Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1891-02-09
A Presentiment of Evil.

more. At IL o'clock that night l
should connect with the through train
for Chicago; at Chicago l should get
the ssLimited," and on the 24th-the
day before Christmas-I should reach
home.
The hope of spending Christmas
with nv wife and boy had remained
with me through weeks of lonely
travel and hard work, doubly hard
the last week, and now that all was
accomplished and l was actually on
the wav. / was full of that exultant
iov which makes men laugh and sing.
1t was bitter cold, and against the
windows, black with outer darkness,
came an unceasing rattle of fine ,driv-
ing snow. The sitting hot car con-
tanned such an assortment of passen-
gers as is usually to be found on
trains which traverse the backwOods
districts of the northwestern states.
Near the center of the car a moder-
ately exciting game of pedro was in
progress. From the forward end
came the resonant snOre of sleeping
lumberman, broken into uneven snorts
and mutterings at the frequent jolt
ing and dancing of the car over the
road bed. Across the aisle thin,
worried-looking woman and a child
smothered in rusty wraps were eating
grapes from funnel-shaped paper
which the lank, fur coated husband
and father had bought from the train
boy.
Ahead of me two we'll dressed men
were talking of mines and mining,one
quietly and steadily, the other pom
pously, howing his head and impress
lively saying Eyes" at frequent in
tervals. Somewhere behind me a
Swede was talking loudly and monot-
Onously in his own tongue to deaf
seatmate. Two woodsmen in SLOUGH
hats, checked shirts and red leggings
were making periodical trips through
the train, bursting into our car from
time to time together with gusts of
cold air and flurries of snow, bang
ing the door shut, swaying and pitch
ing, with drunken jests and laughter,
thro' to the other end of the car and
out at the other door.
All of the sounds had mingled into
a confused and distant murmur, when
with my head against the side of the
car and my eyes closed, l had allow
ed my thoughts to fly away ahead of
the slow moving train to the cheerful
little place called my home. | saw
my wife, TRANQUILITY happy in the con-
fident belief that | would be with her
before Christmas | saw my boy
my Rob-with his shining hair and
outstretched arms, floating, floating
toward me until it seemed that his
cheek touched mine, and then | start
cd violently, for the cheek was as
cold as ice.
was fearfully tired, and before
long the heat Of the car made me
drowsy again. Still thinking of the
strange vision, l closed my eyes
second time and Immediately the face
and form of my boy fioated before
me. He was stretching out his hands,
and as he came close to me l bent
forward to receive his embrace. Again
he pressed his little cheek to mine,
and again | started, terrified, for the
touch sent a chill through my whole
body which felt wildly now, though
quite awake.
l sat mp straight and heard the
sounds of the car now separate and
distinct. loud snore of the lum-
bermen, the monotonous talk of the
Swede, the pompous yes-yes-yes
of the faint owner, the "Pass !"
sSave your clubs !" ''There's for
low" of the pedro players and the
crack of their knuckles against the
board as they threw down the cards.
She stoves were cracking and the
heat of the car was intense, but |
shivered again and again at the mem
DRY of that icy cheek pressing against
my own.
Twice again within an hour l had
this vision and then l closed my eyes
no more.
l set my lips and fought against
the conviction growing in me that
this thing was premonition of some
thing evil that my heart stood still at
the thought of it. But fight as /
would the conviction grew until the
thing feared became like horrible
reality.
My excitement was intense. /
walked up and down the aisle. The
slow crawling and rumbling of the be-
lated train maddened me. | stagger-
ed across the platforms in the driv-
ing snow to find the conductor and
ask him when and where L could send
a telegraph message. l would wire
my wlfe-what? Not the question
that l was asking over and over in
my thoughts, but | would send some
sort of a message and ask her to re-
ply at Chicago.
/ looked at my watch. 1t was half
past nine. "Whatever has happen
ed to him. l said, ''must have hap
pened between s and O'clock" and
as l leaned back in the seat grew
sick at the thought of what this Christ
mas night might be in my little home
IT, 81