Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1882-01-12

of wine from his brain. and showed him
in what desperate position he had
placed himself. :" For Gods sake,
don't scream like that" he irnplored,
you'll ruin me !" and seizing the girl
by the waist he wrenched her from the
window.
"Helpl" she gasped, as she fell on
to one Of the seats. and struggled to
regain her footing.
Miss Aviss, for Gods sake, let me
explain, entreated Mr.. Gloam, seizing
her hands but the horrible fear which
was now legible on his face made him
more dreadful object TO look at than
before. while the violence he used to
restrain the girl robbed her OF all
presence of mind. Disengaging herself
from him. shs tottered towards the
nearest door, and frantica1ly turned the
handle. A blast of cold night air few
into the carriage, and shower of
sparks from the engine was seen flying
by. Mr.. Gloam made grab at the girl
to draw her back she eluded him, and
screaming louder than ever, tried to
step on the foot-board. Then there
was another faint shrek, and all was
silence. The door, swinging forward
by the impetus OF the train at curve,
closed of its own accord. The girl had
slipped and was gone.
'Great God r. muttered MIR. Gloam,
when one awful minute had elapsed.
He had taken off his hat, and was
stroking his forehead, as be sat endeay-
oring to realize what had happened. He
asked himself whether he was not in
the midst Of nightmare. III the train
had stopped at that minute he would
have been unable to crawl out, and
who had seen him must have
him Of crime. During
quarter of an hour the poor wretch
could neither stir nor think lucidIy
he could cnly moan and tremble. What
first recalled him to himself was the
sight Of the things which the poor girl
now dead. beyond doubt y had left in
the carriage. There was shawl,
travelling bag, novel, and on the floor
a small gold watch without chain.
The sight of these articles stirred in
the unwilling murderer the sense of
self preservation. He caught them up
one by one and flung them out of the
window into the dark, after which he
crept on his kness and looked under the
seats to see if anything else had been
left. He found nothing. Pitiable as
his agony Of mind then was, he saw the
necessity for composing himself and sat
down again, trying to reflect. Had the
in the other carriages heard
the girl shriek-had any one seen her
fall ? If so he was lost man. He
would be arrested at Birmingham, and
in the due time he would be hanged or
sentenced to penal sefvitude for the
better part of his life. How would his
story be believed and if it were
believed how would it justify him The
public outcry against him would be all
the greater as he was clergyman, and
now that he had thrown the girls things
out of the carriage in the first moment
of his panic the evidence Of criminal
intention would seem complete: "Why
did I throw the things out?' faltered
Mr.. Gloam, speaking to himself, aud
then he groaned again "My God, what
shall I do p
It was between bennington and
Birmingham that the girl had fallen
out of the train. As the express neared
the tension on Jude
Gloam's nerves was such as few men
ever experience. Within five minutes
he endured an amount of terror and
anguish enough to spread over life
time; yet he had the craft to see that
all his chances of escaping unsupported
might depend upon his behavior when
the train stopped. He must alight
quite coolly, he must not run nor appear
anxious to get away he must control
his terrors, though his heart throbbed
to bursting.
The train glided into the station;
the porters ran along the platform,
opening doors. One OF them opened
Mr.. Gloam's carriage. 'sAny luggage,
sir ?"
eyes, I have some luggage" said
Mr.. Gloam, and he stepped out, shaking
in every limb, but apparently sedate and
calm, as it behooves clergyman to be.
Next moment he was mixed up with the
throng of people who were foraging for
their trunks and portmanteaus.
Nobody paid any attention to him.
He heard no one talk about shrieks
having been heard during the journey.
The passengers all attended to their
own business and left him to his. Mr..
Gloam's business was to collect q
portmanteau, box and hamper I;
having done this he turned to ask a
porter to call cab for him, but as he
was about to speak his words froze on his
tongue. for he saw standing beside him
a girl who was the very image Of Miss
Aviss.
If the girl had looked at him she
must have noticed his confusion, but she
was glancing toward an elderly gentle
man and lady who were walking towards
her.
"Here's her box, papa, but I've not
seen her pass" said the girl to the