The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1875-03-25

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nv van rang out with sharp and sud
den summons. I never wondered for
moment who had pulled the cord. In
stinctively knew, and-it was the car
rage f,lrthest from nv vani [ left my
place almost breathlessly as the engine
slackened speed, and, fastening along
the footboard, hesitated at no window
until I reached the one from which [
felt quite sure that q frightened young
face would be looking out. My heart
literally beat in dread as / stopped, and
looked into the carriage. What did L
see? Only the two passengers buried
in their separate corners. The young
lady raised her head from the book she
held, and looked up at me astonished-
childishly and wonderingly astonished.
elias anything happened to the train?"
she asked timidly.
The gentleman reused himself leisure
" from a seemingly snug nap. 'sWhat
on earth has stopped us in this hole9''
he said, rising, and pushing his hand
some face and his long beard past me at
the window.
1t was only too evident that the alarm
had not been given from this carriage;
vet the feeling had been such certain
! quite convinced to the contrary; and l
Went on along the foot-board to other
carriages very much more slowly than l
had gone first to that one. Utter dark
ness surrounded US outside, but from
the lampEt compartments eager heads
were thrust, searching for the reason OF
this unexpected stoppage. No one own
ed to having summoned me until
| ii al
my own van, (Which had fastened past
BEFORE where the fidgety, deaf old lady
who had amused me at Rugby sat alone.
Her head was quite out of the window;
and though she had her back to the
light and [ couldn't see her face, her
voice was cool enough to show that she
was not overpowered by fear. !.
"What time you have been coming, .
she said, "Where is it g
ssWhere is what?
But though I yelled the question with
all my might and main, [ believe [
might just as hopefully have questioned
the telegraph post which [ could dimly
see beside US, and have expected an an
swer along the wires.
ssWhere's the small luncheon basket"
she injured, pulling out her long purse
with great BUSINESS. CA small luncheon
basket, my good man, and make haste. !"
Shall [ ever forget the sharp expect
ancy Of the old lady's eyes as they look
ed into mine, first over, then under,
then through her glittering gold-rimmed
spectacles What surprised me most
particularly was the fact of her decided
~ not being, as any one might suppose,
raving lunatic.
IL L,
basket, please" she said, resignedly sit
ting down, and pouring the contents of
her purse into her lap. ''I'm as hungry
as [ can be.
[ suppose that when she looked up at
me from the silver she was counting,
she saw my utter bewllderment. [ didn't
try now to make her hear, for [ knew it
to be hopeless-for she raised her voice
suddenly to a sh1ill pitch of peevish-
ness, and pointed with one shaking
hand to the wall of the carriage.
"Look there Doesn't it say Small
luncheon baskets. Pull down the cord.
[ want a small luncheon basket, SO I
pulled down the cord. Make haste and
get it me, Or I'll report you to the man
ager."
Seeing now that she was almost as
blind as she was deaf, [ began to under
stand what she meant On the spot to
which she pointed above the seat OPP
posite her two papers were posted in q
line; one the advertisement of ''Small
luncheon baskets supplied at Rugby,
/ the other the company's directions for
summoning the guard and stopping the
train in cases Of danger. AS they hap
pened to be placed, the large letters did
read as she had said:
''SMALh LUNCHEON BASKETS. PULL
Down THE CORD"
While I was gazing from her to the
bills, getting over bit of my astonish
ment, and she was giving me every now
and then a sharp touch on the shoulder
to recall me to my duty and hasten me
with her refreshment, we were joined by
one of the directors, who happened to
be going up to town by the express.
But his just and natural wrath-loud as
it was-never moved the hungry old
lady; no, not in the slightest degree.
She never heard one word of it, and on
| ly mildly insisted, in the midst of it,
that she was almost tired of waiting for
her small luncheon basket.
With a fierce parting shot, the direct
OT GII0u TO make her understand JnaG Sno
had incurred a penalty of five pounds,
but he couldn't though bawled it at
her until the poor old thing perhaps
mortified at having taken so much
trouble for nothing, perhaps frightened
at the connection she saw though didn't
hear-sank back in her seat in a strong
fit of Mysteries, and let the shillings and
sixpences roll out of her lap and settle
under the seats.
| It seemed to me long time before
we started on again, but [ suppose it
was only six or seven minutes delay
after all. Iexpect should have wait
ed to explain the stoppage to the pretty
young girl of whom considered myself
a sort of protector; but, as I said, she
was at the very opposite end of the train,
and [ was in haste now. There must
have been a good laugh in several of the
carriages where the cause of our stop
page got whispered about. As for me,
/ when [ oOt back into nv van solitary