Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1888-07-21
A SOLITARY PASSENGER.

A SOLITARY PASSENGER.
The 1880 train from White Peak was
late that snowy February night. 1t never
was what one would call painfully
prompt train, but tonight it was full fifty
minutes behind its usual time, and the
telegraph operator had nearly fallen
asleep behind the pane of ground glass
over which the word ''tickets" was In
sc,ibed in half circle, and toward which
q most inartistically foreshortened hand
was depicted as extending gilt finger for
the enlightenment of the general public.
Not that the Big Pine telegraph Office
was ordinarily open at so late an hour a.
this Seven o'clock was the usual period
of closing Nor had Eunice Barlow any
official right to the tall wooden stool be-
hind the semicircular gilt legend referring
to Tickets" In a manner she had had
greatness thrust upon her. Cid Mr..
Pettyclove. who represented the majesty
Of the railway company in this particular
spot. had gone home in the early dusk
with q raging facial neuralgia. and In
common humanity Eunice could not have
refused temporarily to assume his position
with its duties.
..It will only be another hour of work, 50
she told herself, cheerfufly. as she put an
additional log of frost frrnged wood into
the little air tight stove. when the
1880 has passed can shut up the place
and 90 home. There are only two night
freights, and the conductors on both Of
them have keys to the freight house."
| But in the course of these sanguine
meditations Eunice had neglected to take
into account the driving snow storm and
the consequent block" along the rails;
and she was beginning to glance rather
anxiously at the unmeaning dial Of the
wooden clock ON the pine shelf above her
head, for she would have TO walk nearly
half a mile through the lonely wooded
road ere she could reach her home. after
the station was shut for the night, and
she had plumb. timid natured little
mother sitting beside the fire, who was
sure to imagine all sorts Of possible and
impossible horrors II Eunice CHANGED to
be few minutes behind the regulation
time of arriving at the doorstep.
Il wish," Miss Barlow unused, "that
had thought to ask Mr.. Pettyclove to
send his boy Zenas over to tell mother
that was likely to be detained little.
But therei the train can't be long now. :"
Outside the wind howled like an snfu-
rated demon in the worst possible of tenn
pers. The tops of the pine trees kept up
constant moaning, like the waves Of
some black-green sea- Within, the clock
ticked Justify ON, the logs Of wood crsckled
and sputtered in the stove, and Eunice
Barlow yawned over her paper covered
Ivanhoe, with growing indifference to
the fate alike of the fair haired Rowena
and Rebecca the beautifI
Suddenly the silence was oken BY the
tiniest sound. like the throbbing of some
small silver heart. Eunice jumped up,
instinctively obedient to the call Of her
autocrat. the telegraph.
"a message!' she thought "And at
this time of the night Well, wondeN
never will cease"
Amessage it was; to Peter Pettyclove.
station agent at Big Pine station.
"Defalcation In Home bank. Detain
passenger on train 81. Small, dark, wear
ing fur trimmed coat. Keep in custody
until further notice. b. V. CARTER,
''Chief of Police at White Peak"
Almost before she had deciphered these
words. Eunice Barlow telegraphed back
.'Al right" and once more the small sill,
yer heart left off its tumultuous throb-
bfngs And not until then did the tele-
graph operator realize what q very pecu-
liar position she was in. All alone at Big
Pine station. and officially authorized, in
right of her substitution, to arrest bank
defalcator on the spotl
Even while she pondered on this unex-
pected state Of things there was curious
thrill and, tremble Of the floor beams under
her feet; shrill steam whistle rising
above the sustained roar of the tempest.
The 1880. officially known as No. 81, was
swinging around the curve.
In an instant Eunice Barlow was out In
the deep snow of the rude board platform
with the lighted lantern In her hand. The
conductor Of the train was not at all sur
prised to see her there. He knew that
Peter Pettyclove was old and feeble, and
q spirited young female telegraph operator
Is rated at her full value In the Big Pine
section. She tried to signal to him that
she wanted to speak to him, but the blind
ing snow drove its shroud like sheets be-
tween them. He smiled and nodded to
her In the aggravating way that men have
when they are particularly obtuse, shouted
some incomprehensible comment ON the
weather, helped to loosen the brakes, and
was an eighth Of mile up the track be-
fore Eunice's lantern light fell on single
black figure. Its hat pulled over its eyes.
Its form closely buttoned up ina fur
trimmed overcoatl
"Is this the stationH" said low, well
modulated voice, which gave Miss Barlow
the idea that the unhappy victim of justice
was gentleman born and bred. Where
are the portersf Upon my word" Cooking
around after bewildered fashionl, "I'm
afraid they've forgotten to put off my
luggage. Isn't there fire somewhere
hereaboutsf'
Eunice Barlow looked solemnly at him
as she opened the door into the bright,
cheerfully lighted little station. Yes, the
telegraphed description had been correct
He was small and dark, and, poor fellow,
he looked as if he was half frozen to death
But now arose the perplexing question,
how was she to .'detain himf"
Il can lock him in the ticket Office, she
thought to herself. "He will be safe
enough until Mr.. Pettyclove comes in the
morning. But, poor fellowl I do feel
sorry for him"
The solitary passenger fell headlong into
the trap laid for him by the telegraph
operator. He walked directly into the
ticket Office and sat down, with weary
sigh, ON the tall wooden stool which had
lstely served Miss Barlow as throne Of
office.
"Only about as old as our Victor would
have been had ne lived, thought Eunice.
.Oh, wonder what sinister influence led
him into this terrible mistakei won
der You are mistaken, sir, she said.
aloud. in answer to his reiterated ques-
tions. There are no porters here. There
is no hotel nearer than the Pine Barrens,
four miles away. The agent is detained
at home by sickness. and am the tele
graph operator. on duty in his absence"
The stranger uttered long. low whis-
tie. II think" said he, II must have
managed to allght at the jumping of