Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-01-12

reverted to my friend the pointsman.
What was he doing at this moment, I
| wondered-dozing in his lonely little
cabin, or wide-awake and thinking OF
Winnie? [ glanced at my watch; it was
just twelve. If choose to take a mid
night constitutional" across the moor, I
should come upon him just as he was set
ting the points for the 1915 express.
Should I go? No, I decided; I would
not, as it might incapacitate me for work
tomorrow. I would smoke out this cigar,
and then tumble into bed again.
pulled away for few moments long
er, my eyes dwelling with sort of fast
nation on the distant white gate and the
shining rails, when suddenly there stole
over me an unaccountable and very I'M
comfortable sensation. felt as if some
one were looking at me fxedly. Mechan-
ically | withdrew my eyes from the
distance to the foreground, and then
started so violently that 7 nearly fell
from my seat.
In the garden, close unaer the window.
just where he had stood that morning
was Evan Wynne. He stood motionless,
looking at me lntently; waiting, as it APP
peared, Tor me to address him. The
moonlight rested full upon his face,
which was only a few feet from mine,
and made his sanguine complexion look
OF dull leaden pallor, For moment
vas too startled to utter a
word, and could only gaze
at him as tixedly as he at me; then, as
ne was still silent, I spoke.
| What is the matter, Wynne2 What
do you want?"
Without removing his eyes from nv
lace, he pointed toward the distant line
OF rails, and said, in d tone which had a
sharp ring OF entreaty or command:
''Set the points for the 1915 express p
| | stared at him blankly.
"What did you say?" / asked, though I
had heard plainly enough.
In exactly the same tone he repeated
exactly the sa1,e words: "Set the points
lot the 1910 express!" and then retreated
a few steps backward toward the gate.
AS sat looking at him out of the
dense mist Of bewilderment, he paused ::
he did not speak again, but his eyes, fix
ed on mine, urged, implored, command
ed me to obey, and his warding hand
pointed again toward the railway.
Mechanically following with nv eyes
the direction Of his finger, 1 looked across
the moor to the left, and saw, far, far off,
three tiny red sparks-the amps of the
approaching train.
| When | looked back again, Wvnne
was gone. Gone where? Before me was
the barren little garden, with not a sin
gle shrub or bush high enough to con
ceal mans figure; beyond was the un-
fenced road, winding away over the
broad, bare moor, and lighted by the
brilliant moon. Not living creature
| was in sight
sat Tor moment like one stunned.
| then, under the stimulus of shapeless
| dread, which quickenod my pulses and
set my heart throbbnig, thew awav nv
cigar, and, without wasting another mo-
ment in conjectures, prepared to obey
that mysterious summons.
Opening my window to its widest, [ let
myself drop gently into the garden,
| cleared the low stone wall, and set off
across the moor.
AS proceeded, [ looked sharply to
right and left, strained my ewes down
the road before me, and now and then
paused and turned, half expecting to see
Wynne behind me; but to right and left,
before and behind, in all the extent of
the moonlit moor, there was no human
being to be seen.
The strangeness, the unaccountable-
ness OF this Sudden disappearance i'm
pressed me more the longer I thought
OF 1t. The man could not melt into the
air, or sink into the ground; there was
no place where he could hide-how then
could he have vanished so utterly? Had
he slipped round to the back of the house
while was looking across the moor? or
was--l stopped abruptly as the thought
struck me was the whole thing dream {?
The idea seemed probable. [ had gone
to bed after hard days work, on sup
per OF strong green tea; I had sat at the
window in half doing condition, think
ing OF the polntsman, and-yes, that was
1t. l remembered now that there was
something strange in the mans appear
ance; his face looked unfamiliar, unreal,
as well-known faces do sometimes in
troubled dreams, and his voice, though
close to me, had a hollow, distant sound.
as II 1t came from far away. Yes, I had
simply dreamt it all, and the best thing
could 90 was to go quietly back to bed,
and in future take more exe1cise. and
ab]ure green tea.
Inc coming train was now only few
miles distant, rushing across the moor like
fiery meteor, with its three blood-red
lamps and its long train of lighted
windows. No doubt, thought, Wynne
had just turned out to set the points, his
last task for the night; if walked SLOWLY
back, he would probably overtake me
before [ reached the village.
But at that very moments as [ was ABOUT
to turn back, saw him standing in the
road before me where, a second before
there had been only empty air. He did
not speak; but his eyes held nv spell
bound with gaze of entreaty so agonized,
OF command so urgent, that it made nv
heart stand still.
AS looked at him he lifted his hand
and pointed, this time in an opposite di-
rectlOn, and stralnlng nv eyes into the
distance, i saw, coming down the inland
line, the other midnight train which
passed the express just before the level
crossing. He then extended his hand to-
ward me in a GESTURE OF warning or men
ace, and was gone-gone utterly, as if he
had never been there
For moment supernatural fear para
lyzed me, mind and body: then, in flash,
my faculties returned to me, and under
stood it all.
Evan Wynne was lying dead at the level
crossing, and the two trains, with their
precious freight of human lives, were
rushing down upon each other-nearer to
destruction with every turn of the wheels
caught my breath with a grasp, and
ran as | never ran before or SINCE Tho