The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1883-05-01
JACKS GREAT PERIL.

never saw such change in a man
In my iifei When We last met, Jack
-weil ! must not give his real name,
considering what | an going To- relate,
so I'll call him Jack Paiant-was, as
he had ever been siucs | knew him,
one Of the lightest-hearted. cheeriest
fellows in the world. full of fun and
no TO ever, thing. aud as gentle and
tende" "a a woman, with the courage
of a lion. and how what did / fad
him Even though bat three months
had elapsed. he had become a grave,
detected, saddened MANN a word,
hardly recognizable, either mentally
or physically. was shocked, and of
course, he Saw | was. He came TO
see me. indeed, the moment he heard
| was in town. that | might learn
from his own mouth what had hap
pened, instead of at second hand
Jack had always been more or less
a spoiled boy-only sons are more or
less spoiIed-and having lost his moth
er when quite child, it was no Won
der that his poor old dad made much
of him But he had taken the spoil
ing kindly, and beyond making him
perhaps little idle and thoughtiess.
it had done MIN no harm. There was
no harm in the fellow he spent more
money than he should, but many
young soldiers 10 that without COM
ing to much grief in the long run, and
his father, soldier before him, re-
garded the failing leniently, paid his
bills and looked pleasant. Beyond ad ..
ding that ne was a rather short, dap
per little fellow, 1 need not say much
more about him I have only to try
and put into coherent shape the strange
and tragical business which had 90
fearfully altered him.
He was coming to town one autumn
evening for few days leave fronl
Gunnersholt, where he was quartered.
can see him as plainly as if / had
been there, springing into the first
carriage that offered room, without
the slightest particle of 'hawhaw"
pride and nonsense, or that stand-off
ishness of manner, too usual with
men in position ready to make him
self happy wherever he was, or in
whatever company.
But it so happened, it appears. on
this occasion that he got into an emp
ty carriage; at least he thought so,
for it was twilight. and he did not OBJ
serve for the first moment the figure
of woman seated in the further cor
ner, dressed in dark clothes, and thick
ly yelled.
The sudden discovery that he was
not alone rather startled him for
moment, and it may be, as ne said,
that the evening before having been a
guest night at mess, his nerves were
not quite up TO their usual tone. He
was not the lad, however, to be long
10 such a situation without making
some remark to his fellow traveller,
: though in this case an unusual besita>
ton 10 do SO came over him, owing to
her mysterious appearance and ex>
treme stiffness. The between lights of
the carriage lamp and the evening
sky prevented him from. discerning
details; but there she sat, perfectly
rigid, and with not a vestige of her
face visible through the thick, black
veil.
'Ahem ahem !" he said at last.
shifting one seat nearer to her and
nearly opposite Il hope [ have not
intruded on you 1 thought the car
riage was empty. [ may be disturb
ing you, | fear" He would say any
thing in a random sort of way to
break the ice as he called it.
No answer. A long pause. every
singular" he thoug bit; and he moved
to seat exactly opposite the figure,
making another commonplace obser-
vaiion. No response or any move.
ment.
ASLEEP, l suppose" he said to
himself and he sat quietly watching
her, while the train ratified on for a
mile or two. A station was reached
and a stoppage made, with the usual
sccompaniments of screech and whistl-
ing and slamming of doors, but with
out producing any change in the post
ure of the occupant of the opposite
corner. The train again moved on.
Cant be asleep" he uttered.
whats the matter with herr"
The window was shut close; he let
it down with a tremendous clagter
and bang, remarking that she hoped
as the evening was fine, and the
weather warm and the carriage close
(for he declared to me there was a
peculiar odor hanging about which
Struck him from fae iirSt1 che would