Daily Yellowstone journal., 1891-07-21
A FAIR S%OMNAMBULIST.

Second class. sirl Here you are,
strI"
And the speaker, a railway porter,
opened the door Of a second class CON-
partment on one of the Scotch mails
which was already beginning TO steam
slowly out of PeterbOro station.
The traveller addressed hustled into
the carriage with morp energy than dig
nifty of motion. and sank back on the
cushioned seat very red in the face
and painting vigorously hr. Joshua
McParson was an oldish man. rather
stout and accustomed to move deliber-
atsiy. Hence the necessity Of running
TO catch the mail had taken it out" of
him with some effect Indeed, it was
fully ten minutes before his lungs re-
Bumed their normal condition of respi
ration.
Looking round the compartment he
saw that II cou aimed only one occu-
pant besides himself. young lady. seat
ed in the opposite corner. A second
glance at her, rs she reclined with her
head back, her eyes closed, and her
lips parted. breathing with monotonous
regularity, showed him that she wa
asleep And he took the opportunity
of q careful survey.
She was very pretty, and remarkably
well dressed Everything about her
travelling appliances suggested afluence
and comfort from the costly fur rug in
which her feet were wrapped to the sill
yer fitted travelling bag which stood
open on the seat at her side. Close TO
the bag lay a pile-of newspapers and
periodicals. surmounted by a yellow
back" railway novel
The old gentleman glanced at the
title, and as he noted Il a look I.
stern disapprobation appeared upon his
face. BE knew the book by reputation
as n Of dangerously dippant tenden-
cieA and being a pillar of the Scottish
kirk, and severely puritanical in bis
views. be regarded with scant favor
even the sobsrest works Of fiction
OF courss the seafhing glance which
he cast at the Objectionable novel and
then transferred to its owner was quite
lost on the sfumbenng young lady.
And Mr.. Joshua McParson, feeling, no
doubt the futility of thus wasting his
'1sweetness" on the desert air, took up
his Times and began to peruse the
money market intelligence assiduously.
He remained absorbed In this study
for some time, too much taken up with
1t to have any thought to spare for bis
travelling companion, until he was
aroused again to an active ~consciCus.
ness Of her presence by hearing her
make a sudden movement CHANGING
quickly over the top Of his newspaper
he saw that she had opened her eyes
and sat up. She was looking rather
bard at him. surprised very likely at his
presence in the compartment, and won
dering how he had come there. At
any rate. she did not appear TO be trou-
bid with shynesA for, instead Of with
d9Ring her gaze when he looked upa It
haE, she continued to stare az him IN
the face with the most perfect sang
fnoid And each time, dunng the next
fow minutes that hepeered At her round
tn screen Of his plteA he found bar
eyes turned upon him IN the same
steady Stara /
Mr.. AeParson began TO feel rather
uncomfortabie. He had a eonstitu-
tional horror Of boldness In women,
and . nervous dread of being made the
object of any attempted familiarity
especially In a railway carriage. Per
haps this wen dressed young lady might
be an actress, or some abandoned crea-
turs of that description. and
His speculations were interrupted by
another sudden movement on the part
Of the young lady which caused him
TO peep at her once o She was
now standing up. but her eyes still
looked straight at him in the same un-
swereing gaze. Something, however,
about them struck him this time which
he had not noticed before. There
was q sort Of deafness, a lack of intel
Hgence in them, for, though they were
turned directly upon himself, they did
not appear to see him Could it be
that the girl was blindl
He cleared his throat, coughed and
rnstled his newspaper; but her face re-
manned absolutely unmoved, giving no
token that she had heard the sounds. or
was IN anywise conscious Of his pres
ence. That was very unlike blind
people, who were always sonquick
to notice. Besides-as bis eye fen upon
the novel and the magazines-a blind
person would not take works of htera-
ture for her travelling companions
No. Blindness could scarcely be the
explanation Of her very strange de