New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-05-19

bye, I'll see you in London in day or two. Guard,
you'll see that no one else gets into this compart-
door when the guard said Box all right, sir ?7
Yes. said, putting my hand under the seat
70 feel that 10 was there. As did so the guard
turned his lantern on it 10 satisfy himself that il
was safe. Having done which, he shut the door
and went away
He had not been gone more than minute when.
to my great annoyance, stout elderly man got
into the compartment and sat down at the far end
Of the scat on which l was sitting. lie had no
luggage Of any kind and hardly looked like the
kind Of men who are accustomed TO travel first
class.
Do you object to my smol<ing37 asked.
Not at all, though don't smoke myself" said
the stranger: seems wastcful habit. One-halt
Of the population, think, spend much on cigars
half"
This answer. rather ungraciOus though IL was.
treasured me, and eliminated any little mistruSt
I might have felt toward my companion; II was
not thought the kind OF remark thief would
be likely 70 make. The speaker, 20 Judge from his
rather brusquc manner and HARDEST face, was
probably manufacturer Of some sort.
:" I'm sorry was away when that gentleman got
in, sir" the guard whispered TO me through the
window just before the train started.
Oh, il is all right" replied. and Immediately
afterwsrd we began TO move out OF the station.
For a few minutes tried TO engage the stranger
in conversation, but gradually | desisted, as he
seemed rather tacturn, and, owing TO the noise Of
the truin and the distance between us, IL was nee
cSSary TO shout in order 20 make ones self heard
Then lay back in my seat, quietly putting my
cigar and meditating about q young lady whom
had visited that evening before left BrXtOn. We
should want, let me see-tO keep house-the cigar
was very strong threw 1t aw9y-Se should want
my reckoning very confused-l seemed TO
forget the figures directly had thought OF them
how dark the carriage was
It WIS broad daylight! The stranger WAS run
ming over green fields with the strong box, which
he carried lightly in his hands If 1t were only
feathers weight ! was trying 10 pursue hiin'
but my limbs seemed AS il they were half parI-
lyzed. could hardly move my legs at last !
sank powerless the soft grass, whilst he diNdp
peared over stile As lay there two policemen
scizrd hold OF my arms, and raising me from the
ground half led half carried me TO police station,
whittier we were followed, as soon as we got on the
high road by noisy crowd
What is the NATTER | exclaimed, as WI as
cended the steps of the staton-houSc. What
have done that you are bringing me here !"
oh, you know all about it, said one OF the |
constables. You and your friend Mr., I'LL are
nice little pair" Merciful heavens! was
charged with being an accomplice in the robbery |
Of the strong bOXi
They led me through long whitewashed passSn;ye
and pushed me into narrow cell. The |
gloomy walls swan about me as .,rt
unconscious How long this state Of unconscious
ness lasted / could not say, when suddenly l
was awakened by what seemed to De roar OF |
thunder Instantly | sprang TO my lecN nut as |
| did so ! was thrown back again on me $aI |
by what seemed like the thrOeS OF an earthquake |
The whole place wa; in motion Inc seat seat was MAS
softly cushioned, lamp shining from the |
ceiling and IL quite dark without Mhht |
did it mean? II must have taken me about |
been dreaming, end that was in my compartment |
of the train, which was rushing along aj the |
rate Of fifty or sixty mills an hour. What tune |
was IL? / looked at my watch. Ten minutes |
past two We had just left Crewe and in another |
hour or so we should be at Marlborough. But my
ecmranon-the strange man who got IN a5
gone Must have got out OF the train at either
Stafford or Crewe. And ! asleep-though was
in charge Of $4,000 pounds pretty sort OF
sum! What would Mr.. Andrews tour manager
or Mr. Smith say II they heard OF such thing?
The box! ! felt with my hand under the seat.
A most curious thing my going to sleep IN that
way, such thing had never happened 10 me
e6 Sour why esd mu s SSv t0r noticed man
nice figure I should cut IN his eyes. fut the
box, was IL safe after oil? That was IN" main
consideration. 1t could not well be otherwise;
especially rs seeing me asleep the guard would
be sure 10 have kept an extra sharp eye on me
stations where we stopped. Still might ~ well
make assurance doubly sure.
Such wss the diff Of my thoughts, as, acuated
partly by q neral sens OF uneaslneSs, ana partly
by a confused desire to make some atonrment
for my remissness, | began 10 tug at the box
50 to bring it out on the door OF the carriage.
weight, but, by pulling the hsnI'os at It's ends
alternately, succeeded az last A WAS strapped
up Just as IL had been when IL WINS put into the
carriage. Could there he any use In unhUckhng
the strapS2 There hardly seemed TO he; and yet,
Ina wing gone so far, might we'll set my mind
completely at rest by finishing the investigation,
especially as il would be nearly an hour before
we reached Marlborough Accordingly / undid
the straps and took thr key ont OF my pocket. |
Great God! what was this? The key turned In
he lock without any impediment! I caught
the lid in my hand-it opened at once But
inside
oh horrori horror horror Tongue nor heart
Cannot conceive nor nanc thee.
At one glance l conprehended that the strong
box had been rhcd and stuffed with worthless
rags and papers!
Both Joy and horror when they reach their
most intense stages develop into emotions which
are Heterogeneous 10 all other facts OF conscious
ness and for this reason these absolut" emotions,
while they can never be forgotten, can yet
never be perfectly recollectcd in the sense Of
being revived by the imagination. In saying
this | am not writing for the sake OF ehcCt, but
merely stating q fact that will he acknowledged
by most people who have experienced II sudden
and immense revolution OF fortune.
When, at glance, l saw that the box was
stuffed with rags and shreds OF newspa pPrs-dived
my hand into il and found Jumps OF lead and iron
instead OF gold, there came upon me II feeling
simple unique, and uninteDgihle unless 70 those
! can give OF the effect that was
prod iced wLes ! suddenly cOmprehendei that
2 . 600 pounds had been stolen from my charge
while I sat drugged-for drnggrd ! evidently
had been, and that by the cigar | incautiously |
took from Hill. II meant, Of course, utter ruin
possibly worse, for might | not be regarded rs
10 forctell? shivered while sat vsinly wonder
ing how the theft could have been pcrpetracd,
hut with always the bhllP curious, new, ana |
horrible feeling about ue. Who stole the money
from the box The man who got into the com
at Rugby?
He was evidently either principal or an accom-
pce in the robbery The cigar that Hill gave
me must have been druggcd, and the money
must have been stolen, and the lead and iron
substituted for IL, since we lett Rugby. Yet !
about walking of with 1000 pounds but ~ |
knew we'll enough, seven thousand soyrrclgns
weigh about nine stone. How were nine stone IN
httIly Of not. hon |
out Of the carriage, and ragS and about the same
weight OF base metal substituted for them In the