Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1880-05-27
BY THE NIGHT EXPRESS.

Wlldt Will tuO WAO
came to see the last of the departing
passengers or to meet the arriving ones,
the platform was full enough, assure
you; and | had some difficulty in max
ing my way from carriage to carriage,
even though | generally find people (al-
most unconsciously pelhaps) move
aside for the guard when they see him
walking up or down close to the car
rage doors. The difficulty was in
creased too, by the maneuvres of my
companion, London detective, who
had joined me to give himself better
opportunity to examine the passengers.
Keenly he did it, too; IN that SEEM
ingly careless way Of his, and while he
appeared to be only an idle, lounging
acquaintance of my own. / knew that
under his unsupported scrutiny, it was
next to impossible for the thieves he
was seeking to escape-even IN ham
pers. didn't trouble myself to help
him, for / knew it wasn't necessary; yet
/ 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 de-
served.
Sometimes we came upon group
which my companion could not take in
at 8 glance. and then he always found
himself unusually cold and stopped to
stamp little life into his petrified feet.
OF course for me this enforced persist
ent questioning with which railway
guards are familiar; and in attending to
polite uestioners who deserved ans
wering and impolite ones VINO insisted
on it, had not much time for looking
about me, but presently did catch my
self watching girl who stood alone at
some distance. A girl very pretty and
pleasing to look upon, 1 Thought, though
her face and her dress and attitude
were all sad. She stood just at the
door of the booking ofEce-a tall,
slight girl in deep mourning, with a
quantity of bright fair hair plated high
upon her head, as well as hanging loose
ly upon her shoulders; with childish,
innocent face and pretty bewildering
eyes. | wished | 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 q very remarkable
figure elbowed it's way to me-a stout,
grandly-dressed old lady, painting pain
fully and almost piercing me with q
pair of restless, half-opened eyes, that
looked out through the gold-rimmed
spectacles perched on her sharp nose.
Two porters followed her laden with
bags, cloaks, umbrellas and flowers,
the only flowers in the station, expect,
that winter; and one of the men WINGED
at me over her head, while the other
guarded the treasures with a face OF
concentrated anxiety and thought, en-
crossed by possible fees.
''This Is the London train, it is,
ga'ad ?" she asked peeping sharply into
my face with her half closed eyes, as il
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 SC
loud that the engine driver must have
heard eighteen carriages off, she still
remained stonily waiting for it.
deaf as dozen posts,' said the de
tective aloud, giving the old lady an ex
pressive nod in the direction of the
train.
"Slow ?" she Intercepted in tina
plaintive tone which the very deaf otter
use.
Mail T' shouted, putting my moutl
rs close TO her cheek as | fancied she
would like.
Gale p she shrieked back at me, the
spectacles shaking little on her thin
nose. "Why should you want ale fol
listening to civil questions that you art
paid to answer? Ale, indeed believe
railway men think OF nothing else"
Then she shook her head angrily anC
waddled off, looking as acid an ole
party as ever should try to avoid. Ii
at every door she peered through hel
glittering glasses, the two porters follow
ing her until she made a stop before al
empty secondhand class carriage neal
my van, and with much labor and as
sistance got herself and packages into
1t.
When | passed minute afterward
she was standing in the doorway, effect
ually barring the door to any other pas
senger by her own unattractiye appear
ance there, and prolonging with an evi
dent relish the anxiety of the obsequious
porters. l fancy that though the purse
she fumbled IN Was large, the coin she
hunted was but small, for | passed or
and left her still searching, and still
asking questions of the men, but hear
ing nothing either of their replies OF
the loud asides in which they occasion
ly INDUCED to each other. Ihad reach
ed the other end of the train, and was
just about making way back to my own
van, when the young lady l had before
noticed went slowly in front Of me to
ward the empty first class compart
ment near where [ stood.
"Am l right for Euston!" she ask
ed me, gently, SO she hesitated at the
door.
IAN right, miss" said, taking the
door from her, and standing while she
got in. "Any luggage?" For from that
very moment l took her in sort o
way into my charge, because she was
SO thoroughly alone, you see, not hav
ing any friends there even to see hel
off.
mo luggage, thank you," she answer
ed, putting her little leather satche
down beside 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 q
few minutes to take tickets" Then
looked at her, as much as to say, "You
are all right, because Pm the guard
and shut the door.
| suppose that, without exactly being
aware Of it, | kept sort of watch over
this particular carriage, for I saw plain
ly enough a lazy young gentleman who
persistently kent lowering abOut If and