The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1888-01-18

next, and he was Tree, tearing down the
street with the police and the populace
at his heels. lie was seen to dodge down
a back alley, known as Shut Lane, and
followed by the crowd of several hun
dreds. At the end of Shut Lane he dis
appeared round a corner, and, strange to
say, has not been seen again. There can be
no doubt that he will be reuaptured
but his present escape and disappearance
are most mysterious. We understand
that the fellow possesses singular strength
and agility; but none the less, it will be
standing disgrace to our police authoIi-
ties that prisoner should thus, in broad
daylight, and in the midst of a crowded
thoroughfare effect his escape from
the very hands of justice. A reward of
one hundred pounds has been offered for
his re-apprehension. Watson is about
five feet nine inches in height, strongly
built, and when he escaped was dressed
in gray fustian suit, with a red scarf
and soft hat. lie may further be dis
tingulshed by scar across his chin, and
by having an arrow tatooed on the back
of his left hand"
This was about the extent of the infor-
nation contained in the paragraph, and
my readers will agree with me that the
news was sufficiently exciting to occupy
my thoughts to the complete exclusion
of the unpleasant experience had just
passed through. AS | lay back in my
scat to muse upon what had read, my
thoughts began after awhile to wander
and my head to nod, according to their
wont at midnight, and before long fell
asleep. How lcug slept cannot tell
probably for few minutes only-but in
those few moments l underwent a most
discomforting dream. / dreamt that
Chippy Watson stood over me, mallet in
hand, and that my travelling companion
was holding his arm, to avert the threat
ened blow. She struggled in vain, and
the mallet fell-yet with strangely
light touch-upon my arm. With
start, awoke, and then saw the girl of
my dream bending toward me with
scrap of paper in her hand.
But her face, how terribly was it
changed Instead of the dainty pink
flush had last seen, there was CHASTITY
whiteness in her cheeks, and her eyes
seemed starting from her head with
terror. Holding up one finger as if to
command silence, she passed me the
paper, on which were written the fol-
lowing words;
"Some one is underneath the seat, and
has Just touched me-"
Was it the dream which filed me with
the thought that this was an idle alarm2
/ cannot tell but this m ,ch know, that
in an instant thre flashed across my mind
with overwhelming force the thought of
the escaped wife murderer.
Returning my com aniOn's silence-sig
nal by gesture of acquiescence, wrote
upon the paper:
at is PROBABLY only a dog. Shall
look under the seatf"
Her answer was short an d to the
point;
"No; do not look. 1t was hand"
Here, then, was a sufficient dilemma !;
but by comparison with what had passed
before between my fellow passenger and
myself, it was a dilemma that l felt al
most disposed to welcome. The male
sex in my person was about to assume its
rightful position of protector to its
weaker, if would-be independent com
panion. Sweet was my revenge and yet,
the revenge scarcely promised to be
wholly pleasurable.
My first action was to remove any sus-
picion that there might be in the mind
of the mysterious third occupant of our
carriage, through the presumably acci-
dental action of having touched the
lady's dress. Giving vent to an audible
yawn. as though l had Just awakened
from sleep, | remarked, in a tone of cool
impertinence:
You really must excuse me for adj
dressing you again, madam, but will you
permit me to smoke, to enliven this te-
dious iourney2'
AS spoke, accompanied my words
by meaning glance, and was favored
with the reply;
Certainly, if you wish it; I cannot
prevent you"
Thereupon l produced my pipe and
tobacco pouch and proceeded slowly to
hll the former, as thought out the plan
of action. On reference to my watch,
saw that the trUin would stop in another
ten minutes Clearly, the only thing to
do was to wait till we reached Black
ley, and there get assistance to find out
who our unknown travelling companion
might be.
The longer pondered over the prob.
lem, the more curious for its solution did
| become, and then, needless of the warn
ing had received, | struck match and
intentionally dropped it.
STOPPING down, with muttered NAL
ediction, to pick it up | cast search
ing glance underneath the opposite seat,
and then my blood ran cold, rs the faint
glea of the taper revealed the back of
a mans hand with the mark of a tattoed
arrow upon it.
Chippy Watson then was our COM
panion-a doomed and desperate man!
By a mighty effort l controlled my
voice sufficiently to say:
"Excuse my reaching across you,
madam, but that was my last match,
and could not afford TO let it go out. "
The girl, into whose white cheeks the
color showed no trace of returning, muir
INJURED some unintelligible reply, and for
few moments we sat in silence.
Again | looked at my watch. Thank
Heaven, in five minutes we should be at
Blackley, and the awful ride would be at
an end. Scarcely had the thought
formulated itself when the girl OPP
posite me sprang up, trembling like a
leaf, and skrieked ere could stop her:
"Oh, the hand has touched my foot
againm
The moment the words left her lips
heard sudden movement under the seat,
and qu cker than thought figure ap-