The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1886-07-04

| was still under the spell. Az any other
period of my lie should have opened my
eyes, of course, to see what was the matter.
Instead Of that I remained perfectly motion
less to listen.
"what are you doing, say 7" continued
the voice, sharply. "Are you dumb Can't
you speak don't wonder-inhuman little
wretches Hand that kitten TO mo-"
The same instant the engine whistled and
the train began 10 move. There was the
sound Of money thrown on to the platform,
accompanied by a running series Of uncom-
plimentary epithets; then the window was
pulled rapidly up. Something that sounded
like long sigh Of suppressed astonishment
broke the momentary pause, and the voice
which I have alluded 20 as monopolizing
most Of the conversation spoke.
well, upon my word, Allison, that Ia
rather an odd idea. And now, II you will
excuse me, what are You going TO do with
the kitten ~
The other laushed-an impatient, nervous
laugh.
III can't bear to see poor animal suffer.
Yet it's an abominable nuisance, Isn't II,
having It herei'
There was slight pause before the first
speaker answered again. He was evidently
lost In wonder.
'Gity you uluu'J tuiuk OF BuuttiuR YOUR
eyes," he said, In rather cynical tone, for
which felt flash Of anger pass over me;
Tor Of simply leaning back. In that case
you wouldn't have seen muoh Of the suf-
fsring kitten, considering the limited number
Of seconds we stopped at the station"
The other laughed again. From the ma
tire Of the sound, could fancy his head
was turned aside, as he perhaps stopped to
caress the kitten.
"The cold-blooded little monsters were
actually delighting in it's tortures before
hand" he went on. "Did you see They
were getting ready to hang II mp 10 the sig.
nal post. Fancy Watching kitten in ago.
MES. couldn't have stood that. Brown;
really couldn't. II there is one thing al
ways did object to, IL was to witness any
kind Of suffering. Poor little kitteni"
"My dear fellow" resumed the Hrst
speaker-aud fanoied there was cousidera.
BILE amusement In his tone now-''ws re-.
mained in that station something like one
minute and forty-Ave seconds. Allow me to
point ont to yon again that you could have
Witnessed very little in this particular In
stance"
~ know" replied the strange voice.
"Poor little kitteni I fancied IL was ten
minutes we stayed there, not two. In ten,
you know, wa should have had ample time to
sea II. wish you had stopped me at the
moment"
Listening to this, Of course, II never even
occurred 10 me that he conld mean what he
said. Long after I had the conviction
brought home 10 my mind that he most i'm
plici,ly did mean II.
| The train was now going very fast, the
carriage swayinE wildly about and flying on.
| knew that We must soon coms to the juno.
tion at which was to change. raised my.
self slowly In my seat. cannot describe
the strange emotion which possessed me as
did SO, and opened NV eyes. must pause
for moment, and think, in order to picture
the scene, iu order to describe more exactly
the face which confronted mine.
| have known women about whom one
never seemed TO remark, or afterwards re-
member, anything but the eyes. II is TINS
when try to picture Capt. Allison's face to
myself. | can recollect nothing but the
eyes, as then first looked at them. They
PERFECTLY black, indeed; of unusual size; not
hard. but, on the contrary very sympa-
thetic.
In the case Of women with very rsmarka-
bls eyes I have generally found that the
| other features have been commonplace
rather than otherwise; neither worthy Of ad-
miration nor the reverse. That is how,
suppose. oae can recolleot the eyes so well;
the unuOiiceabls features make q fine set
ting.
In Capt. Allison this order Of things was
broken, perhaps because he was a man.
Most people would have remembered every
one Of the other features, studied them par
haps, on account Of their downright ugli.
ness. The word is perfectly proper in its
| application. They really are, know, posi-
lively ugly features.
Sometimes l find myself speaking in the
present, and sometimes in the past; II is
only now aud again can realize that am
| telling u story whose opening chapters date
but two years ago. But II is go painful to
speak in the present that think shall put
the remainder in the past tense. shall be
better abl. to arrive at a proper judgment
If I look at II in that way.
Ills mouth slightly dropped at ons sida.
giving the face cynical expression; but the
upper lip was entirely hidden by long,
straight, very black mustache--as black as
the eyes The nose was thin as knife,
and straight, hut don't think It was we'll
shaped. have heard people laugh at the
exaggerated arch of the nostrils. There
were odd, bushy eyebrows, which added TO
| the effect of the syas. The face itself was
extremely thin and bony, slipping TO a point
at the chin, it's complexion almost as dark
as a creols's. / sea can rscollect the de-
tails Of the other features quite we'll, and yet
there have only Tired to ns ever the eyes.
There was nothing remarkable In his figure,
which was Of medium height. He wore a
very loug coat that day, heavily trimmed
with fur. although II was only autumn. He
had two other good points In his appearance,
which I had better note. His hair was of
the peculiar blue. black color which IL 40
beautiful, although more particularly SO 10
a woman, and his hands were finely shaped
and white. observed them both in that
first minute. for his hat lay on the seat be-
side him, and with one Of his white hands
he was stroking The little black kitten.
As l raised myself slowly came faos to
face with these eyes, bsnt cnriOusly upon
me; the eyebrows vera lowered over them q
little. Capt. Allison was sornsiimes rather
shOrtsightsd. He told ms ahsrwards-and
I think, again, that he was speaking the
| truth-that until ! slowly raised mysslf he
had not even remarked my presence In the
carriage, aud that the moment began TO do
SO u struck him that was a particularly
pretty woman.
We looked ct each other thus immova bly
for about I've slow seconds. ! WAS fasoi-
mated, pOwsrlsss. Those eyes were as ain
cult 10 shake oil as the voice. had never
done anything 10 awkward before, or felt SO
annoyed. Ia apologigsd to me afterwards
for the way In which hs bad stared. III
said surprised him. No donbt the intsrest
on my face must have done so.
rose suddenly aud began TO take down
my wraps. When | resumed my seat. a
minnie or two before wa got to the junction
he had leaned back, crossing his arms apd
closing his eyes. as II to compose himself fol
sleep.
When the train stopped his friend-ar
ordinary looking English gentleman helped
me out with my things Capt. Allison still
maintained the same attitude. II waa
long, crowded platform. The sunshine brok,
out as stepped on 1t and made my way Il
the other end. l wanted TO talk TO thu
station master. Just as had found hin
the train had left began to move. l turned
my head. The carriage had been In wal
! In the got Of passing slowly. The same eyes
; with precisely the same expression In them
, were once more bent on me. think tn
station. master wondered at my sudden con
fuaion. II was not for some moments tina
! he made ms understand that in conseq usno
) Of new regulation might have gone on 4
my destination, without cnsnging by tina