Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1889-08-25
A Girl ROBE DE MUTT.
How She Startled Young mau In asieePer
Who Was Very Wide Awake.


the Pullman sleeper between Kansas City
and this point which he will not soon for
get. Interesting and novel as it was, he
does not care for repetition of the ad-
venture.
AT about 10 o'clock of the first night
out from Kansas City-the hour when
most uncanny things happen-the young
man was awakened in his birth by press
ure on his feet, and he saw sitting at the
foot of his bed and dressed for the night IN
a snotless white garment With insertings
and IN m a and things foreign to the mid
night makeup of male humanity, the form
of girl or young woman, whose features
he could not distinguish in the dim II not
religious light. While the young man is
not susceptible to shocks so. far as the
foibles Of women are involved, he was
somewhat astounded, and lay still for a
few minutes wondering what to do under
the circumstances. Presently he found
his wits and voice.
fare you comfortable" he asked in his
softest tones.
'I'm quite comfortable" was the calm,
unrufflsd reply.
The massive assurance of the woman in
white interfered somewhat with the young
mans line of thought and conjecture, but
he was not long in formulating second
attack.
Wouldn't you prefer seat at the head
of the bed?" he asked.
mo, thank you" was the response;
'Tm very comfortable here"
"Perhaps you would like pillow?' he
suggested, Offering her one of the two upon
which his head had been resting.
By this time the young man was thor
oughly satisfied that the young woman
was young and pretty if not unsOphisti-
Gated. SO when she adjusted the pillow
between her head and the footbOard Of the
berth the temporary owner OF the
premises was more pleased than
pained. Partly in Difference to
what ne thought was the impenetrable
impudence of his ghostly visitor, partly in
spirit of fun and partly on account Of
the proyerbial meagreness Of the sleeping
car pillow, the young man held out the
other feather cushion saying:
you LdhS luc ObuCA OuCs
Yes, she would and did, placing it with
its companion piece and snugly nesting her
head upon the pair. All this time the
visitor had sat upon the edge of the berth,
her feet resting on the floor of the aisle, her
head and shoulders against the fOotbOard.
The conversation which the young man had
INDUCED in was in pianissimo tones, that
he should disturb no other occupants Of the
car. The replies of his unexpected caller
had been less guarded in volume. In fact,
they might have been heard good many
feet away had there been any wakeful car
within the distance named.
As the creature in white lay contentedly
back upon the pillows, her hands crossed
and her breath coming and going with
what seemed to be measured regularity,
tempus did not fight very fast for her berth
mate. He hardly knew what to do in the
face of such indifference under such cir
cumstances, but collected his wandering
thoughts and asked her again if she was
comfortable. Perfectly comfortable, "
she said. He sat up in the bunk. She
didn't move. He put his feet in the aisle
and sat on the edge of the bunk close be-
side her. She paid no attention to him,
when parting of the curtains let light
fall on her face.
The eyes were stonily gazing at nothing
and not q feature of the countensnce be-
trayed the slightest evidence of conscious
ness. The face was pretty and innocent
that of q pure-minded girl between 16 and
20 years of age. 1t was plain that she
slept; that she was sOmnsmbulist and
that she had no knowledge of her where
abouts nor OF her words or deeds. The
young man would as willingly have kissed
a corpse as that sleeping maiden. He tried
by talking to her to find out how she had
come to his bunk, but co aid get no intelli-
gible replies, other than that her sister and
herself were travelling to Salidas where
they intended visiting some friends, and,
moreover, her tones were loud.
Worst of all the train came to stand-
still while he was endeavoring to make her
tell where she belonged. The situation
was increasingly embarrassing. Suppose
the girl had father or big brother on
board and that relative should find her in
the strange young mans berth? Odds
POUNDS! Suppose the girl should suddenly
recover consciousness and should scream,
as only q young woman similarly placed
might be expected to scream. Caesars
ghost The young man would not find a
friend OF believer on the train.
The hero of the tale restored the maiden
to her restful position on the pillows,
dressed himself partly and went in search
of the porter. That functionsry was sound
asleep. He was told that there was SOM
nambulist on board. The porter could
not make cut what a somnsmbulist might
be, go he called the conductor. The last
named heard the young mans briefly
narrated story, and accompanied him and
the grinning porter to the berth. There
was no sleeping beauty anywhere visible.
The berth was empty.
With many mental reservations az to
the condition of mind and body in which
the Young man had retired the evening
before the conductor consented to waken
two young ladies, sisters. who we're Occu-
pants of the car. Only one of those young
ladies could be found. The young mar
had not besn dreaming. The sister who
was found was greatly disturbed. She
readily admitted that her younger sister
had been known to walk in her sleep.
The car was carefully searched, and in an
unassigned berth at the end of the coach
the girl was fouad snuRly curled up and
sleeping as sweetly as a babe.
The operation of leading her back to her
own berth did not awaken her, and when
she opened her eyes to the morning light
those beautiful windows of the soul gave
no sign that the owner of their tenement
knew what the night had brought forth. No
one told her of her strange adventure and
possibly no one ever will. She might have
wondered why the young man who had
been so observsnt prior to the momentous
night did not so much as look at her again
during the journey. The young man him.
self did not wonder.