The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1878-05-31
Selerf Story.
From Littells Living Age.l
SECOND SIGHT.
BY E. W. LATIMER.
CHAPTER I.

The first train for Paris from London
via Folkestone and Boulogne stops a few
minutes at Verton. Verton is mere
water station, where there are seldom
any passengers 10 be taken on board.
One bright day in July there were
seven of us crowded into one compart-
ment of railway carriage We had
been grumbling ever since we left
Boulogne at the meanness of the COM
ipany, which, in order to avoid putting
one more carriage on the train had given
us so little space, when at Verton, just
as the train was starting, the guard of
our carriage threw open the door, and
an eighth traveller entered, who most
assuredly was not welcomed by the rest
of US.
was seated<in a corner, next the
door that had been opened. On my
right hand was an Englishman fast
asleep, and opposite to him was the only
vacant place in the compartment, where
the other travellers had put their UNI
brellas, valises, and railroad rugs. On
one side of this empty seat, and opposite
to mine, was a young man of about
twenty-five, whose nationality was not
clear to me till he pulled out of his
pocket heavy cigarette case. containing
what are called papsros in Russia. He
selected one, pressed it together with
his fingers, and lighted it by the help of
match fastened to his cigar-case. Then
he drew in long breath of the smoke
and slowly exhaled it, with an air of ex
treme enjoyment, through his delicate
nostrils.
The young Russian wore an elegant
travelling dress. He looked in i'll health,
and had the manners of a man who had
seen the world. Very tall and very thin,
he might have passed for Spaniard or
Brazilian, for his complexion was pale
olive. His hands were white and hand
some, the fingers thin and bony, the nails
carefully trimmed. His hands indeed
appeared endowed with extraordinary
restlessness,-he was constantly stroking
long moustach which covered his
upper lip. HIS teeth were small, regu-
lar. we'll formed and of dazzling white
ness. He had short, thick hair, of dark
chesnut color, brushed rather low upon
the forehead, and we'll down on the
back of the neck, covering completely
the long, narrow head. The lips were
red, and showed nervous temperament
The mouth was that of a young man of
kindly, weak, irresolute disposition, and
il gave the face which otherwise might
not have seemed. progressing, an ex-
preston which called forth my interest
and sympathy. The most remarkable
thing. however, about my opposite
neighbor were his small, black, round,
bright eyes, set wide apart from each
other. His eyes were SO restless that it
tired me to look at them. They went
wandering from one passenger to
another, though from time TO time they
remained fixed upon some one face with
singular steady stare. Several times l
detected him gazing at me with this
strange look, and found it very disagree
able. There was something enquiring,
pondering, questioning, about his look.
One felt strongly tempted to answer it
by saying, @Do you know me2 What
do YOU look at me so for? What do you
see in me-" This steady gaze was all
the more extraordinary, because it was
altogether out of keeping with the gen.
tlemanly manners of the young Russian.
1t was scrutinizing look, it showed no
consideration for the person stared at,
it was half impertinent. could hardly
keep from comparing 1t with the look
of detective in search of a criminal,
wanted" by his superiors, and inclined
to suspect every man he saw of being
the one he was in search of.
The other half of the compartment
was occupied by four Frenchmen. who
appeared to know each other, and were
talking together on some of the subjects
of the day. .--
All the party, except my neighbor,
the Englishman, who was fast asleep,
cast gIances of mute reproach at the
J intruder from Verton. But he did not
seem to trouble himself much about our
ill-humor.
"If you please" said he briefly, glanc-
ing at the pile of things laid down in
the seat that was still unoccupied. Each
of us was then compelled, though by no
means with good grace, to pull out the
impedimenta that belonged to him, and
distribute them as wen as he could un.
der bis own legs. One railway rug,
however, remained unappropriated, the
Englishman who was its owner not hav-
;. ing woke up. The newcomer waited a
moment then without ceremony he
rolled up the rug, and pushed it with
his foot under the seat. l was rather
surprised to see with what GOODNESS he