Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-08-25
The Inside Passenger.

ing said Rachel Hall.
The thermometer was nearly at zero;
snow and sleet were eddying through the
sir, and the last vestages Of daylight
were fast fading out of the wintry sky
and Rachel Hall, walking up and down,
up and down, the dismal waiting room
OF the little country inn, where the train
mad lett her. was beginning, like Mariana
IN the Moated Grange, to IS grow weary
Is the coach often as late as this?''
SAID she to the landlady, motherly-
looking woman, with CHEEKY cheeks and
stlff1y-starched lace cap border: who
was stoning raisins for mince pies with a
sort of dull diligence
Well, no, miss, not often. But the
weather's ag'in it now. Slippery roads,
and sleet like so many pins and needles,
| is hard, miss, both on men and horses
And she stirred the fire and lighted a
lamp, while Rachel once more resumed
her monotonous promenade up and down
the long room. For she had deal to
think OF, and in this stage of enforced
ldleness her mind seemed to grow pre-.
ternaturally active.
She was slight, dark-ey girl of six
or seven -and-twcnty, with clear pale
skin, hair growing low on her forehead
and deep dilnple growing in the very
centre OF her chln-not pretty, but singu
larly attractive. And she was going to a
little village up among the mountains to
take the place of assistant teacher in an
establishment that went by the euphoni-
Gus title OF St. Adelgithas Academy.
st. Adelgitha's Academy was dreary
and desolate place, and the salary was by
no means large; but Rachel Hall had
learned what it was to be homeless and
Pennies IN the streets of city.
She had given music lessons, she ha6
made wax flowers, she had stood behino
counter from daylight to dark, she hao
even applied, in vain, for situation as
waitress IN restaurant.
And just as she was making up he1
mind to starve quietly to death came this
offer, extended through the influence Of
an old professor who had known her once
and Rachel Hall had grasped at it as a
dying man grasps at straw.
VI must succeed" she told herself over
ana over: II will succeed, if I have to
SIT up all night long to keep myself well
IN advance OF the pupils"
For Rachel had as brave heart beating
within her bosom as if she had been the
heroine OF novel, instead of poor little
woodworking school teacher.
AS these thoughts crossed through her
mind there was the crushing Of wheels
without, and the coach rumbled into view.
Its lamps shining luridly through the
storm anddarkness like the eyes Of some
antedlluvian monster. The Ian llady omen
ed the door,
NOW Miss. if you're ready" said she.
And, half-blinded with the contrast be-
tween the lighted room and the sleety
gloom OF the road, Rachel hurried out
Are there any other inside passen-
gers? she asked, trying to peer into the
pltchy darkness of the stage-coach, as the
driver stood by the open door.
only one, MISS" said he, with grin;
tor Geneva Heights. And, he won't
trouble you, guess. Look lively, if YOU
please, miss. We're half an hour behind
now:
Cannot have light inside here?''
sald Rachel, seating herself rather reluct-
anti y among the damp cushions of the
back seat,
"We've lighted it twice, miss said
the driver, ''and twice the wind has blown
1t out. And beside that, miss, it amt al
together safe, what with the straw. the
leather linin', and ALL"
With this the Jheu once more climbed
up on his airy height, where a taciturn
companion sat slapping his hand across
his chest to keep himself warm, and poor
Rachel sank shuddering back into the
musty-smelling recesses of the coach
rather wondering that her fellow travel.
Ter, whose figure she could dimly discern
in the other corner, spoke no word of
comment or greeting.
TO be sure she was a STRANGER but was
there not always sort of Freemasonry
OF courtesy between travelIers2
Ono doubt he IS sour old misan-
thrope!" said she to herself.
And she sat very quiet, for fear she
would disturb him.
Presently, however, the silence began
to grow almost appalling.
II will speak," thought Rachel: and.
with little preliminary cleaning of her
throat, she began, aThis is terribly
rough road, sir"
There was no answer.
Gle didn't hear me,'' she thought. and
repeated her remark in a little louder
tone.
Still there was no response.
deaf, perhaps thought she. "Well,
l shall not try again.
But she began to grow terribly nervous
and uncomfortable in the horrible gloom
and silence that seemed to wrap her
around like shroud ,and ali sorts of grisly
possibilities began to occur to her abnorm-
ally excited fancy.
"Could it be- she thought, ssthat this
was some poor lunatic, whom they were
transporting to the private asylum at
Geneva Heights?"
And at the very idea her blood began
to run chill through her veins. Should
she stop the stage?-should she call aloud
for help?
Just then they rumbled past the lights
of a toll-gate, and from the one swift
glance which Rachel was enabled to taSe,
she could preceive that the figure
diagonally opposite her was wrapped in
travelling rug, that it reclined stiff1y, as
if it were perfectly rigid, and that the
face was deadly pallid, and without a