St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1886-10-28
HORRIBLE NIGHT.

ice of Blank & Son, in London. "YOu
will see our agent in every station, and
he will save you all trouble with your
luggage, finding your train, aud so on, y
said with bland smile, the head man
of Blank & Son, as he handed me my
little book of coupons and bowed me
out into the chill fog of the November
day. | went next day to Paris, and
spent the day after in the gay shops
and streets of that needless, happy,
care forgetting town. | was to leave
for Turin from the Care de Lyon at
us in the evening. When the dusk
fell the clouds gathered, and l drove
alone through the pouring rain to the
station. My friends had brought me
flowers and fruits, and they would
have gone to see me off, but l refused.
They were wOmen-why should not
do as well as theyP And then there
was the agent of Blank 81 Son He
was sure to be there. What could
want more
| reached the station. The rain
beat on my unsheltered head as | paid
the driver twice his fee, for the truly
feminine reason that he demanded it.
/ went in. No agent of Blank & Son
was to he seen. | had my ticket dated
my trunk registered, and then | fol-
lowed il porter laden with my hand
luggage to the train. All the length
of the train for Turin we wandered
there was but one frst-class carriage
to be found. | had my first class tick
ct in my hand, and l went up to this
one carriage and would fain have en-
tered it. A stOlid-lOOking old priest
sat there in solitary state, and as
was about to climb up he said grimly
that it was all taken. | pleaded for
one little corner, but in vain. | said ::
"But, monsieur, my ticket is first
class, and there is no first-class car
riage but this"
''It is all taken, madam" came his
reply, memorable as fate.
turned away in despair. Clearly |
must either go secOnd-class or give up
my journey for that night. | could
not do the latter, for the friend of my
heart was waiting for me in Venice,
and his plans depended on mine. At
that moment l caught sight, for the
first time, of II limp man wearing the
livery of Blank & Son. He was the
most knock -kneed, weak looking crea-
ture you could imagine-still he was
Messrs. Blanks agent. Expiring hope
was rekindled in my breast. | cried
out to him. | showed him my little
book with my first-class ticket. Slow
ly, as if he were going to execution, he
went up to the surly priest in the sim
gle first-class carriage, and slowly he
came back to me.
"He says it's all taken, ma'am."
Eyes, but can't you speak to the
chief of the station p
"There's no time" and he pointed
TO the clock, just on the quarter past
seven. He was so utterly helpless, so
pitiably weak, | turned from him des-
perately. Even the secOndclass car
riages had been filling fast. | saw Il
vacancy in only one. | plunged into
it, and the porter handed in my bag
gage. | glanced then at my cOmpan-
iOns-twO- beetle brOwed, black look
ing men, evidently Italians, smoking
fiercely. Terror took hold on me.
uttered last cry of despair, and a
kindly voice, speaking English with a
French accent, said:
"Madam, can | be of any service ~
and at that moment the speaker sprang
into the carriage, took his seat in the
corner opposite me, and the door was
shut with a bang, and the train moved
away.
told my tale, and the young
Frenchman-whO was after all more
English than French, since he had
lived in England almost from his boy
hOOd-tried to comfort me. At that
moment | realized that | had drawn
off my gloves, the more readily to get
out my tickets and the small change
for my porter, and that on one hand II
ruby ring was catching the lamplig ht,
and on the other a duller glitter be-
trayed "A large sapphire. | had worn
the rings for safe-keeping, but my
mind misgave me as l saw how car
nestly the smoking Italians were re-
garding them. | settled back in my
corner and drew on my gloves, but
now some evil attraction compelled
me to look steadfastly at my cOmpan-
ions and try to take their measure.
1t was a task beyond me. L had
never seen such men. The head and
face of the younger were exactly the
image of the murderer in Nine. Tus
sands Chamber of Horrors. Happily
for the world that murderer had been
hung but could it be that his uneasy
ghost was reincarnated in this man,
and had come to torment the world
Buddhism" and this idea seemed most
reasonable. There was sort of evil
fascination for me in the study of these
two ruffians. 1t seemed to me they
looked behind their tobacco smoke like
demons seen through the sulphurOus
clouds of the Inferno. Suddenly my
French-Englishnian leaned forward
and spoke to me.
I Of fol
ians. | like their looks very ill.,"
al agree with yOu," l said. "That
younger one looks exactly like one of
Nine. Tussaud's murderers."
'.He makes me less of terror than
the other. He is perhaps too young to
contrive plans for harm but the 9th
er!" He drew long breath. "The
other has in his eyes Il look so terrible,
so wicked, it gives me fear. And be-
hold them They are so shabby. Why
do they pay second class fare ? Would
they not be third but for some mis-
chief they plan ~
"What shall we do ~ | whispered
back.
81 hope to defend madam while we
wake. They will wait for us to sleep.
We must not sleep"
Then we settled ourselves back into
our corners and watched the two Ital-
ians in silence. After while they
stopped smoking, and the oldest one
pulled something black out of his
pocket. l shuddered. / thought it
was a pistol; but no, it was a small
black bottle. The man drank from it,
and then handed it to his companion.
| thought they were rousing up their
courage thus, and | grew cold with
terror. Next the big man took out a