The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1888-02-16

. with the thought that this was no idl
alarm! | cannot tell; but this much
I know, that in an instant there flashe
. across my mind with Overwhelmin
force the thought of the escaped wifi
, murderer.
Returning my companions silence sig
= nal by a gesture OF acquiesence, wrot
/ upon the paper: Il is probably only
: dog. Shall look under the seat?
Her answer was short and to tn
, point. No; do not look. 1t was
: hand.
Here, then, was sufficient dilemma
but by comparison with what had pas
sed before between my fellow passenger
) and myself, it was dilemma that fel
almost disposed to welcome, The malt
sex in my person was about to resume
its rightful position of protector to it'
would be independent companion
Sweet was my revenge; aud yet; the re-
venge 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, although l had just awakened
from sleep, | remarked in tone of cool
impertinence: You really must excuse
me for addressing you again, madam:
but will you permit me to smoke to en-
liven this tedious journey? AS spoke
accompanied my words by a meaning
glance and was favored with the reply
Certainly if you wish it; l cannot pre-.
vent you.
Thereupon produced my pipe and
tobacco pouch and proceeded slowly to
fill the former. as thought out the plan
of action. On reference to my watch, |
saw that the train would stop in an
other ten minutes. Clearly, the only
thing to do was to wait till we reached
Blakely and there get assistance to find
out who our unknown travelling COM
panion might be.
The longer | pondered over the prob
lem, the more curious for its solution
did become, and then needless of the
warning l had received. struck a
match and Intentionally dropped it,
STOPPING down with a mut,ered male
dIctlon TO pick it up. | cast a searching
glance underneath the opposite seat and
then my blood ran cold as the faint
gleam OF the taper revealed the back of
of mans hand with the mark of ta-
tooed arrow upon 1t. Chippy Watson
then, was our conpanian-a doomed
and desperate man.
BY mighty effort | controlled nv
voice sufficiently to say: Excuse me
reaching across you, madam, but that
was my last match and | could not af-
ford to let it so out.
The girl, into whose white cheeks the
color showed no trace of returning, mur.
INJURED some unintelhgible reply, and
for few moments we sat in silence.
Again l looked at my watch. Thank
heaven! in five minutes we shonld be in
Blackeley, and the awful ride would be
at an end. Scarcely had the thought
formulated itself, when the girl oppo-
site me sprang up, trembling like a leaf
and shreked ere l could stop herr Oh,
the hand has touched my foot again,
The moment the words left her lips, |
heard a sudden movement under the
seat. and quicker than thought, figure
appeared upon the floor. In that mo-
ment flung myself upon the ruffian
ana ciutched 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
ride! 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 | stream.
ah NnTIlh
sciousness, still held on, while the girls
screams rang dimly through my ears.
Suddenly the tram stopped; the struggle
ceased and | tainted across the body of
my captive.
When | recovered consciousness at
length, l found myself lying upon
table in the Blackeley station waiting
rOom,with a sympathetic crowd around
me, and, best of all, saw face bend
ing tenderly over me, the face of the
girl of my dream and my discontinue.
After making two or three efforts, |
managed to ask: Where is Watson.
Very nigh deaf, replied 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.
Do 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, be
cause man answering his DESCRIPTION
had been seen in the station lefore it
left. The police have got him safe, my
lad. this time and no mistake, Why, l
On, Ia in, ha rl,,, ffnI l.
ioned behind him, and he lying half
dead the while, after the throttllng 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 breaking loose from the po-
lice, after turning the corner of Shut
Lane-where it will be remembered he
dlsappeared-contrived, by an almost
incredible effort, to scale high wall
and so gain the shelter of railway en-
bankment. Along this he crept until he
reached the mid town tunnel, where he
urked all day, until late in the evening
he Crept into the station and contrived
to secrete himself in carriage of the
midnight mail, with the result before
mentioned.
There is one more incident in close
connection with that journey to be told;
it is this, that there will be marriage
early this spring. The name of the bride
groom will be Knightly, the name of
the bride does not matter. She was
never formally introduced to her future
lord and master, and therefore 1t is
surely unneces ary to tell the name she
will soon cease to bear, to passing &C
quaintance like the reader Chambers
Journal.
The BLOOD,