The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1875-10-28
BY THE NIGHT EXPRESS.

BY The NlGHT EXPKESS,
Abitter December midnight, and the
up express painting through its ten min
utes' rest at Rugby. What with passen-
gers just arriving and passengers just
departing, what with the friends. who
came to see the last of the departing
passengers, or to meet the arriving ones,
the platform was full enough, can as
sure You; and had some difficulty in
making my way from carriage to ear
riage, even though generally find that
people (almOst tunconsciously, perhapsl, ,
move aside for the guard when they see
him walking up and down close to the
carriage doors. This difficulty was in
creased, too, by the maneuvers of my
companion, a London detective, who
had joined me to give himself better
opportunity of examining the passen-
gers. Keenly he did it, too, in that
seemingly careless way Of his, and while
he appeared to be only an idle, lounging
acquaintance of my own, l knew that
under his unsuspected scrutiny it 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
those practiced thieves whom the police
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 little life into his petrified feet.
Ut course for me this enforced standing
was the signal for an attack of that per-
sstent questioning with which railway
guards are familiar; and, in attending
70 polite questioners who deserved an
sweling, and impolite ones who insisted
on it, had not much time for looking
about me; but presently did catch my
self watching a girl who stood alone at
some distance: A girl very pretty and
pleasant to look upon, l thought,
though her face and her dress and
her attitude were all sad. She stood
Just at the door of the book-oflice; tall,
slight girl in deep mourning, with a
quantity of bright fair hair plated high
upon her shoulders, with childishly
innocent face, and pretty, bewildered
eyes. wished could have gone straight
to her and put her into one-the most
comfortable the lines of carriages
at which she gazed SO tinidly. just as
! lhesitated very remarkable figure ell
bowed its way to me; a stout, grandly-
dressed old lady painting painfully and
almost piercing me with restless, half
opened eyes, that looked out through
me gold-rimmed spectacles perched on
ner sharp nose. Two porters followed
ner, laden with bags, cloaks, umbrellas
= ana nowers--the only flowers in the sta
uon | expect, that winter highland
one OF the men winked at me over her
mead, while the other guarded her
treasures with a face of concentrated
anxiety and thoughts engrossed by pos
This is the London train, is it,
gaadY" she asked, peering sharply into
my face, with her half closed eyes, as
sae found it difficult to distinguish me
even through her spectacles.
from her whole attitude guessed
ssr to be deaf, but | never guessed how
aeai until. after yelling my answer so
ioud that the engine driver must have
neard it eighteen carriages of, she still
remained stonily waiting for it.
Deaf as dozen posts,' said the de-
sc'lTe, aloud, giving the old lady an
oppressive = little nod in the direction of
the train.
Slow traine" she asked in that
use.
Mail!' | shouted, putting my face
g ciose TO her cheek as I fancied she
would like.
Alei' shrieked back at me. the
speetaeles shaking little on her thin
n'se. su "Why should you want ale for
ns:eenlng to civil questions that YOU are
Eald 20 answer? Ale, indeed! | be-
a,s aese !. railway men think of nothing
8, =. ! men she shook her head angrily and
saualed of, looking as acid an old par
ssa s ! should ever try to avoid. In at
ts.;y ssry door she peered through her gilt.
.1s ;nn glasses, the two porters follow
lhu Npr ,,rfr Il.