The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1874-02-21
THE NIGHT EXPRESS.


arriving, and passengers just departing;
what with the friends who come to see the
last of the departing passengers, or to
meet the arriving ones, the platform was
full enough, can assure you; and l had
some difficulty in making my way from
carriage to carriage, even though gener-
ally find that people almost unconsclously
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 man9uvres of my COM
panion, a London detective, who had join
ed me to give himself better opportunity
of examining the passengers. Keenly he
did it, too, in that seemingly careless way
of his; and while he appeared only an idle,
lounging acquaintance of my own, knew
that under his unsuspected scrutiny 1t was
next to impossible for the thieves he was
seeking to escape-even in hampers. l
didn't trouble myself to help him, for
knew it wasn't necessary; yet l was as
anxious as hundreds of others were that
had been hunting for the last two days,
should be caught as they deserved.
Sometimes we came upon group which
my companion could not take in at a
glance, and then he always found himself
unusually cold, and stopped to stamp a
little life into his petrifed feet. Of course
for me this enforced standing was signal
for an attack of that persistent question
ing with which railway guards are familiar;
| and, in attending to polite questioners who
deserved answering, and unpolite ones who
insisted on it, had not much time for
looking about me; but presently l did
alone at some distance. A girl very pretty
and pleasant to lock upon, l thought,
though her face, and her dress, and her at
| titude were all sad. She stood just at the
door of the booking office; tall, slight
girl, in deep mourning, with quantity of
bright, fair hair, plated high upon her
head, as we'll as hanging loosely on her
shoulders, with childishly innocent face,
and pretty, bewildered eyes. wished l
could have gone straight to her, and put
her into one-the most comfortable-of the
line of carriages at which she gazed so
timidly. Just as I hesitated, very re-
markable figure elbowed its way to me; a
stout, grandly- dressed old-lady, painting
painfully, and almost piercing me with a
pair of restless, half-opened eyes, that
looked out through the gold trimmed spec
tacles perched on her sharp nose. Two
porters followed her, laden with bags,
cloaks, umbrellas and tlowers-the only
flowers in the station, I expect that winter
highland one of the men winked at me
over her head, while the other guarded her
treasures with a face of concentrated
anxiety, and thoughts engrossed by pos
sble fees.
"This is the London train, is it, ga ad 90
she asked, peering sharply into my face
with her half-closed eyes, as if she found it
difficult to distinguish me even through
her spectacles.
From her whole attitude 1 guessed her
to be deaf, but never guessed ho~ deaf
until, after yelling my answer so loud that
the engine-driver must have heard it eigh.
teen carriages off, she still remained stonily
waiting for it.
"Deaf as dozen posts, said the detec-
tive, aloud, giving the old lady an express
sive little nod in the direction of the train.
"Slow train ?" she asked, in that plain
tive tone which the very deaf often use.
email - l shouted, putting my mouth
as close to her cheek as fancied she would
like.
"Alei" she shrieked back at me, the
spectacles shaking little on her thin nose.
"Why should you want ale for listening
to civil questions that you are paid to
answer Ale, indeed I believe railway
men think of nothing else."
Then she shook her head angrily and
waddled off, looking as acid an old party as
l shonld ever try to avoid. In at every
door she peered through her glitterins
glasses, the two porters following her, until
she made a stop before an empty second
class carriage near my van, and with much
labor and assistance got herself and hel
packages into it.
When passed, few minutes afterward,
she was standing in the doorway, effectual-
ly barring the door to any other passenger
by her own unattractive appearance there,
and prolonging with an evident relish the
anxiety of the obsequious porters. l fancy
that though the purse she flmbled in was
large, the coin she wanted was but small,
for passed on and left her still searching
and still asking questions of the men, but
hearing nothing either of their replies OF
of the loud asides in which they INDUCED
to each other. l bad reached the other
end of the train, and was just about max
ing my way back to my own van, when the
Young lady | had before noticed went
slowly in front of me toward the empty
first-class compartment near which l stood
cam right for Eusten ?" she asked
me gently, as she hesitated at the door.
"All right, Miss" l said, taking the
door from her, and standing while she got
in. "Any luggage For from that very
moment | took her in a sort of way into
nv charge because she was SO thoroughly
alone, you see, not having any friends
there even to see her off.
"No luggage, thank you,' she answered
uniting her little leather satchel down be-
side her on the seat, and settling herself
in the corner furthest from the open door
"Do we stop anywhere between here and
London ?"
"Don't stop again, Miss, except for Z
few minutes to take tickets" Then
looked at her as much as to say, You're
all right, because I'm the guard" and shut
the door.
| suppose that, without exactly being
aware of it, kept a sort of watch ovel
this carriage, for l saw plainly enough {
lazy young gentleman, who persistcntly
kept lowering about it and looking in
His inquisitive eyes had of course caught
sight of the pretty face in there alone, and
, | T oou,d seq that he was making I'D hi