Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-02-09
THE RIPPLING TRAIN


''She was, at the time first saw her
at the only time, indeed, that [ knew her
"a very sweet and attractive girl, named
Maud BerUram. She was very pretty
mere than pretty, for she had remarkably
regular features-her profile was always
admired-and q tall and graceful figure.
And she was bright and happy creature,
too; that, perhaps was almost her great
est charm. You will wonder why, if 1 ad-
mired and LIKED her so much, did not go
further. And / vii tell you frankly that
I did not because I dared not / had the n
no prospect of being able to marry for
years TO come, and was not very young.
/ was already nearly 30, and Maud was
quite ten years younger. | was wise
enough and old enough to realize the
situation thoroughly, to be on my guard.
''Maud was surrounded by admirers-it
seemed to me then that it would have
been lnsufferable conceit to have even ask
ked myself if it could matter 30 her. Il
was only in the light of after events that
the possibility of my having been mis-
taken occurred to me. And I don't even
now see that L could have acted other
wise" here ancie Paul sighed a little.
ssWe were the best of friends. She knew
that / admired her, and she seemed to
take frank pleasure in its being SO. l
had always hoped that she really liked
and trusted me as a friend, but no more.
The last time | saw her was just before
started for Portugal, where l remained
three years. When / returned to London
Maud had been married for two years,
and had gone straight out to India on her
marriage, and except by some few friends
- T., LNth Il
seldom heard her mentioned. And time
passed. | canno5 say | had exactly for
gotten her, but she was not much or Of
ten IN my thoughts. [ was a busy
and much absorbed man, and life
bad proved a serious matter to me. Now
and then some passing resemblance
would recall her to my mind-once es-
peciaIly, when I had been asked to look
in TO see the young wife of one Of my
cousins in her court dress, something IN
her figure and bearing brought back
Maud TO nay memory, for 1t was thus, in
full dress, that [ had last seen her, and
thus, perhaps unconsciously, her image
had remained Photographed on my brain.
But as far as | can recollect at the time
when the occurrence | am going to relate
to you happened, had not been thinking
of Maud Bertram for months. 1 was in
London just then, staying with my broth
err, my elder brother, who had been mar
ried several years and lived in our old
town house IN --- square. 1t was in
April, clear spring day, with no fog or
half lights about, and it was not yet 4
o'clock in the afterDoon-not very ghost
like circumstances, you will admit. |
had come home early from my club-it
was a sort Of holiday time with ne just
then for few weeks, intending TO get
some letters written which had been on
my mind for some days, and [ had saunt-
cred into the library, pleasant fair sized
room, lined with books, on the frst floor.
Before setting 20 work | sat down for q
minute or two IN an easy chair by the fire,
for i6 was still cold enough weather TO
make a fire desirable, and began thinking
over 10Y letters. No thought, no shadow
of thought of my old friend Miss Bert
ram was present with me; Of that l am
perfectly certain. The door was on the
same side of the room as the fireplace:
as ] sat there, half facing the fire, also
half faced the door. [ had not shut II
properly on coming in, l had only closed
it without turning the handle, and i did
not feel surprised when it slowly and
noiselessly swung open, till 1T stood right
doorway from my view. You will per
haps understand the position better il
you think of the door as just then acting
like screen to the doorway. From
where sat could not have seen any oEe
entering the room till he or she had got
beyond the door itself. [ glanced up
half expecting to see some one in, but
there was no one; the door had swung
open itself. For the moment | sat on
with only the vague thought passing
through my mind, I must shut 1t before
begin to write.
''But suddenly 1 found my eyes fixing
themselves on the carpet; something had
come within their range of vision, com
polling their attention in a mechanical
fnrt of way. What was it?
"Smoke, was my first idea. Can there
be anything on fire.? Bat / dismissed
the notion almost as soon as it suggested
itself. The something, faint and shadowy
that came slowly ripping iSself in as il
were, beyond the dark wood of the oper
door, was yet too material for smoke.
My next idea was a curious one: Il
looks like soapy water said to myself
can one of the housemaids have beer
scrubbing and upset a pail on the stairs?
For the stair to the next floor almost
faced the library door. But-no, rub
bed my eyes and looked again-the soapy
water theory gave way. The wavy some
thing that kept gliding, ripping in
gradually assumed more substantial ap.
pearance. 1t was-yes, suddedly bscame
convinced of lit was ripptes of soft
innen stuff, creeping in as if in some
mysterious way unfoided or unrolled
not jerkiiy or irregularly, but glidingly
and smoothly, like little wavelets on the
seashore
"And | sat there and gazed. 'Why die
you not jump up and look behind the
door to see what it was? you may rea
sonably ask. That question I cannot
answer. Why 1 sat still, as if bewitche6
or UNDER some irresistible influence,
cannot tell, but so it was
"And lt-came always ripping in, TIL
tlast 1T began to rise as it still came on
and I saw that a figure, a tall, graceful
woman's figure, was slowly advancing
backwards of course, into tue room, anl
that the waves of pale silk-a very deli
cate shade of pearly gray think it mus