The Portland daily press., 1888-02-04

slept cannot tell-probably for a few min
utes only-but in those few minutes under
went most discomforting dream. l dreamt
that Chippy Watson stood over me, mallet
in hand, and that my travelling companion
was holding his arm to avert the threatened
blow. She struggled in vain, and the mallet
fell, yet with strangely light touch upon
my arm With start i 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! In
stead 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 her finger
| as if to command silence, she passed me the
paper, on which were written the following
words: Someone is underneath the seat
and has just touched me-"
Was it the dream which filed me with the
| Thought that this was no idle alarm? / can
not tell: but this much know, that in an
instant there flashed across my mind with
overwhelming force the thought of the es-
| capped wife-murderer.
Returning my companions silence signal
by gesture of acquiescence, wrote upon
the paper: sit is probably only dog, Shall
| / look under the seat?"
Her answer was short and to the point
.'No do not look. 1t was a hand"
Here, then, was sufficient dilemma; but
by comparison with what had passed before
between my fellow-passenger and myself, it
was dilemma that felt almost disposed to
welcome. The male sex in my person was
about to resume its rightful position of pro-
tector to its weaker, If would-be independent
companion. Sweet was my revenge; and
yet, the revenge scarcely promised to be
wholly pleasurable.
My first action was to remove any suspi-
cion that there might be in the mind of the
mysterious third occupant of our carriage
through the presumably accidental action of
having touched the lady's dress. Giving
vent to an audible yawn, as though had
just awakened from sleep, l remarked in a
tone of cool impertinence "You really
must excuse me for addressing you again,
madam; but viii you permit me to smoke to
enliven this tedious Journeys" AS spoke
accompanied my words by meaning
glance, and was favored with the reply:
Certainly, if you wish it; cannot pre-
vent you"
Thereupon produced my pine and tobac-
co-pouch and proceeded slowly to fill the for
mer, as thought out the plan of action.
On reference to my watch l saw that the
train would stop in another ten minutes.
Clearly, the only thing to do was to wait till
we reached Blackeley, and there get assist
ance to find out who our unknown travel
ing companion might be.
The longer pondered over the problem,
the more curious for its solution did be-
come, and then, needless of the warning |
had received, struck match and inten-
tionally dropped it. STOPPING down with
muttered malediction to pick it up, | cast
searching glance underneath the opposite
seat, and then my blood ran cold, as the
faint CLEAN of the taper revealed the back of
a mans hand with the mark of a tattooed
arrow upon it. Chippy Watson, then, was
our companion-a doomed and desperate
mani
By mighty effort l controlled my voice
sufficiently to say: Excuse me for reach
ing across.you, madam, but that was my last
match, and could not afford to let 1t go
out"
The girl, into whose white cheeks the col
or showed no trace of returning, murmured
some unintelligible reply, and for few mo-
ments we sat in silence. Again, | looked at
my watch. Thank heaven! in five minutes
we should be in Blackely, 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 leaf,
and shrieked ere could stop her: "Oh, the
hand has touched my foot again"
The moment the words left her lips,
heard sudden movement under the seat,
and quicker than thought figure appeared
upon the floor. In that moment flung my
self upon the ruffian and clutched his throat
with the energy Of despair, knowing that
should he once gain his feet it was all over
with me, the lighter and weaker man. Can
ever forget the horror of that five minutes
rider The whole compartment seemed to
be falling upon me. Teeth, nails, feet, all
were attacking me at once; but through all
kept my grip upon the murderer's throat,
and though streamed with blood, and al
most lost consciousness, still held on, while
the girls screams rang dimly through my
ears. Suddenly the train stopped; the
struggle ceased; and / tainted across the
body of my captive.
When | recovered consciousness at length
/ found myself lying upon table in the
Blackeley station waiting-room, with SYM
pathetic crowd around me, and best of all, L
saw face bending tenderly over me, the
face of the girl of my dream and my discom-
future. After making two or three efforts,
managed to ask "Where is Watson?"
"Very nigh dead,' replied a ruddy-faced
farmer who stood beside me. You three
quarters strangled the life out of his ugly
BODY: he was black in the face when they
lifted you off him."
$40 you know that he is an escaped wife
murderer" inquired feebly.
''Yes, we KNOW" responded my honest
friend. "The Burtown police telegraphed
after the train to have it searched, because
a man answering his description had been
seen in the station before it left The police
have got him safe this time, my lad, and no
mistake. Why, saw him handcuffed and
his arms pinioned behind him, and he ally
ing half dead the while, after the throttling
as you gave him."
Do my readers want to hear the rest Of my
story, now that the catastrophe is told? If
SO, will inform them that Watson on break
ing loose from the police, after turning the
corner of Shut Lane-where it will be re-
membered he appeared-contrived, by an
almost incredible effort, to scale a high wall,
and so gain the shelter of a railroad embank-
ment. Along this he crept until he reached
the midtown tunnel, where he had lurked
all day, until late in the evening he crept in
to the station and contriyed to secrete HIM
self In carriage of the midnight mail, with
the result before mentioned.
There is one more incident in close connec-
ton with that journey to be told it is this,
that there will be marriage early this
spring The name of the bridegroom will
be Knightly, the name of the bride does not
matter. She was never formally introduced
to her future lord and master, and therefore
it is surely unnecessary to tell the name she
will soon cease to bear, to passing acquain-
lance like the reader.
WIT AND WISDOM.
"see, mammal" cried little Johnny, there goes