tim, vest,.r-
gay. aHd !, wishing TO made myself comfortable
Ger u was desperate cold, got into Lrst-cIa-,
compartment, where found an officer, lady.
and man who might have been anything Tor
his fur collar aud cap hid his face complete
". The tram was going 10 start. and that was
leILaIs me reason why no more people got in;
though. indeed, there would not AVE been, much
room for them anyhow, for each OF US mad a
good q, al of baggage, except, to be sure the
NrappCd-up man. Who seemed TO have nothing
The tam, and for the first fifteen or twenty
FeT>ts ! was as silent poor Albert smith
Cscd 10 say the English always are in foreign
society. but by and by / got TO exchanging
4 few words with the officer, and presently the
laiy. who a. with him Joined in. They spoke
French. Fl which l am pretty fluent, YOU know
(Fred cOUld never he bothered 10 learn RuSsianl.
80 II a little time We ratified away famousIv
and by the time We got TO LUban. where the
FIRST twenty minutes halt is made, were all as
fh'Ck a thieves. Here my two friends got out
10 take a snack, but 4, having mad: a big din
Ecr just before leaving. did not think il worth
bile eating again - soon. and lust StrOllei no
ana down the platform. till. noticing that the
2uU;fi6t man did not get ont, went 10 see what
be was doing.
Al, the tine We had been talking his man
never said word. bat sat in the corner like a
wax figure, and when ICOaed in and saw m
sill sitirs there mOtiODiess. with his bundle
behind him, II reminded me somehow OF pic
ture Jaw long ago. where a murderer ST.
ting watching beside the body OF his victim"
What - exclaiIntd u. .. Fred Aifact turnir
imaginative! WOnCers will never cease"
All, its all very well Tor you 10 chat" re-
torted Fred, rather aerimoniously, "yeu think
that because fellow knows how 90 take care
al himself, he haS n { no more ma gination than
goldfish, but I've got as mueh a. you, any
Sly dear fellow" replied L. III conc de
YOU thu imagination of Shaksye are if YOU like
only 90 on with your story, for i III rather an
iOus to hear the den0uement."
Perhaps yOd won't like II so much when VI u
90 hear ii, said Fred, giOOmily; but To COL
trUe. The nan lOOked up in a quick, suspicion 8
way as got IN, exposing part of his face for
the hTst time. He Was 20 cOars- " dressed that
wondered how he came to travel frs; class at
ali, but in that moment caught glimpse of a
lace which never belonged 70 one OF the JouT-
G.0is since The world be. an
Miracle upon miracle - exclaimed I. "Can
f'i> be I red Al.fzct, whose favOrite maxim used
tu be that one man is A. good a. another"
An, you may laugh" responded NV friend,
'but wait Till get 70 the end of my story and
then laugh IL you can. Well, presently the Of
tcer and LAZY got IN again, and We resumed our
conversation 1 don't know how il was but
mellow our talk turned upon murders, and
one horrible story succeeded another till ~ last
got quite sick Of II. ami said, rather exciteliv
There Il one thing 20 comfort one all over There
hoTrors-that the villains who cause them are
certain g. be found out and punished
Il had scarcely uttered the words when a
low. chuckling laugh came from under the
NraPpingS OF the unknown. which made me
start a. u had been stung. There was SONG
taing IN tie sound 10 positively Internal that /
really felt a. II il had been the devil himself
IGt before 1 could speak The stranger Joined in
The conversation for the first time.
- Monsieur l. Of the opinion, then" said h. :.
,n the most perfect French, "that it is a,m0