Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-08-06
A GIRL IN A ROBE DE MUTT.
And How She Startled Young Man in
Sleeper.

"A young man whose home is in Chicago, and
who has been in Denver only little more than
week, had an experience in the Pullman
sleeper between Kansas City and this point
which he will not soon forget. Interesting and
novel as 1t was, he does not care for arepetitiOn
OF the adventure. At about IL o'clock Of the
first night out from Kansas City-the
hour when most uncanny things are
wont to happen-the young man was
awakened in his berth by pressure on his
feet, and he saw sitting at the foot Of his bed
and dressed for the night in spotless white
garment with insertings and ruffes and things
foreign to the midnight makeup of male hu-
mainly, the form OF girl or young woman,
whose features he could not distinguish in the
dim, if not religious light While the young
man is not susceptible to shocks so far as the
| foibles Of women are involved, he was some-
what astounded, and Law still for few minutes
| wondering what to do under the circumstances.
| Presently he found his wits and voice.
.'Are you comfortable?" he asked in his
softest tones
I'm quite comfortable" was the calm, un-
| ruffed reply.
The passive 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; "rm
very comfortable here"
Perhaps you would like a pillow" he sug-
gested, offering her one of the two upon which
his head had been resting.
By this time the young man was thoroughly
satisfied that the woman was young and pretty
II not unsophisticated, 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 panied Partly
IN Difference to what he thought was the i'm
penetrable impudence Of his ghostly visitor,
partly in a spirit of fun. and partly on account
OF the proverbial meagerness Of the sleeping
! car pillow. the young man held out the other
feather cushion, saying:
Wont you take the other one?"
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 shout
ders 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 vol
ume. In fact, they might have been heard q
good many feet away had there been any wake
full ear 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 fugit
very fast for her berth mate. He hardly knew
what to do in the face of such indifference I'M
der such circumstances, but collected his wan
dering 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 beside her. She paid no at
tention to him, when parting Of the curtains
let ray of light fall ON her face.
SOUND ASLEEP
The eyes were stonily gazing at nothing, and
not feature of the counte, ence betrayed the
slightest evidence of cons. ior mess The face
was pretty and innocent-that of a pure-minded
girl between sixteen and twenty years of age.
1t was plain that she slept; that she was a
somnambulist and that she had no knowledge
of her whereabouts 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 could get no ineligible replies
other than that her sister and herself were
travelling to Salidas where they intended visit
ing some friends, and, moreover, her tones
were loud.
Worst of all the train came to a standstill
while he was endeavoring to make her tell
where she belonged The situation was in
creasingly embarrassing. Suppose the girl had
father or big brother on board and that rela-
tive should find her in the strange young mans
berth. Odds Zounds Suppose the girl should
suddenly recover consciousness and should
scream, as only young woman similarly
placed might be expected to scream. C@sar's
ghosti The young man would not find friend
or 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 pOr-
ter. That functionary was sound asleep. He
was told that there was a somnambulst on
board. The porter could not make out what
somnambulist might be, 80 he called the con-
ductor. 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 reserva-
| tions as 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, were
occupants OF the car: Only one of
| those young ladies could be found. The
young man had not been 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 one end Of the coach the girl was found
snugly 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 30 observant prior to the
momentous night did not SO much as look at
her again during the journey. The young man
himself did not wonder.
|
The steamship State Of Alabama, from Ham,
| burg, reports encountering strong Winds and
on July 2 one large iceberg And two smaller