Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1883-04-09
The Night Express.

young lady from description without
even the help of a photograph?
Well, it would be very difficult, 1
think almost impossible, to produce
| a truthful likeness. You see words
are so inadequate to describe features
or expression either, that such an
attempt would be an almost certain
failure, or, at the best. very unsat-
isfactory.
Will try?
Certainly I will do my best. l
can so well understand your anxiety
to have some memento of your dead
darling's face. Your question car
ries me back to the days of very long
ago, when 1 little thought | should
ever become successful artist" to
/ the time when life seemed very dark
to me. l was so young, and troubles
had come upon me so suddenly and
| III SucH qulCh SuCCeSSlOH.
| 1t is too dark to paint any longer
and you must be very tired of keep
| ing so long in one posture, so let us
| 60 into the drawing-room, and over
''cosy cup of tea l will tell the
story of the strangcst and most terri
BILE incident that ever happened to
me, and which your request has
brought back to my mind as yiyidly
as though it had only happened yes
| terday.
| l won't bore you with a long ac-
count of my early history, but just a
| few words are necessary. Up to the
age of seventeen no girls life could
have been happier than mine. My
/ mother had died in my early child
/ hood, when | was too young to feel
| her loss; and my dear father and l
had for each other so strong an
| affection that never learned to know
it. l cannot tell you how he tried to
fill her place TO me-how thoughtful
he was, almost womanly in his ten
derness and care, so that l might
never feel how great loss mine had
/ been.
But all too soon the end came; it
was the old sad story of specula-
tion-hopes so alluring, schemes so
plausible, ending in results so disas-
trous; and still almost a child, |
! found myself an orphan, and except
for the pittance of forty pounds a
year saved from the wreck of my
fathers property, dependent upon
my own eXertions for livelihood.
The talent for painting which / in
herited had been most carefully cul-
tivated but my uncle, who took
upon himself the care of my future,
thought very lightly of it, and L
agreed readily enough to his sugges-
ton that for the present | should
take situation as companion, caring
| little then how my life should be
arranged. Such situation he had
just heard of. and all preliminaries
being quickly arranged, it was settled
that | should start for my new home
! in Scotland-on a certain Friday,
leaving Euston by the midnight
express.
At the last moment it WAS discov-
cred that my drawing-materials had
not been packed, and [ had to take
| them in the railway-carriage with me.
Trifing as such an accident seemed
| how much l owe to it.
My fellow-travelers from Euston
were three ladies who, / understood,
were going as far as Edinburgh; but
at Rugby they alighted and left me,
not at all to my regret, alone. Not,
however, for long, for when the train
was almost in motion again the door
was hastily opened, and man jump
ed in only just in time.
| Engrossed as l was with my own
thoughts, / had a sort of uneasy
| feeling that he was looking at me
and after struggling against the de-
sire to raise my eyes for some min
utes, al last looked up. 1 shall
never forget the effect of that look
The man had, in dress and general
bearing, the appearance of a gentle
man, and there was nothing noticea-
BILE about him except the eyes. They
held mine with kind of dreadful
fascination, and l was utterly power
less to look away.
Presently he left his seat by the
door, and came up to the one oppo
site mine at the other end of the car
riage-not speaking, but still reg ard
ing me with the same intent and ye
, wild look-and, after few minutes
put his hand into his pocket anC
brought out, to my intense horror, {
small revolver! Still he did no
remove his eyes from my face, though
the expression of his own softene(
a little, and sort of pltying, regret
full look came over it.
Presently he spoke; and you cal
imagine my horror and despair whel
[ knew that was alone in the car
riage-the train travelling at the rat
of more than forty miles an hour
with madman
He spoke quite calmly and quietly
7 though his words made my tongu,
cleave to the roof of my mouth, ant
| thought every moment my hear
would stop beating.
my dear young lady, he said