Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1891-09-10

even threatening demcansr. Casting
he plunged his hand into his pocket,
affecting to grasp an imaginary revol-
yer. To his intense delight the ruse
took immediate effect. The man OPP
posite gave an unmistakable start, and
shrank back into his corner. So far,
so good. But how to keep up the pre-
tense? What to do next? At this
crisis the whistling Of the engine sud-
denly distracted Brown. Good
heavens! He had forgotten the long
tunneN They were coming to it now!
His eyes, with q quick, involunta ry
movement. sought the lamp. It was
not lighted!
Entrapped! Doomed! The widest
thoughts rushed confusedly to his
brain. With a shrek the train plunged
noisily into the tunnel, into darkness
The din and rattle outside con trasted
sharply with the silence within the
carriage. Crouched in his corner,
Brown, his hearing sharpened to agoniz-
ing acuteness, listened for a stir, a
rustic, the sound of human breathing
drawing nearer to him. Every moment
fancy detected a step, q stealthy, cat
like movement His Imagination,
after the neglect of lifetime, was now
taking ample revenge. Uncontrolled
and uncomfortable were its wild flights.
Every railway murder of which he had
ever heard flashed upon him with all
the CHASTITY details The spring upon
the victim, the struggle, the death
stroke, the body thrown out on the
rails. How idly he had read of these
things happening to other men! But
now to realize himself as the victim;
his, the body! Absolute panic seized
upon him; hardly knowing what he
was doing, he tried softly to open the
door. 1t was locked, however. His
movements must have been heard,
there was a stir at the other end of the
carriage. The fatal moment had
come, the assassin was advancing to
the attack. In the extremity of his
terror Brown sank swiftly on the floor
and crawled under the seat.
For what length of time he crouched
there, half stifled, scarcely daring to
breathe, Brown knew not. Agony can
not measure time. A sudden and ex-
traordinary rush of air made his heart
first stand still, and then sent the blood
coursing wildly through his veins. The
far door was swinging open! Some
thing had happened! And what?
His straining ears detected no sound
but the outside rattle and roar of the
| train through the tunnel; within all
was silence. He remained listening in
intense excitement and amazement un-
! til the hope which had hardly dared to
stir in his breast grew into vigorous
life. He was alone in the carriage! He
| was saved! Deliverance had come
| miraculously-why and how he knew
not!
The tunnel was coming to an end;
light began to stream into the carriage.
! Cautiously and slowly Brown peeped
from under the seat. He was quite
| alone. The man had disappeared.
The fact of his escape was, at the
time. enough for Brown. Afterward,
| in thinking over the adventure, he sur
| missed that the man, deceived by his
(Brown's) attempt to turn the handle
| of the door. had followed in supposed
pursuit.
At the station, just outside the tun-
| mel, Brown-alighting almost before
| the train had stopped-changed his
place for one in a crowded second-class
compartment A few hours later the
brilliant was safely transferred from
his charge into that of Goldsmith's
brother at Lucerne.
The rest of the tour was uneventful;
he neither heard of nor saw his perse-
cuto1 again.
Browns adventure made quite sen.
satiOn on his return to London. He
| was the hero of the hour in his circle.
! Whether or not he related the circum-
! stances exactly, as here set forth, need
| not be mentioned. His friend Jones,
among others. gave a dinner party in
his honor. Brown, with his usual
punctuality, was the first OF the guests
| to arrive.
by the way" Jones said chaffngly
to him, as the two stood chatting to.
gether on the hearth-rug. you must
| look to your laurels tonight, Brown.
Do you know Leroy, your neighbor in
| Harley street,"
| Never saw the man In my life.
| What's the joker"
| "a rival adventure! In Switzerland,
too. and eliminating in tunnel-not
sure that it wasn't the Often one also"'
| "Dear me! What an extraordinary
| coincidence!'
''In this case it was lunatic, not a
robber. He was Swallowed at hotels
and trains. You must hear the story
from his own lips; he's dining here to
night. The climax is terrific. Shut
into railway carriage alone with a
lunatic, aforesaid lunatic armed with a
revolver. A long tunnel, An extin-
the darkness to the attack. an escape