The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-04-26
THE PRESS.
By The Night Express.
Or
Judging by Appearances.
boston Traveller.


with the friends who came to see the last of
the departing passengers, or to meet the
arriving ones, the platform was full enough
I assure you; and had some difficulty in
making my way from carriage to carriage,
even though l generally find that people
almost unconsciously, perhaps move aside
for the guard when they see him walking up
or down close to the carriage doors. The
difficulty was increased, too, by the ma
tive, who had joined me to give himself
better opportunity of examining the passen-
ers.
Keenly he did it, too, in that seemingly
careless way of his; and while he appeared
to be only an idle, lounging acquaintance of
my own, knew that under his unsuspected
scrutiny it was next to impossible for the
thieves he was seekings to escape-even in
hampers. l didn't trouble myself to help
him, for l knew it wasn't necessary: vet /
was as anxious as hundreds of others that
those practiced thieves whom the police had
been hunting for the last two days should
be caught as they deserved.
Sometimes we came upon group which
my companion could not take in at glance.
and then he always found himself unusually
cold and stopped to stamp little life into
his petrified feet. Of course for me this en-
forced stamping was the signal for an attack
of that persistent questioning with which
railway guards are familiar, and in attend
ing to polite questioners who deserved an
swering and impolite ones who insisted on
it, had not much time for looking about
me, but presently did catch myself watch
ing girl who stood alone at some distance.
A girl very pretty and pleasing to look
upon, thought, though her face and her
dress and her attitude were all sad. She
stood just at the door of the booking office
a tall, slight girl in mourning, with guam
tity of bright, fair hair. plated high upon
her head as well as hanging loosely upon
her shoulders; with childish, innocent face
and pretty, bewildering eyes. l wished l
could have gone straight to her and put her
into one-the most comfortable-of the line
of carriages at which she gazed so timidly.
Just as hesitated very remarkable figure
elbowed its way to me-a stout, grandly
dressed old lady, painting painfully and al
most piercing me with a pair of restless half
opened eyes that looked out through the
gold trimmed spectacles perched on her
sharp nose.
Two porters followed her, laden with bags,
cloaks, umbrellas and flowers, the only flow
ers in the station, expect, that winter;
and one of the men winked at me over her
head, while the other guarded the treasures
with face of concentrated anxiety and
"1his is the London train, is it, ga'ad?"
she asked, peeping sharply into my face
with her half-closed eyes, as if she found it
difficult to distinguish me even through her
spectacles.
From her whole attitude guessed her to
be deaf, but never guessed how deaf until,
after yelling my answer SO loud that the
engine driver must have heard IS carriages
off, she still remained stonily waiting for it.
deaf as dozen posts" said the detec-
tive aloud, giving the old lady all expressive
little nod in the direction of the train.
''Slow tramp she Intercepted in that
plaintive tone which the very deaf often
use.
"Mail.' l shouted, putting my mouth as
close to her cheek as fancied she would
like.
"Ale!' she shrieked back at me, the spec
tacles shaking a little on her thin nose
"Why should you want ale for listening to
civil questions that you are paid to answer?
Ale, indeed! believe railway men think of
nothing else."
Then she shook her head angrily and wad-
died off, looking as acid an old party as ever
l should try to avoid. In at every door she
peered through her glittering glasses, the
two porters following her until She made a
stop before an empty second-class carriage
near my van, and with much labor and as
sistance got herself and her packages into
it.
When passed few minutes afterward
she was standing in the doorway, effectually
barring the door to any other passenger by
her own unattractive appearance there, and
prolonging with an evident relish the ankle
ty of the obsequious porters. 1 fancy that
though the purse she fumbled in was large,
the coin she wanted was but small for /
raac I'D ov,I laT%
asking questions of the men, but hearing
nothing of their answers or the loud asides
in which they occasionally INDUCED to each
other. L had reached the other end of the
train, and was just about making my way
back to my own van, when the young lady
had before noticed went slowly in front Of
me toward the empty first-class compart-
ment near where I stood.
cam l right for Euston%' she asked me,
gently, as she hesitated at the door.
CAN right, miss,' said, taking the door
from her and standing while she got in.
"Any luggage?" For from that very mo-
ment l took her in sort of way into my
charge, because she was so thoroughly alone
you see, not having any friends there even
to see her off.
mo luggage, thank you," she answered,
putting her little leather satchel down be-
side her on the seat and settling herself in
the corner farthest from the open door,
DO we stop anywhere between here and
London?"
'Don't stop again, miss, except for few
minutes to take tickets" Then look at
her as much as to say, you're all right,
l suppose that, without being exactly
aware of it, l kept a sort of watch over this
particular carriage, for saw plainly enough
lazy young gentleman who persistently
kept lowering about and looking in. His
inquisitive eyes had of course caught sight
of the pretty face in there alone, and l
could see that he was making up his mind
to join her, doing it in a most careless and
languid manner. He was no gentleman for
that reason, l said to myself; yet his dress
was handsome, and the hand that played
with his long, dark beard was small and
fashionably gloved. CHANGING still into the
far corner of that one first-class compart-
ment, he fingered until the last moment was
come; then quite leisurely he walked up to
the door, opened it, entered the carriage,
and in an instant the door was banged be-
hind him. Without the least hesitation
went up to the. window and stood near itwhile
the lamp was fitted in the compartment.
The gentleman was standing up within,
drawing on dark overcoat; the young lady
in the distant corner was looking from the
WINDOW as II even the nall darkness was
better to look at than this companion.
Mortified good deal at the failure of my
scheme for her comfort, went on to my
van, beside which the detective waited for
me.
'No go, you see,' he muttered Grossly;
''and yet it seemed to me SO likely that
they'd take this train.'
81 don't see how it would seem likely"
l answered, for l hadn't gone with him
in the idea. 1t doesn't seem to me very
likely that three such skilled thieves as
you are lodging, who did their work in the
neighborhood so cleverly two nights ago,
should leave the station any night by the
very train which the police watch with
double suspicion
"Doesn't it?" he echoed with most satir-
ical knowingness. perhaps you haven't
got it clear in your mind how they will
leave the town; for it's sure enough, too, for
this isn't the sort of place they'll care to
hide in any longer than necessary. Well,
what's the hardest place for us to track
them in? London. And what's the easiest
place for them to get on sea from? London.
Then, naturally enough, to London they'll
want to go. Isn't this a fast train, and
shouldn't you choose fast train if YOU were
running away from the police?"
didn't tell him what sort of a train l
should choose, because hadn't quite made
nm INV mind opd ba uoc 1nolyipu orocc