The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1879-09-11

muttered. "What'S the matter wit
her?"
The window was shut close; he let
down with tremendous clatter an
bang, remarking that "he hoped, rs tn
evening was fine, the weather warm an
the carriage close" (for he declared t
me there was peculiar odor hangin
about which struck him from the first
"she would not object to little air"
Still no reply. Then he said "h
feared she was not well. Would sh
like him to pull the bell for the guar
and have the train stopped againe" Blu
nothing he could say or do elected an
sign of life from her.
Jack now became seriously uncom
Portable and alarmed on her account
He thought she could not be asleep, bu
had tainted Suddenly it crossed hi
mind that she was dead. Night hat
now closed in, but rs the last tinge o
twilight faded from the sky the carriag
lamp gained its full power and revealed
every object more plainly than hitherto
Jack leaned toward the .motionles
form. 4 long black veil, falling from ;
close fitting hat-like bonnet, envelopet
nearly the whole upper part of he
figure; indeed, on close inspection, i
hardly looked like an ordinary veil, bu
more like large thin, black silk hand
kerchief Her dress was of common
black stuff, much worn and frayed, from
amid the folds Of which appeared the
ends of Il piece of rope that must have
been fastened round hcr waist; and ont
hand, encased in an old, ill-ftting black
glove. lay placidly on her lap.
Full Uncomfortable sensations, Jack
was "bout to lift the veil, when, for tho
first time, the figure moved; its hand
stole slowly from underneath the folds
Of the dress. and the veil was gradually
lifted and thrown up overihe head.
Involuntarily my friend shrank back
into the corner of his seat, for face was
revealed to him which no one could have
| looked upon without sense OF awe. 1t
WAS that of woman somewhat past
middle age, thin, haggard and pale to a
degree which only death could parallel.
The features. finely chiseled and proper
toned, showed that at one time there
must have been supreme beauty, while.
though the iron-gra hair looked n little
d;shevelcd and unkempt, The glance of
| .he eye was steady, calm and determined.
In this glance lay. chiefly. the awe in
| spring expression of the face, for, in ad-
Gition to the penetrating look, there waS
persistencey in it, and at the same time
4 fascination, quite terrible. 1t fixed
itself upon Jack from the first moment
That eye net eye, and for several minutes
not word was spoken either side.
Presently, however, he tried to pull him
scE together, and to assume his usual
lisht-hcarted manner, which had thus
Tor Il minute been so strangely and unusu-
aly disturbed, and he said, briskly:
Il beg your pardon; was afraid you
were ill.,"
She slightly bent her head, but spoAt
not Il word. nor withdrew her glance.
He felt more and more that it was
costing him an effort to be himself. Her
slow, Stealthy, albeit lady-likc demcanor,
idded greatly to the effect already pro-
hUccd. and Il curious sensation was grad
ually creeping over him, that-impossi-
hle us il might seem-that face was not
strange to him. Little rs he, with his
temperament, was given to speculation
or introspcction, he found himself striv-
iny to look back for some event or cir
cumstancc in his life which might give
him u clcw. Had he ever dreamed of
such face, or had he seen it in child
hood? He was puzzled, affected, quite
put out. And still the deep, penetrating
eyes were fixed on his, piercing rs it
were into his very soul. And the hands.
wilat were they doing? Taking off the
gloves as with set, deliberate purpose;
and the long, white, thin, almost claw
like fingers worked strangely and ncr-
vously, slowly closing and opening upon
the palm, rs if preparing to grasp some
thing.
Again he strovc to throw off the un-
pleasant, unusual sensation which had
crept over him.
II can't stand this" he thought; 81
WAS never so uncomfortable in all my
life! I must do something, or say some
thing to put stop to this, to make her
take her eyes off mel"
He moved abruptly to the further
corner of the carriage, and 10 the same
side on which the woman sat.
I'll try and dodge her in that way"
he said to himself: "she shall not sit
and glare ut me in this fashion!n
But she too Immediately shifted her
pace, and, rising to her full height,
which was very great, went over to the
seat exactly opposite to him, never for
one single second dropping her eyes from
his. He looked out Of the window with
a vague notion of getting out of the car
riage; when suddenly, passing little
station which he recognized, but ut which
the train did not stop, an idea struck
him-an idea after lis own hcart-a
comic idea! He availed himself Of it on
the instant, and assuming an ease which
doubtless sat i'll upon him, and which he
was far from feeling. he pointed with his
thumb back toward the station they had
lust passed, rs he said mysteriously in q
| hollow voice:
"Do you know that place?"
She seemed to answer in the aflirma-
tive by Il Slight incliliation Of the head us
before.
"Ah! you do. Good! Longmoor,
he went on; "then I don't mind telling
YOU a secret" He paused .C.Il!
frighten her." he thought.) Criminal
lunatics.n he said aloud; " | am one of
them. / have just escaped from there!'
He leaned forward, Us if to impress her
with his words; she also bent forward
until her lips almost touched his ear, us
she hissed into it:
$50 have T."
With what had already gone before,
this put the finishing toucl! on jacks
uneasiness of mind. 1t was not, Us le
said, the mere presence of the woman, or
the revelation which his joke had eiic-
tied, whick scared him, though the Cir
cumstance in itself might be unpleasant
enough.
Il should have faced it right away
from the first, as any man would have
done. had it not been for the re.
markablc inilucnce,hcr face and look haC
upon me; that unaccountable feeling
that she was no stranger to me, it was
that unnerved, and even appalled, me.
| 1 i 4. IL. l.