River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1879-10-02

self upon Jack from the first moment that
eye met eye, and for several inmates not
a word was spoken on either side. Pres
emily, however, he tried to pull himself
together and to assume his usual light
hearted manner, which had thus for a
minute been SO strangely and unusually |
disturbed, and he said, briskly:
II beg your pardon; ! was afraid you |
were ILL
She slightly bent her head, but spoke |
not word nor withdrew her glance
He felt more and more that it was
Her slow, stealthy, albeit lady-like de-
meanor added greatly to the effect already
produced, and curious sensation was
gradually creeping over him, that-im-
possible as 1t might seem--that face was
not strange to him. Little as he, with
his temperament, was given to specula-
ton or introspection, he found himself
striving to look back for some event or
circumstance in his life which might
give him clew. Had he ever dreamed
of such face or had he seen it in child
hood2 He was puzzled, affected, quite
put out. And still the deep, penetrating
eyes were fixed on his, piercing, as it
were, into his very soul. And the hands
what were they doing9 Taking off
the gloves as with set, deliberate pur-
pose; and the long, white, thin, almost
claw like fingers worked strangely and
nervously, slowly closing and opening
upon the palm, as il preparing to grasp
something.
Again he strove to throw off the un-
pleasant, unusual sensation which had
crept over him.
81 can't stand this" he thought; II was
never So uncomfortable in my life!
must do something or say something to
put stop to this, to make her take her
eyes off meT
He moved abruptly to the further cor
ner of the carriage, and to the same side
on which the woman sat
an try and dodge her in thi is way"
he said to himself; she shall not sit and
glare at me in this fashion,"
But she, too, Immediately shifted her
place, and rising to her full height, which
was very great, went ever TO the seat ex-
actly opposite to him, never for one sim
gle second dropping her eyes from his.
He looked out of the window with asvague
notion of getting out of the carriage
which suddenly, passing little station
which he recognized, but at which the
train did not stop, an idea struck him
an idea after his own heart 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 just
passed, as he said mysteriously in hol-
| low voice:
"Do you know that place."
She seemed to answer in the afirma-
tive by a slight inclina ton of the head as
! before.
"Ahl YOU do, Good Langmoor," he
went on; ''then don't mind telling you
a secret" He paused. I'm brighten her
he thought Criminal lunatics," he
said aloud II am one of them. have
Just escaped from there!"
$50 have | !"
With what had already gone before
| this put the finishing touch to Jacks un
easiness of mind. 1t was not as he said
the mere presence of the woman, or the
revelation that his joke had ELECTED
which scared him, though the circum
stance in itself might be unpleasant
/ enough.
II should have faced it right away
| from the first, as any man would have
done, had it not been for the remarkable
| influence her face aud look had upon me
that unaccountable feeling that she wa:
no stranger to me, it was, that unnervec
and even appalled, me-"
! NJ, ,oNoar boJ oha ,.+tarad fba ruOr1c
$50 have l." than Jack sprang to thu
cord communicating with the guards van
for he felt their truth, and saw in them
key to the whole mystery. But, ere hi
| hand had reached the cord, she had siezeC
him round the waist with one arm as will
the grip of wise, and at the same in
| slant he felt one of those terrible hands a
| his throat.
Every effort to release himself was
fruitless; her strength seemed superhu
man, and was as far beyond his as was
her stature. Her face glowered close
down upon his now, still with the same
fell expression.
THE only thing / could have done,
went on Jack, IN describing the scene t.
me-and just here he shall speak for him
self; ''the only means by which might
| perhaps have made her relax her hole
would have been by aiming one or two
tremendous blows with my right tst
| (Which was a liberty at her face. HaC
been mans, there would heve been nc
| hesitation; had it been indeed thai
of an ordinary woman, at such &
pass | should not have hesitateo
| to strike her, to stunn her, if | could
by any means; but that face, that
seemed to know 30 well, yet so myster
iously, | could not raise my hand against
1t, and, as my arm swung up with the
| first impulse to deal her a blow, it fell
helpless by my side. Vain were my eff
forts to get her hand away from my
| threat; there was terrible swaying tC
and fro for minute or two, | felt the
grip of the long fingers tightening, an6
myself choking. Suddenly we fell
there was fearful jerk or two, a strange
upheaving of the floor, tremendous rat.
tie and crash--I appeared to be thrown
headlong to some great distance, and
| all was darknessw
The termination of that deadly strug.
gle was brought about in manner as
marvellous and unlocked for as could well
have been imagined.
Some fifty souls, say, were travelling in
| that train, all save one i'll perfect security
| Jacks life alone was in danger, when, 10
| by one of those marvellous condolences
which do happen at times IN the supreme
moments OF existence, the rescue came,
but at the cost of many life, which just
before would have seemed worth treble
the purchase of Jacks.
At the very instant that his might have
depended upon another Tightening grip
or two from the hands of a maniac a
frightful catastrophe occurred to the train.
The tier of an engine wheel broke, and
half dozen carriages were hurled down
asteep embankment. The scene that sue
ceeded is, unhappIly, of too common an
occurrence TO need more than word OF
reference here. Seven passengers were
killed outright; double that number
slightly or badly hurt; the remainder
escaping, as by miracle, with nothing
else than a severe shock.
NV friend was among the shaken. He
had been thrown clear off the debris on
to soft grass spot, half-bank, half
hedge; emphatically, has life was saved
But what followed it was that which
caused the suffering, that wrought the
terrible change in jack.
In the darkness of that soft autumn
night he strove, foremost among those