The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-03-28


going to bed. As 1 passed the porter I
repeated the hour he had named, add
ing. That is the first train for -
junction."
He nodded. again naming the exact
time. But l cannot do SO. as l have
never been able to recollect it,
L trudged along the road-there were
lamps, though very feeble ones; but by
their light L saw that the man who had
been in the Iefreshment room was still
a few steps behind me. 1t made me
feel slightly nervous. and / looked round
furtively once or twice; the last time I
did so he was not to be seen, and L
hoped he had gone some other way.
The .'restauratiOn' was scarcely more
inviting than the station refreshment
room. II, too, was very dimly lighted,
and the one or two attendants seemed
half asleep and were strangely silent.
There was a fire, of kind, and / seated
myself at a small table near it and asked
for some coffee, which would. 1 thought,
serve the double purpose of warming me
and keeping me awake.
1t was brought me. in silence. I drank
it, and felt the better for it. But there
was something so gloomy and unsoci-
able, so queer and almost weird about
the whole aspect and feeling of the place,
that "A sort of irritable resignation took
possession Of me. If these surly folk
won't speak, neither will l, l said to my
self childishly. And incredible as it
may sound, L did not speak. l think L
paid for the coffee, but l am not quite
sure. j know 1 never asked what l had
meant to aSk-the name of the town.
place of some Importance, to judge oy
the size of the station and the extent OF
twinkling lights 1 had observed as I
made my way to the ''restauration."
From that day to this have never been
able TO identify it, and L am quite sure
1 never shall.
hot 81, hot
coffee? Or was it something peculiar
about my own condition that caused 1t
to have the unusual effect [ now eX-
perienced? That question, too, l cannot
answer. All remember is feeling a SEN
SatiOn Of Irresistible drowSineSS creeping
over me-mental, or moral 1 may say,
as we'll as physical. For when one part
of me feebly resisted the first onslaught
of sleep something seemed to reply,
"Oh, NONSENSE YOU have several hours
before you. Your papers are all right
No one can touch them without awaking
you
And. dreamily conscious that my be-
longings We're on the floor at my feet
the bag itself actually resting against
my ankle-my scruples silenced them
selves in an extraordinary way. / re-
member nothing more. save q vague con-
SciOuSneSS through all my slumber of
confused and chaotic dreams. which I
have never been able to recall.
awoke at last and that with a start,
almost jerk. Something had awakened
me-a southland as ii was repeated 10
my now aroused ears knew that I had
heard it before. off and on, during my
sleep. II was the extraordinary cough!
L looked up. Yes, there he was! At
some two or three yards distance only,
at the other side of the fireplace, which
1 have forgotten to mention as another
peculiar item in that nights peculiar eX-
naI.iPnnaS considering | have
son TO believe / was still in Germany.
was not a stove, but an open CRATE.
And he had not been there when l first
fell asleep; to that l was prepared 10
swear.
He must have come sneaking in after
me-" 1 thought, and in all probability
should neither have noticed nor
recognized him but for that traitorous
cackle of his.
Now. my misgivings aroused, my first
thought, of course, was for my precious
charge. / stopped. There were my rugs.
my larger bag, but-no, not the smaller
one; and though the other two were
there, l knew at once that they were
not quite in the same position-not 50
close to ne. Horror seized me. Half
wildly l gaZen around, when my silent
neighbor bent toward me- | could de-
clare there was nothing in his hand
when he did so. and / could declare as
positively that l had already looked UNI
der the small round table beside which
l sat and that the bag was not there.
And yet when the man, with a slight
cackle, caused, no doubt, by his stoop-
ing, raised himself, the thing was in his
hand
Was he a conjurer, a pupil of Maske-
LYME and Cook? And how was IL that,
even as he held out my missing property,
he managed. and that most cleverly and
unObtrusively TO prevent my catching
sight of his face2 / did not see ii then
Il never did see it!
Something he murmured, to the eff
feet that he supposed the bag was what
I was looking for. In what language
he spoke l know not: it was more by the
action accompanying the mumbled
sounds that l gathered his meaning
than that I heard anything articulate.
/ thanked him, of course, mechanical
ly. so TO say though L began to feel as
if he were an evil spirit haunting me.
l could only hope that the splendid lock
TO the bag had defied all curiosity, but
l felt in a fever TO be alone again, and
able to satisfy myself that nothing mad
been tempered with.
The thought recalled my wandering
faculties. How long had 1 been asleep?
l drew out my watch. Heavens! 1t was
close uDon the hour named for the nrSt
train In the morning. sprang up, col
lected my things, and dashed out OF the
'restauration." If l had not paid for
for it then Beside my haste, there
was another reason for this-there was
no one to pay to! Not creature was
to be seen in the room or at the door
as I passed out-always excepting the
man with the cough.
As I left the place and hurried along
the road a bell began, not to ring but
TO toll 1t sounded most uncanny. What
IL meant of course, L have never known.
1t may have been a summons TO the
yorkpeople of some mandatory, ii may
have been like all the other experiences
Of that strange night. But no; this theory
/ will not at present enter upon.
Dawn was not yet breaking, but there
was in one direction a faint suggestion
of something of the kind not far off.
Otherwise all was dark. / stumbled
along the best could, helped in reality,
I suppose, by the ugly yellow glimmer
of the woebegone street or road lamps
And il was not far TO the station, though
somehow il seemed farther than when !
came. and somehow, too, it seemed TO
have grown steep. though / could not
remember having noticed any slope the
other way on my arrival. a nightmare
like sensation began TO Cypress me,
felt as II my luggage was growing mo-
mentarily heavier and heavier, as if ]
should never reach the station; and to
this was Joined the agonizing terror OF
missing the train.
made a desperate effort Cold as il
was. the beads of perspiration stood out
upon my forehead as 1 forced myself
along. And by degrees the nightmare
feeling cleared off. j found myself en-
tering the station at run just as-yes