The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1879-10-02

| first time, the figure moved; its othe
hand stole slowly from beneath the fold
of the dress, and the veil was gradual
lifted and thrown up over the head.
Involuntarily my friend shrank bacl
| into the corner Of his seat, for face wa
revealed to him which no one could hav
looked upon without sense of awe. I
was that Of a woman somewhat past mid
die age, thin, haggard and pale to dc
gree which only death could parallel
The features, finely chiseled and proper
toned, showed that at one time Their
must have been supreme beauty; while
though the iron-gray hair looked littl'
disheveled and unkcmpt, the glance o
the eye was steady, calm and determined
In this glance lay, chiefly, the awc-,n
spring expression OF the face, for, in I'D
dition to the penetrating look, there wa
a persistency in it, and at the same tim,
fascination, quite terrible. 1t fixed it
self upon Jack from the first moment tina
eye met eye, and for several minutes no
a word was spoken on either side. Pres
emily, however, he tried to pull himsel
together and to assume his usual light
hearted manner, which had thus for
minute been SO strangely and unusual,
disturbed, and he said, briskly:
II beg your pardon; was afraid 20,
were ill.,
She slightly bent her head, but spok,
not a word nor withdrew her glance
lie felt more and more that it wa
causing him an effort to be himself
Her slow, stealtly, albeit lady-likc dc
meanor added greatly to the effect alread,
produced, and curious sensation wa!
gradually creeping over him, that-im
possible as 1t might scem--that face wa.
not strange to him. Little as he, will
his temperament, was given to specula
ton or introspection, he found himscl
striving to look back for some event o.
circumstance in his life which NIGH
give him clcw. Had he ever dreamed
Of such face or had he seen it in child
hood? lie was puzzled, affected, quit,
put out. Ard still the deep, penetrating
eyes were fixed on his, piercing, as j
were, into his very soul. And the hands
what were they doing2 Taking of
the gloves as with set, deliberate pur
pose; and the long, white, thin, almos
clawlikc fingers worked strangely ant
nervously, slowly closing and openln:
upon the palm, as il preparing to grasl
something.
Again he strovc to throw off the I'm
pleasant, unusual sensation which hat
crcpt over him.
II can't stand this he thought; IL wa
never 81 uncomfortable in my life!
must do something or say something t.
put u stop to this, to make her take he
eyes OFT MuW
lie moved abruptly to the further cor
ncr OF the carriage, and to the same sid
on which the woman sat.
'Ill try and dodge her in his way,
nc said to himself; she shall not sit ant
glare at me in this fashion,
But she, too, Immediately shifted he
place, and rising to her full height, whicl
was very great, went ever to the seat OK
actly opposite to him, never for one sin
gle second dropping her eyes from bis
He looked out Of the window with a;vagu
notion of getting out of the carriage
which suddenly, passing q little station
which he recognized, but at which tn
train did not stop, an idea struck him
an idea after his own hcart--a comic idea
He ayailed himself Oft on the instant
and assuming an ease which doubtlcs
sat i'll upon him, and which he was ia
from feeling, he pointed with his thumb
back toward the station they had Jus
passed, as he said mysteriously in Il hol
low voice:
"Do you know that placer
She seemed to answer in the atfirma
tive by Il slight inclination of the head a
before.
"Ah! you 10, Good! Langmoor," Ii
went on; "then 1 don't mind telling yo,
a secret" He paused. Q'll brighten her.
he thouGht.) Criminal lunatics," il
said aloud; II am one Of them. I hav
just escaped from thcrc!'
$50 have l."
With what had already gone before
this put the finishing touch to Jacks I'm
casincss of mind. 1t was not as he said
the mere presence of the woman. or tn
revelation that his joke had elected
which scared him, though tho circum
stance i'll itself might be unplcasan
enough.
Il should have faced it right ava
from the first, as any man would hav
done, had it not been for the remarkabl
influence her face aud look had upon me
that unaccountable feeling that she wa
no stranger to me, it was, that unneryc,
and even appalled, me-
No sooner had she uttered the words
$50 have J." than Jack sprang to tn
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 siezc,
him round the waist with one arm as witt
the grip Of 4 wise, and at the same in
slant nc felt one of those terrible hands a
his throat.
Every effort to release himself wa
frultless; her strength seemed supcrhu
man, and was as far beyond his as wa
her stature. Her face glowcrcd clos
down upon his now, still with the sam
fell expression.
"Thc 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 I Nigh
perhaps have made her relax her hol
would have been by aiming one or tw
tremendous blows with my right tis
(Which was liberty at her face. IIa,
been mans, there would have been u
hesitation; had it been indeed tina
OF an ordinary woman, at such
pass l should not have hcsitate
to strike her, to stunn her, if I could
by any means; but that face. that
seemed to know so we'll, yet SO myste,
iously, I could not raise my hand agains
1t, and, as my arm swung up with tn
first impulse to deal her a blow, it fc
helpless 10y my side. Vain were nv e1
forts to get her hand away from nj
threat; there was q terrible swayins t
and fro for a minute or two, I felt til
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