The morning call., 1890-10-22
A STRANGE EXPERIENCE
BY SARA TRAINER SMITH.

10-and l had dozen Things 10 10, Duu my
brain was whirling, my eyes daZed and
smarting under their heavy lids. There was
nothing for it but nap.
l asked Lily to waken me at quarter
after 10, and lay down on the couch. My
head sank into the cool, soft pillow, and my
eyes closed in delightful relaxation Of mind
and body, but-where was the sleepiness
Pel me Il, there rushed upon me crowd OF
fancies, memories, cares and pains. Scenes
long vanished, books read in childhood,
people | had never cared for, plans | could
never carry out, debts had never been able
to paw. and bills had never been able to
collect, one after another and all together
swept through my mind like wbirlwind.
~ shall not get wink of sleep before
Lily calls me-" was thinking, when car
bell rang sharply somewhere in the distance.
Instantly, with wonderful diStinctness of
outline and vividness of colorng, | saw be-
fore me 4 deep, green hollow, ike dry
ditch lined with short, thick grass. On the
left bank high paling. broken in two or
three places, but newly painted. On the
right bank railway track and long train,
suddenly arrested, the engine steaming and
smoking, quiyering and painting, in impotent
rage at the delay. Between the fence and
the train, the hollow crowded with people,
swarming up and down the steep, grassy
banks, pushing each other, graspng at each
other falling over each other In tumuIt oil
excitement Behind the train, at Il distance,
a fringe OF woodland.
1t was one popularity of the scene that,
with one exception, every person III 1t wore
dark clothes and kept his face turned or hid
den from me. II was another peculiarly
that while GREATNESS stiffness made Itself
felt, everything was in active, llfeiIke mo-
ton.
The one exception of the crowd was a tall
man close 10 me on Its edge, wearing
scarlet shirt, loose at the throat and Blown
out balloon-wise, as though he struggled up
the bank in the teeth OF Stif breeZ'. Reach
ing the track before the engine. he turned
upon me q white, defiant face, looked me full
in the eyes, and rushed away round the
engine behind the train. And, although L
could not see even his shadow or hear q
sound, | felt him 70 be running with incred-
ibe swiftstss and lightness toward the
fringe of woodland.
1T was 20 minutes past TO- SAID LILY,
from the head of the couch.
| rose at once and sat down at my over
laden desk. The last finished page was
scarcely dry, and the next awaited NE with
an unfinished thought broken off in the
middle Of the first line. l read over the
sentence, dipped my pen in the ink and sat
idle. In vain | tried TO force my thoughts
into the channel already dug for them.
Neither upon that nor upon any subject save
one could | reason or reflect, and lii spite OF
myself | would 20 over and over that absurd
and uncalled-for lightning fash of fancy.
1t was not memory. l had never seen any
thing like the scene i'll which L seemed to
have just taken part. l began to
sketch it with my pen upon the blank
page at first idly and half mechanically, and
then with growing interest and precision.
The fence, the hollow, the traln-agaln and
again tried them. Now The one, now the
other, now reproducing more and more
carefully the gaps in the fence, now deepen
ing the shadows in the curve of the train
for realized as / recalled it that there was
a curve. Once or twice l family outlined
the figure of the man, and then with few
told strokes there he stool, upright and de-
liant, yet coward to the very heart. My
success startled me.
Lily suddenly sprang up with an eXclama-
ton. 1t was our brother William, coming
in pale and agitated. He was still aimos. Il
boy.
"Where do you come from? What has
happened?" we demanded IN breath.
From New York" he answered. There
has been an accident. Let me sit DOWN.
He certainly looked as though he needed
10 sit down. We busted ourselves in making
him comfortable.
Are you hurs?" asked Lily.
mo. indeed he answered, rousing him
self. 1T was not exactly an accident. 1t
was not on the train at all. 1t waS-a MUIR
der"
The involuntary tremor of his voice told
us more than the words. In the pause
which followed we looked at each other
and waited.
at was about twenty miles out" he said,
presently, near Glen Arden. The engineer
saw little boy on the track waving his
hands frantically and wringing them. The
train slowed up and stopped Just before it
touched him. He was crying and screaming
something about his mother, and pointing
TO a house near the track. Some of the
quickest of them-everybody was out of the
train as soon as 1t stopped-started off on
dead run. But they were too late; she was
dead when they got there"
The poor fellows cheek paled ut the mere
thought of what they saw.
Were YOU one of them?" | asked.
Not one of the first. But / ran as soon
rs | saw the others running. 1t was pretty
little house. There was piano in the par
lor and the table was set with silver, ana all
like that She-she was lying ut the foot Of
the stairs. all in heap. All crushed
beaten. She had the most beautiful arms
thrown up as though to keep off the blows.
The blood was everywhere They said it
was still warm when they touched her"
ooh, William, don't tell us any more!'
There is 10 more to tell"
'But who was she? Who did it?'
w no uiu II! ludl Nudt OUb KNOWS.
The poor little fellow says it was Jim, who
used 10 live there But used to with a
child may mean one month or twenty. They
coulI get nothing more out of him while |
was there. The train could not be delayed
and came on. There was nothing for me
to do and Leslie thought | had better. He
was there. What fellow he isl He went
right in and took the lead, and helped every
body understand it. He stayed"
l am engaged to Lesie-David Leslie,
NJ D.-and l agree with William. He is
fellow" that even to hear of him changed
the face of everything and "braced me up -
to the horrors Of Williams recent disclos-
ures.
"Hallo! what's this ?" cried William, lean
ing across my desk for his mail in the rack.
why this is the very spot! Where did this
come from?"
"Its nothing" answered, bewildered
and startled. / had forgotten all about it
until that minute ITS only some of my
scrawls."
but tell You it is the very place"
Nonsense, Will!' said Lily, getting on
her lorgnet and coming to look over his
shoulder. "She has been scratching and
scrawling half asleep all morning. Your
nerves-why, good. gracious me! Jean,
what does it mean?"
IL don't knowW 1 cried, half fright
ened and half angry. There was something
uncanny about it. and l am Scotch.
1.-The very spot" repeated William, who
could not recover from his surprise
The house is about here" he continued,
"TheIe-I crawled through that place in the
fence, dreanlv pressing his finger on spot a
little to the left aud above the line of my
sketch.
81 did not see the house." said, invol-
unfairly.
See it," echoed Lily. "What are you
talking ab0uL?"
II don't know, tell you! Don't ask ME
until David comes. 1w0nt talk of it. Lily,
IL Is time William had some lunnh!''
Lily pnt down the paper and left the room.
So did l. In my own chamber sat down
and thought, or tried to think, but, indeed, l
was too disturbed. This thing opened up
possibilities, taken in connection with other
things, for which had no liking. Much as
loved David Leslie, entirely as l trusted
him, had no intention OF Welding myself
10 his stronger will. And would not assist
him to eXperimentN with or Mithnut INV