Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1896-07-19
A NIGHT WITH A MADMAN.

From the San F'rancisco Arg0naut.
| was travelling in "mixed train on
a "jerkwater" railroad in California.
These terms obtain in railway parlance.
The tain consisted Of a motley and sim
ucus length of freight cars, with two
passenger cars bringing uD t4a rear,
one a smoker. / vas in the lat,er and
it was night. At each end a titful and
nlckcclng light family Illuminated the
! extnsmo.ies Of the car and intensified
! Che darkness of the res. OF it. The only
| C.her occupant WIS a man at it's further
| end. who sat directly ur' Ter the ligL-
with lis back toward ne.
l had been smoking furiousiy fer half
| an hour. trying 10 subGue, in the sol
ace Of tobacco, the yeXltJn caused by
the irr..9.irg slCWness CT The train "a
il ratified slowly along. For lack OF
anything better 10 do pressed my face
| aeairrt me window pane and tr ed to
decirher objects in the outside black
| ness through which WE were moving.
Chests Of telegraph poles fii&7d by in
regular prCcessiCn; the rails OF par
| a,lel track seemed to be raci.g with me
train ard keeping up with it; occasional
! lighrs. few and far between, --'d when
q farm house was passed. 1GiS WAS
neither exciting ror entertaining. ana
rIrned from the drearines's without 10
! that within. Than | noticed that the
man at the further end Ead lis arm
| thrown over the back Of the seat ac1
| his face was turned toward me.
r.7.
| his arm, entered at this moment ana
proved a temporary diversion wac
the train late? Yes, but the time would
be made ZIP before we reached the ter
minus We had a couple of freight
cars to drop at the next station and
coupe to take on, but The delay would
| be slight The conductor walked the
length of the car, returned, and went
into the rear one. Gradually | began
to nod. Ny cigar fell from my fingers
| and leaned sleepi'y over on my travel
ing bag beside me. | looked ahead and
saw my fellow passenger. He still had
his arm over the back Of the scat. and
| he appeared to be gazing s.eadfas-ly in
my direction. / noticed he was NJ i'm
the same seat as before, but in one three
|
inst wondering how .cng | had ..fn
| asleep and how long ne had been W1tch-
ing me. when | saw him steal9-iiy sep
into the aisle and sink into tle next
seat in my direction, his arm over us
back and his face toward me- as De.cIe
Twas thoroUghly awake and curious
now, and a little uneasy to boot He
| had gotten into the dark shadows OF
the car, and al ! could discern was his
| form and the indistinct white disk OF
| mis- face TWO minutes, and again a
! cat-like movement and change OF seat.
! leaned back, feigned sleep. AMI watol-
Cd him through partly closed eyelids.
This. however. seemed to reaSsure him,
| FOR he advanced two seats in quick s'lc-
cas:ion. | counted the backs Of the
seats. He was still six away from me.
| For a moment | felt inclined to get up
and leave the car.
would net have admitted that I v7s
| afraid. but there was something decid-
eddy uncanny about the mysterious APP
preach of tine stranger in that darkened
car, and l began to develop a rather
healthy anxiety Besides, I had forgot
ten my revolver on leaving home Had
the conductor entered | would nave
| been grateful. Still I was determined
70 see what the mans object might be
As the rays from the lamp in my end
OF the car fell upon him. was better
able to make him out I could see b
was a man about my own age and ply
sique. with piercing black eyeSin which
| thought l could detect a suspicion
6hat l was asleep. As ! wacclei him
advance. STAT by seat. wondered if be
would attack ne, and, if 80, how
should repel 1t. My nerves are pretty
good. but they were being screly tired
Strange as it may seem. even during
those critical moments, While | watch
cd him as arertly as he did me, the no
notcGous rattle of the train got into
my head and compelled me to keep note
Of its regular but urmus.oal time-5eat
C.ack, clack. ctckity-c.ack; click
click, clackity-olick-he was but two
seats away-clack, c.ack, cllckety-clacA