The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-08-16
THE Man IN The TRAIN.


girls rushed into the station. They
had just time to hurry into the first
carriage at hand and have their bags
and rugs bundled in after them, when
the whistle sounded and the train
started.
How I haze a rush, exclaimed
Angela Trevor, the elder of the two
sisters, handsome, resolute- looking
girl. as she sank GREATNESS into her
place. ut is so upsettIng TO ones
nerves."
'Disarranges ones clothes, too,
added Molly.
ITO think of our not having had time
to select a carriage for such long
Journey said Angela.
Both glanced involuntarily to the 9TH
er end of the carriage, where their enc
fellow traveller sat in the corner seat
on the same side with Angela. His
head and face were hidden from view
by the ample pages of the Times
spread out before him. Two long,
tweed-clad legs were stretched out,
finished with fiattish feet in weil-6tting
boots. AT the side glimpses showed Of
a shoulder, an arm, and a thin nervous
looking hand
He looks eli right" Molly said, care
hair.
"Undeniably a gentleman" said
Angela, with decision. He has a good
tailor, and his boots are unexcepiion
able"
The girls settled down for the journey,
extracting from amongst the surround
ing impedimenta the ususal literary
solaces in the way of newspapers and
vividly bound books. First, however,
they talked oyer in low tones the visit
On which they were going to Yorkshire.
Their hostess was a friend and con-
temporary, who had lately married the
squire of Mapledene. The girls were
full of excitement, surmise, and pleas
ant anticipations regarding the visit to
their friend in her new place and pO-
sftion. 1t was some time before the
flow OF conversation ceased and they
took UP their books. Angela was soon
engaged in following the unwholesome
career Of a modern heroine through all
its risky intricacies. Molly had CHANGED
on volume of short stories, plainly
inspired by the triumphs of Sherlock
Holmes. They We're full of CHASTITY ad-
ventures with criminals and lunaeics; ;
the situations, though infinite in
variety were all alike thrilling and
blood-curdling. Molly's youthful imagi-
nation took fire; one story, an adVen-
ture with a lunatic in a railway car
riage, especially excited her. 1t was not
a particularly happy selection for rail-
way journey. She looked up from the
pages with a shudder, her blood run
ming cold. 1t was only in books, how
ever, that awful, creepy adventures
happened to travellers. She Had never
known a real person who wax unducky
enough to meet a criminal or hunatic in
q train. AS the reassuring Thought en-
tered her mind her eyes wandered to
the far end of the carriage. They I'M
met those of the man in the
corner seat; the shock was sharp and
violent He was sitting up, the Times
folded on his knees, allowing his whole
face to be seen. Such a facet Just like
so many of those described in the stories
Molly had been reading. The coinci-
dence was extraordinary, and startling
The girls imagination rushed off on a
series of wild flights, as she drew
quickly back, covering behind her
book. She had never seen a stranger
looking man; hollow checked, gaunt
grim, but, above all, with the most
peculiar eyes, staring and prominent
She had so little expected such a de-
Velopment in the Misunderstanding man
behind the Times that the shock and
surprise were@Very great. She retain
appeal to Angela on the impulse of the
moment. Molly was used to having
her fears ridiculed. She, therefore, de-
cided to wait before giving any alarm,
for 1t was possible that her excited
was running away with
her
After a few minutes she venitured to
peep cautiously from behind her book
The man had turned away. and was
looking out of the window, the gaunt
face only showing in profile. Molly
breathed more freely, relieved from the
stare of those terrible eyes; she made
a quick, close study of the stranger
AS the scrutiny progressed, however
another change came over her face
the composure she had fegained began
to diminish rapidly. Her eyes noted
the mans bare head, then went from
it to the rack above, to the seat op-
posite, to the floor. No trace of hat or
hat box, of bags, rugs, or luggage of
any kind could she discover. Her heart
stood still. Who but an escaped lunatic
or criminal would pe travelling hatless
and without baggage? The CHASTITY
ideas, vague before, now took terrible
and definite shape. She bent quickly
across, and touched Angela, whom the
doubtful heroine'S adventures still held
wholly absorbed.
Take care,'' Molly whispered. Don't
start and look around. want to tell
you something"
Good gracious. What has happened?
Are you ill?"
Angela, so suddenly reused from her
reading, found it hard not to exclaim
aloud at her sisters word, and the
sight of her pale face.
mo, no. I am ali right. Only it's
a great deal worse. It's about the man
in the carriage" Molly's voice sunk
to the lowest whisper.
what do you mean? Has ne peen
doing anytfing?'
NO. But he is dreadful looking, such
a strange face and staring eyes. He
must be an escaped criminal, or a lu-
matte. A ,lunatic, 1 think, he looks SO
queer. Oh, it's dreadful.
.eWhy should you rush at such awful
Angela expostulafed,
merely because man is queer look
SBut it's not only that. OH, I wish
it was Molly's teeth chartered with
fright.
ems sake speak plainly.
HE is travelling without a hat, his
head is bare" Molly gasped out in
strangled whispers. "And he has no
hat in the carriage, no luggage Of any
kind, either" -,
Good graciousi Are you quite sure?"
quite. He has nothing with him but
the Times. Would any ordinary man
travel like that?''
Angela's face bleached to the color
of her sisters; her fears started into
Just as acute life. No ordinary man
would travel bareheaded. There was
an awful PROBABILITY about the conclu-
sions drawn by Molly from his hatless