Mexico weekly ledger., 1882-02-09
4 RAILWAY TRAGEDY.

road. Mr.. Labouchre takes advantage
of the excitement to publish a remark
able story illustrating the perils of
that system. 1t is drawn from life,
and recounts the adventures of Rev.
Jude Gloam, shy young clergyman,
who had taken a glass more than
usual at dinner, and of Miss Aviss,
an equally shy young lady, whom he
accosted in the train.
1t is the curse of shy men that get
ting so little practice in conversing
with women they never know when
to stop when peradventurc they do
get a chance of talking. 1t is by shy
men that the rudest things are habit
ually said and done through sheer in
experience. Mr.. Gloam had no idea
that he was transgressing proprieties.
He thought he was making himself
very funny and agreeable.
II say, Miss-Aviss," suffered
the Rev. Jude, with leer, ''suppos-
ing there were a piece of mistletoe in
this carriage?"
No answer from the girl, but her
eyes opened wide, and she shraak up
trem bling in her corner of the car
riage.
''I-I think there is a piece; look
th> -!' continued the foolish man,
pointing to the lamp IL tho ceiling,
for he meant to be eacetlous.
The girl was now fairly frightened,
and moved from her seat to the fur
ther corner of the carriage. She had
heard Of drunken ruffians insulting
ladies in railway carriages, and she
set down on her reverend companion
as being drunk and possibly ruftian.
No doubt his clerical robe was only a
disguise.
"What are you running away fer?'
asked Mr.. Gloam, as he rose to fol-
low her with an unsteady gate, caused
not so much by his tipsiness-for he
was not regularly tipsy-as by the
oscillation of the train. But to the
affrighted girl who saw him stagger il
looked as if he was dangerously lne-
briated.
''If you approach another step, sir,
l shall scream!" cried she, starting
up, with all the color fled from bel
face.
"What for?' asked the Rev. Jude
and putting out his hand to steady
himself, he quite unintentionally rest
ed it on her shoulder. The movemen
of recoil which this apparent assault
caused the girl to make threw Mr.
Gloam off his balance, and he plump
ed into the seat from which she hat
risen. This only increased the girl:
fright, and widely opening the window
of the carriage she screamed, "Help
help! murder!"
In an instant Mr.. Gloam was SO
bered. Tue girl shrieks cleared th
fumes of wine from his brain, an
showed him in what desperate posi-
ton he had placed himself. $50
Gods sake, don't scream like that,
he implored, "you'll ruin me-" an
seizing the girl by the waist b
wrenched her from the window.
"Help!" she gssped, as she fell O
to one of the seats and struggled t
gain the footing.
"Miss Aviss, for Gods sake, le
, me explain" entrested Mr.. Gloau
seizing her hands; but the horrlb
fear which was now legible on h
face made him a more dreadful oil
, ject to look at than before, while th
violence he used to restrain the gi
robbed her of all presence of mint
Disengaging herself from him, sl
tottered toward the nearest door an
frantically turned the handle. A bla
e of cold night air flew into the carriag
$ and shower of sparks from the e'
Q CINE was seen flying by. Mr.. Gloa
8 made grab at the girl to drag h'
n back. She eluded him, and scream
: ing louder than ever, tried to step Q
$ the footboard. Then there was al
other faint shriek and all was silenc'
y The door swung forward by the in
d petus of the train at curve, close
It of its own accord. The girl ha
slipped and was gone.
l. "Great God !" muttered Mr.. Gloa
" when one awful minute had elapse,
II He had taken off his hat and W;
q stroklng his forehead as he sat e
u deavoring to realize what had ha
e pened. He asked himself whether
II was not in the midst of nightmar
q If the train had stopped at that mi
y ute he would have been unable
'e crawl out, and anybody who had se
Is him must have suspected him of
is crime. During n quarter of an ho
the poor wretch could neither s.
Il nor think lucidly; he could on
~ moan and tremble. What first
~ called him to himself was sight
'e s the things which the poor girl-ne
dead beyond doubt-had left in t
carriage. There was shawl, a tra
y cling bag, a novel; and on the flo
}" small gold watch without the chai
The sight of these articles stir
~ in the unwilling murderer the sen
of self-preservation. He caught the
es up one by one and flung them out
"a