Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1878-10-05
THE INSIDE PASSENGER.

the the air. and the list ve>tige of day
= light was fast fading out of the wintr
sky-an,l Rachel Hall, walking up an
down. NJ and down, the dismal waitin
room of the little country inn, where tn
trlin had left her, was beginning, lik
Marianna in the Moated Grange. I
''grow weary"
rs the coach often rs late rs this
said she to the landlady. Il motherly-look
Ing womaii, with cherry cheeks and
stifiy-st,rched lace cap border. who WA
sionlng raisins inr mlnce pies with
sort of dull diligence.
We'll. no. miss. not often. But tn
weather's agin it now. Slippery road.
anu sieet like so many Plus and needle:
Is ilard, miss OH both men and horses.
Anu she stirred the fire and lighted
lamp, whiln Rachel once more resume
het monotonouS promenade up IN,
Gown The long room. For she had
Zeal TO think of. and in this stage O
forced idleness her mind seemed TO grow
preternaturally active.
She Was slight, dark eyed girl of ST,
or scven-antI-twenty. with clear u |,
SKIN and deep diinple growing in tn,
center OF her clin-nOn pretty. but SIN
Siiarly attractive. And She was goin.
10 ii'tie village up among the noun
talnS to take the place of an assistant
teacher in an establishment that went
Dy the edphoniouS title of 81. Adeiyi-
tha's Academy.
ST. Adelgi:ha'S Academy was dreirv
anu desolate place. anil the salary wa> by
no means large; but Rachel Hall bad
learned what 1t was to be homeless an |
penniless in the streets of Il city.
She hal given music lccnos cI,o n, :
made wax flowers. she had stool behind
c0iin er from daylight to srIl she ha,l
even applied, in vain, for sit,iation rs
waitress in a restaurant.
And just as she waS making up her
mind TO starve quie. ly to death, came
ms oHer. extended through the imil,l-
etcc OF an oil professor who had known
her once, and Rachel Hall had grasped at
IL MS dying nun grasps ut Il straw.
Il must succeed" she told hprSels
over ami over. Il will succeed. if have.
To SIT up all night long to keep myself
well IN advance of the pupils"
FOR Rachel had rs brave heart beat
my IN her bosom as if she had been the
heroine OF a novel, instead of poor lit
lie hard-wOrking SciiOOl-tcaclirr.
AS these thoughts crossed through her
MIMI there was the crushing of wheels
without, ana tie coach rushed into view
lis lamp shining lurijly through tie
storm anu darkness like the eyes Oh sOrnr
alitediluvian monster. The landla.lv
opened the door.
NOW. miss If you're reTtly,n said she.
amt half blin led by the contrast h.,
f~eea the ligh'e,l room and the SIeeiy
gloom OF the road, Ruhel hurried out.
Are there any other inside pas;cn-
gers she asked. trying to peer into th,.
i'tciis uafkne>S of the stage-c0lcb, as the
driver stool by the open dor.
Only one. miss" said hr with grin:
Tor Grleva Heights. And he won't
trouble you ! guess. Look lively. if
beliind now
Cannot have light Inside here?
si'" IL 'chel, seating herself rather re-
Iuctantly among the cushions of the
back S ut.
"We've lighted it twice. miss" s,i.i
the driver, L vice The wind has Blown il
our. AMI besides that. miss. it amt al
togrth' safe. what with the straw, the
leather linn. and al.
with this the Jehu Gree more climbed
up TO his airy height, where iaciturn
companion sat Shaping his haInls across
MS chest to Keep himself warm. and poor
Rachel sank shuddering back into the
recess OF the coach,
rather wondering that her f,llOw-travel- |
rr. whose figure she could dimly tliscov-
or IN The other corner. spoke no worI of
comment or greeting.
10 De sure she was stranger, but |
Was there not always Il sort of fre"m1so |
~ OF courtesy b'tween travellers?
mo doubt he is sour old misan-
thrope = she S id to herself.
An! she sat very quiet, for fear she |
should disturb him.
Presently. however, the silence began
70 grow almost appalling.
IL vlll speak, thought Rachel; and.
with Preliminary clearing Of the |
hroat, She began. This is 3 terrible
rough road, SIR"
There was no answer
''He didn't hear me-" she thought, and
'epcated her remark i'm little louder
one.
Still there was no response.
Deaf, perhaps" thought she. "Well
Shall not try it again."
But she began to grow terribly ner-
7ous, and uncomfortable i'm the hOrr Bile
gloom and silence that seemed TO wrap
lround her like q shroud, and all sorts
II grisiy possibilities began to occur to
Ter abnormally-excited fancy.
'C0uld II be- she thought, "that this
vas some poor lunatic, whom they were .
ranspor.In? 10 the private asylum at :
Seneva Heights ?"
And at the v cry idea her blood BEGAN
o run chill in her veins. Should She .
top the stage ?-should she call aloud j.
or help?
Just then they rumbled past til lights :
Il toll-gate. and from the one swift ,,
lance which Rachel was enabled to take, ,
he could perceive that the figure dia-
Onally opposite her was wrapped In
ravellEg rug, and it reclned stiffiy, as il /,
were perfectly rigid, aud without :
at.
And then with lightning sudlenucss q
flashed upon her that she WIS shut mn :
! the same place with "a dead man,
In vain she tugged at the check .strino y
nd ratified at the door-the former was (
roken beyond all possibility of use \
nd the noise and jolting of the wheels II
ltirely drowned all other sounds.
On went the stage rafting down a ia
ent as If some unseen fiend were at the
)rses' heels, and poor Rachel bronchial u
)wn i'm the corner of the stage. pale and al
,Ipitlting, with dew of COLI Terror IL
caking out upon her forehead. and eves II
ose shut to avoid the CHASTITY sight on. el
site. =,
But there is an end to all things. and u
the course of time the stage came to ~
m. the driver once more descended ~
I'M his seat and flung open the door. :, -
HALFWAY house, miss" said he. T.
[adn't you better stop and have warm II
lille we're changing horses Z" h,
More dead than alive Rachel stumbled Ie
, : ~ : -, sc tho driver iC