Northern Ohio journal. [volume] (Painesville, Ohio) 1872-1896, 1880-04-03


steered me by the light of the lantern
over the rough ground; s'and fine and
merry they were; they were going to a
ball at Grantham. 1 fancy you must be
dreaming, sir, for none of them got into
your carriage, though one did try, and
as to apparitions, WE'LL He did not
finish the sentence, for just then we
found an empty compartment at the rear
of the train; and the engines whistle at
the same moment announcing the line
clear, with but few more words | was
very soon again locked in and left to
myself.
My first act when the train was once
more in motion was to examine carefully
the earring so unaccountably found.
The shape struck me as curious. 1t was
a wheel suspended from birds claw.
which turned when touched. Surely, as
I told the guard, this trinket was proof
that had not been deceived or dream
ing; at least, this was not the apparition
of an earring, at any rate. What could
it mean? The more thought of it the
more I was perplexed; and finally l put
it away in my portemonnaie; and, with
a mind wearied with puzzling over the
strange occurrence, at length fell asleep
once more-but not for long. Suddenly
was rudely awakened by a terrific crash
| and shock which threw me violently
forward, while the carriage lurched over
and nearly capsized.
knew at once an accident had hap
pened-the accident half prophesied by
| the guard. As soon as l could collect
| my scattered senses and found myself
unhurt, clambered out of the carriage
and ran down the line to the front of the
| train, to ascertain the extent of the catas-
trophe. 1t was difficult to make ones
way in the darkness and confusion; but
what were my feelings of horror and
amazement, joined to intense thankful
ness, when I discovered, after some
light had been obtained from a hastily
| kindled bonfire, that the carriage had
previously occupied was lying COM
| plete wreck! / knew it by its color and
the number, which had remarked, still
| visible ON the battered panel. Then
learned that several passengers in the
other compartments of it had suffered
| fearfully, and 1 was so overcome that /
felt quite dizzy.
Here was wonderful and miraculous
escape, indeed. All the events of the
last half hour rushed through my troubled
brain. On that smashed and splintered
seat had sat, and but for the presence
| of my mysterious companion there
| should be lying-crushed, manned, per-
haps dead. Horrible! The bead broke
out on my brow as l thought of it. When
| my nerves had recovered little l sought
out the guard, who, pale and grave, was
endeavoring to reassure the frightened
passengers assembled on the bank. He
was comforting them with the intelli-
gence that special train would arrive
shortly from Grantham and take them
from the scene Of the disaster.
| "My good fellow said I, ''you must
explain to me what you meant respecting
that young lady-the apparition, l mean,
as you chose to call it. You said an ac-
cident-'' "Lor' bless you, SIR" he in
terrupted, sadly, '''was only my chaff
1 never heard anything about a young
lady; but thought as you seemed BIT
scared it would make your mind easier
like, and that's why l shifted you.
can't give any reason why such fancy
came into my head; but it's well it did
by the ghost of chance as one may
say;n and there was faint return of the
odd humorous twinkle in the mans eye
as he thus aptly made play upon the
words. .ss 1t was the carriage you were
in that suffered most "Well, there's
many true word spoken in jest,n re
turned 1. '' Are there many hurt?''
'sAbout seven, fear, sir, and four Of
more killed. We don't know the cause
j at present, sir; 'twasn't collision, ant
don't appear to have anything to do with
the stopping of the train awhile ago
These things do turn up more than bit
sir, added the man, as he was calleC
away. The lamps of the special trair
were now sighted, and we, the unscathed
were speedily in our places, and arrived
at our destination without further hur
or hindrance. But what perplexed idea
J whirled in rapid succession through m,
mind as we were hurried along.
Here was /, saved from dreadful ant
untimely death by-what? Not a dream
!, certainly; but, whatever it was, by
most marvellous interposition, or, per
, haps, as the guard said, ''by the ghos
, of chance > How could 1 call it
, dream or entertain the notion of ghostl,
influence, when the earring picked vi
/. by my own hand was now safe in M
pocketp Was it safe? I looked. Yes
! safe enough, the wheel suspended from
the birds claw. A wheel of fortune j
had indeed proved to me.
And do you mean to tell me this is
fact?'' 1 asked, ironically, as I finishes
/ my friends manuscript. 'sEvery wor
; of it, as I am living man." he an
swered. ssSee, here is the earring,
I and he handed me the trinket .tWell,
! continued, after examining it, sswha
are you going to do? How are you goin
! to finish your story?'' so, I don
know. Can you give me notionp" II
knows / have an eye for dramatic situs
t tions. .'Not I, indeed; you will have t
invent that, suspect" And he talke
/ a good deal more, of course, about th
strange affair before I left him; an
/ equally, of course, at the end of tw
years the story was not finished. M
! friend is only dabbler, and seldo1
e brings any of his efforts in art or iters
ture to fruitful issue. little though
I that it would devolve on me to take
: the thread of this one, and finish it fc
him.
t Before parting, however, 1 asked
e ssDid you see the girls face?'' "Nt
It very clearly. The light was dim.
e could not distinguish her features pr,
cisely, nor the color of her eyes, nor an
f details exactly, you understand; y
$ there was look''-he went on after
e pause which reminded me of SOM
IS UOuy, VI tHOuSHG III ulu, L cOulu not uo
Il whom, that had seen before. It was
r mere impression. quite uniformed, vagt
It to degree. had forgotten, even, tn
anything of the kind crossed my mir
it until you asked the question "Woul
it you know her again?"
e Humphr'-he hesitated-"I hard
know. think should if she were sim
z; larly dressed and posed Then he sa
|, goodbye; and for two years I do n
% think we have mentioned the subie
q above twice-once, when inquired if
" had finished the story, and once later O
E, when, if I did not clear it up, at lea
g threw a weird light upon the mystery
/ the light by which am enabled to NAL
I sort of second part of the first which
le found him writing.
10 My friend 8 rooms again; looking mu.
I as usual, save that he is at his easel i
le stead of at his desk. Again, as usus
Is keen for the time being upon what he
doing he does not rise when enter, al
: l stand talking to him for awhile behil
r his chair. We have not seen each 9th
ar lately, and he rallies me good-humored
u, about dropping the acquaintance of cal
ne less bachelors like himself since nv ms
ne riage-for that momentous event b
happened within the last six months.