Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-08-02

} hand, and looked up and saw porter
run forward as we steamed into the station
4 l caught at his arm as he came to the
carriage; it was a relief to hold humanity
once more. l saw him look in my face Gu,
riously.
"Are you i'll, sir ?' he asked. "Your
carriage door was open. Were you getting
out?"
| could not answer him.
@You hurt you hand, sir, suppose. II
is not safe to open the door too soon"
"My hand No, | have not hurt it
why ?''
i managed to get the words out at last
The porter looked at me again queerly
"Well, you were staring at it when came
up as if you thought it would be covered
with blood or something like"
81 did did p' then realizing what l
was saying. broke off. "No-no, it is
not hurt but l am not well. will stay
here an hour or so. / cannot go on Just
yet"
| The porter seemed surprised, but helped
me out, and then got out my things. AS
he did so he exclaimed at the state of the
carriage:
''Who has been pulling this stufing out
here? Were you alone, sir? This looks
queer-somebody's been cutting the cush-
ion. must speak to the station-master."
But the station-master was already
there. He had noted the delay and made
his way to the carriage, glancing at me
! rather strangely, and then looking into the
compartment | had left.
"Who put this carriage ?' he called
out
The guard came up.
at was put on at B, sir. The train
was full, and all the stock had been sent
on for the races; it was the only one they
had understood
THAT is So sir" said one of the racing
men, putting his head out of the window,
and dirty enough it is, too; but here we
are, and here we mean to stay, and we'll
be glad to be moving toward F, if con-
venient."
| thought the station-master looked in
| quiringly from me to the man who spoke,
and back again to me. His face was pale,
and he seemed about to speak, but looking
at his watch, only signaled with his hands
! to the guard, and then stood apparently in
much perplexity as the train slowly left
the station. Then he glanced at me-
you look cold, sir" he said "come
and have cup of coffee in my room. |
suppose you will go on by the next train ?"
followed him, convinced that he would
ask about that open door in the old rail-
way carriage. l was not sorry to sift the
matter little, for felt holder now, sur
rounded by the very.day details of the
| small country station. Its dreary refresh
ment-room, its deserted bookstall, its one
porter-his day enlivened only by the
event of the passing trains-all this was
| ordinary, we'll known, and anything but
supernatural. When the porter brought
me the stereotyped bun, fiat, limp and cur
rantless, scarcely recovered from obvious
| compression in the box that conveyed it
to the station, l felt almost treasured. |
had been asleep, knew; what more salts
factory than to suppose I had been dream
ing? But the station master, having made
some coffee, and handed me a steaming
| cup, would not let me rest.
"Would you mind telling me, sir" he
asked, in the whisper so well remembered
my small brother adopting in the dead of
night when we were boys, and which al
ways made me feel Creepy" chow that
| door came open?'
"That's Just what l don't know" | said,
| in the would-be reassuring tone | always
used to that small brother, and with the
old result, namely, of blending our fears
together and doubling their intensity.
81 was asleep-Imean had been asleep,
and perhaps kicked it."
"Ahw breathed the station master
"Why@' l ventured to ask, after 81
lence.
"Only that four years ago, on the first
day of F races, that same carriage ran
into our station with its door open, as it
did to-day, and inside was woman in
dead faint; she came to herself in an hour,
and talked of murder"
'tBut that carriage-how do you know"
"This is how l know, sir" and the man
got up and shut the door, which opened on
to the platform, and pulled his chair near
mine when he came back. "Some seven
or eight years ago / was master here, and
waiting for the train passing through to
| the races, as it might be to-day, and as she
came in / saw door open, and going for
ward found the compartment in disorder,
knife on the floor, blood on it and on the
seat and carpet, and slit in the
stuffing of the cushion at the hight
well to the hight you saw it, sir, if
| it's as | think. We sent men back along
the line, and soon found a girls body
stabbed and thrown on the metals"
Thrown on the line ~
"Yes, so they said. 1t was all found out
| quickly enough when her old father came
to identify her; he said she'd been robbed,
too, for she had el00 in notes on her when
she was murdered"
| GA nd he he lid NIT acoapoo1
mo, the police guessed what he had been
up to, and traced him to the races, where
| they made out he had lost every note he
stole. He had been betting largely on one
| horse"
"John of Gaunt," / cried eagerly, but
with some Of the recent terror on me
again.
" Yes, that was it, sir; you've heard the
story before"
/ shook my head and he went on
"Well, they followed him pretty well
all over the country; public feeling was so
hard against him that every one knew he
could not hide long, and at last they came
upon him half-starved in barn; he faced
them and shot himself, and escaped hang
ing"
| did not speak, l was going over my re-
cent experience in the train.
"The queer part of it, sir, is this" said
the station master, latter the coroner's
Jury had been here and seen the carriage
left untouched for them you'll under
stand-we never used 1T; somehow the
men did not like it, and one market-day
they sent it back to the station you come
from, sir, and for years it was not used.
Then four years ago, as l said, they hooked
it on for the races, every bit of rolling
stock being wanted, and then it came in
here with its door swinging, and swoon-
ing woman inside, who told strange story
when it could be got out of her. The men
liked it less after that, and sent it back
again, and now that fool down the line
drags it out on race days of all days in
the year, and puts you in it, sir, and in