New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-07-18
RY THE NIGHT EXPRESS.

1 oARCAG AO0tuiy.
RY THE NIGHT EXPRESS.
4 bitter December midnight, and Tho ut
! express panti2g thraugh ifs ten minutes
| rest at Rugby. What with passengers just
! arriving and passengers just departing
| what with tho friends who came Co sec tht
last Of che departipg passengers. or to mee,
! the arriving ones. the platform was full
! enough, can assure you; end had some
dia1culey in making NY way from carriage
ta carriage, even though generally find
that people (slmost unconsciOusly, per
bapsl move aside for She guard when they
see him Walking uo or down close to the
carriage doors. This difficulty vas increased,
too, by the naneuvres Of my companion, q
London detective, Who had i,ined me to
give himself better opportunity of exam
lining the passerg gers. Keenly be did it, zoo,
in that seemingly careless way of his, and.
while he appeared 70 be only an idle, loung
ing acquaintance Of my own, { knew that
under his unsupported scrutiny 10 was mex.
to impossible for the thieves he vas seeking
to escape-even in hampers. didn't trOu-
bic myself to help him, for knew it wasn't
necessary; yet 7 was as anxious as hun.
dreds of others were shat those practiced
thieves whom the police had been hunting
Tor the last two days, shOuld be caught as
they deserved.
Sometimes we came upon group which
my companion could not take ia at
glance, and then he always found himself
unusually cold, and stopped to stamp =
little life into his petrifed feet. OF course
for me this enforced standing was the sig
nal tor an attack of that persistent aues-
ti0ning with which railway guards are
familiar; and, in attending to polite ques.
NH
polite once who insisted on it. had No.
much time for looking about me; but
presently did catch myself watching .
girl who stood alone at some distance. A
girl very pretty and pleasant to look upon,
thought, though her face and her dress
and her attitude were all sad. She STOOD
just at the door Of the booking Office: tall,
slight girl. in deep mourning. with a guam
tity of bright, lair hair plsited high upon
her shoulders. with a childiShiy innoc mt face
and pretty, bewildered eyes, wisle 1
could have gone straight to her and put her
into One-the most cOmfOrtable-0f the
lines of carriages at which she gazsd 80
timidly. just AS l hesitated very remark
able figure elbOwed its way to me; . stout.
grandly dressed old lady, painting painful
ly and almost piercing lne with pair Of
restless, halfop+ned eyes, that looked out
through the gold trimmed sp, ctacles perched
on her sharp nose. Two porters followed
her, laden with bags. clOaks umbrellas and
flowers-the only flowers in the station, !
expect, that winter highland one Of the
men wipked at me over her head, while the
other guarded her treasures with face of
concentrated anxiety and thoughts en-
crossed by possible fees.
"Thls is the London train, is it, ga adj"
she asked, peering sharply into my face
with her half-closed eyes, a. she found it
difficult to distinguish me evea through he.
spectacles.
From her whole attitude I guessed her to
be deaf, hut never guessed how deaf until,
after yelling my answer 60 loud that the
engine driver must have heard it eighteen
carriages of, she stlll Semained stOnily wait
ing fOr.it. ia" ~
deaf as dozen posts" said tho detec-
tive, aloud, giving the old lady an express
i've little nod in the direction Of the train.
'Slow trainl" she asked in that plaintive
tone which the very deaf often use.
mail /" ] shouted, putting my face rs
close to her check - ! fsncied she would
like.
sale !" shriekea back ct me, the epecta-
,1es shaking little On her thin nose. why
should you want ale for listening to civil
questions that you are paid to answer!
ale, indeed! ! believe railway men think !
If nothing else"
Then she shook her head angrily and |
vaddled Oft, looking as acid an old party |
10 should ever try to avoid. In at every |
lOOr she peered through her glittering
glasses, the two porters following her, urn,
il she made stop before an empty second !
lass carriage near my van, and with much |
ab0r and assistance got herself and her
packages into 1t.
When passed, q few minutes afterward,
he was standing in the doorway, effect
ally barring the door to another passenger
4 her own unattractive appearance there,
nd prolonging with an evident relish the
nxieties OF the obst quious porters.
vas large the coin she wanted was but
mall, for l passed on and lett her still
earching and still asking questions of the
1en, but hearing nothing either of their
eplies or of the loud asides in which they
ldulged to each other. l had reached the
Their end of the train and was just about
laking my way back to my own van when
he young lady had before noticed went
lOwly in front of me toward the empty
Am l right for East0n!" she asked me
emily, as she hesitated at the door.
IAN right, Miss I said, taking the door
ON her, and standing while she got in.
Any luggagel' For from that very mo-
lent took her in sort of way into my
barge, because she was so thoroughly |
lone. you see, not having any friends there
ven to see her Oft.
mo luggage, thank yOu," she answered,
utting her little leather satchel down
eside her on the seat, and setting herself
J the corner furthest from the open door.
Do we stop anywhere between here and
ondOn!"
Don't stop again, Miss, except for few
inules to take tickets" Then | looked at
ar as to say. YOU'RE all right, because
m the guard, and shut the door.
! suppose that, without exactly being
ware Of it, l kept . sort Of watch over this ,
'rriage, for saw plainly enough q lazy {
)ung gentleman who persistently kept
'vering about it and looking in. His in |
aisitive eye had of course caught sight Of
e pretty face in there alone, and I could {
q that he was making up his mind to join I
n; but he seemed doing it in . most care
80 and languld manner. He WAS NO gen.
sman for that reason. l said to myself yet
8 dress was handsome, and the hand that t
aged with his long, dark beard, was small i
ID fashiOnably glOved. CHANGING still
to that far corner of that one frst-class q
apartment, he fingered until the last
Oment was come; then, quite leisurely, .
walked mp to the door, opened it, en- q
red the carriage, and in an instant the Q
or was banged to behind him. Without g
Q least hesitation I went up to the win I
~, and stood near it while the lamp was b