Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1874-08-13

/ Brown meant 10 make iengtneneu
tour on the Continent, had forgotten to
take my wrapper with me, so / contem.
plated my opposite neighbor with rather
| curious eyes, thinking how warm and
comfortable he looked and how very cold
| felt. tried to forget my discomfort
by reading over my papers; but when at
last got through them was as cold as
before, or perhaps little colder. How
ever, we were getting near our journeys
end, and that was some comfort. l de-
termined to follow my fellow-traveler's
example and take doze. Iwish heartily
that had not done so.
First of all, had a singularly un-
pleasant dream; for dreamed that on
arriving home found the street door
open, and, on going in, saw staircases in
all directions. / went up the one | fan
cied led to my rooms, but it seemed as if
/ should never get there! Flight after
fight / went up, and thought the stairs
would never come to an end. Then sud
denly l found myself in the drawing
ROOM and was struck by the cherries
look of everything; there was no fire in
the CRATE and the room was so dimly
| lighted that at first did not see Lizzie.
| Then became aware that she was lean
| ing back in the armchair with the child
| lying in her lap; her eyes were closed
and her face was deadly pale. | cried
out her name, but she did not move.
With an underlined dread that seemed to
make my heart contract rushed across
the room to her; the floor heaved and
swayed with my weight; | flung myself
down by Lizzie's side and had seized her
hand when the chair overturned with a
crash, and she seemed to fall heavily into
my arms!
Il awoke with cry of terror. The
train had run nearly off some facing
points and the tremendous jolt had
thrown my fellow-traveler across my
knees. lifted him half up but he made
no effort to help himself. With difficulty
replaced him on the seat. The head
dropped back into the old position, and
as the light now fell ON the face | saw to
my horror that the man was dead!
8" fell back into my seat, gasping for
breath but NE next instant | started
up and went to the farther side of the
carriage. 'Dead?' said to myself, no,
| it's impossible, he cannot be dead and
turning hurriedly toward the old gentle
| man endeavored to stammer out pos
sible hope that the fall had not hurt
| him. 1t would not do; the words died
away Oll MY lipS' lClt thC Jaw VI hlo
death was but too true, and the folly of
asking a corpse if a fall had hurt it
crossed my mind and gave me an absurd
inclination to laugh, though / never felt
less merry in my life.
"Then terrible curiosity drew me
back almost against my will to look
again at the ifeless man. The blue,
glazed eyes were wide OPEN the jaw
al; rh Irnnna1. tho ru11xy color
had settled in patches of dark purple in
the cheeks. He was tall, stout man,
apparently about sixtyfive, and must
have been handsome when alive; indeed,
the face would have been handsome still
but that the half-open mouth and sight
less stare gave him such CHASTITY APP
pearance.
"The bad dream I had had, the sud-
denly startling awakening, and the hor-
rid certainty that had been travelling
all the way with a corpse utterly I'M
nerved me, and / vainly endeavored to
regain my composure / could only gaze
on the dead face before me with
vague feelings of wonder and distress.
"Well, Charlie, did about the most
foolish thing | could have done" con-
tinued l. "a shrill whistle and the
Stacking of the speed announced our APP
proach to Highgate, and in another mo-
ment the lamps at the station flashed
their light in and out the carriage win
dow as we passed up to the platform.
With desperate feeling that, as, after
all, it was no business of mine, l might
as well try to escape heap of questions
that | could not answer, i snatched up
the old mans yellow handkerchief,
flung it over his face, seized my travel
ing-bag, and sprang out of the carriage.
a remember well the nervous dread
which came over me that the body would
be discovered before | could give up my
ticket and get clear of the station. No
one stopped me, however. / hailed a
cab jumped in, and in ten minutes more
was safely deposited at my door. There
| dismissed the cabman with a double
fare, and in another minute stood in my
own bright cheerful sitting groom, with
my dear wife clinging to my arm
Everybody was as unlike my dream
as possible. Lizzie looked rosy and
smiling; her baby was in his cradle fast
asleep; there was bright fire in the
CRATE; the supper-table was laid, and our
neat little cook entered with tray on
which Lizzie seemed to have assembled
all the good things she could think of.
But, In spite OF the comfort around me,
! could not shake off feeling of dis
quietude, and suppose this was visible
enough to a pair of loving eyes like my
wife's, for she said: What is the mat
ter, dear? You look quite upset
"Oh, Lizziep burst out, ] have had
such horrid adventure! / must tell
you about it,
"'Not yet returned she. Sit down
and take some supper first, and you shall
| tell me afterward However disagreed
| BILE your adventure was, it has not ended
badly, since i have got you safe home
again, my darling And thereupon she
gave me kiss, which had such reviv-
ing effect upon my spirits that | allowed
myself to be seated at the table, and
there, under the combined influence of
my kind little wife's cheerful face and
good supper, l began to recover myself
and proceeded to relate what had hap
pened.
Lizzie only laughed at the dream
and told me not to be superstitious, but
looked grave and Mortified enough over
| the account of the poor old man.
/ Gniuhal m Uifn