Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-11-30

A PICTURE ON A WINDOW.


AlOuLSAl, ana lOe rush ana WElri
of The express flying south. Between
me and my destination 800 miles
Three hundred miles passed over i'm
This eddying flight. The events of that
night / remember how wildly. Al
though l had dozed frequently on the
journey, | distinctly remember caicu-
lattug in my mind there now remained
but one other station at which stoppage
would be made before reaching Lon
don. This was Norton Heath No
one aligh,cd and only one person en-
trained.
The door of my own carriage was
quickly Hung open, and a man some
what younger than myself sprang in.
closing the door behind him. Never
oeS-oWinS upon me even the most cas-
ual glance the stranger settled Into
q corner and yielded himself uD 10 the
rhythmic Whirl OF the wheels, which in
creased almost impercepUibly with the
velocity of The train as Fl sped over the
darEened country.
After little while he took from one
OF his pockets q flask OF brandy which
Aa amp-ied at "a draught, and then re-
islret his cigar which had gone out
since Pie entered the carriage The mo-
notouous hum of the wheels. together
with the quantity OF spirits he must
have consumed. heightened his drowsi-
ness TO ielhargy, and he gaZed yacantjy
through the darkened window into the
uncomfortable gloom of wreaJhing
smoke chat wove itself into a thou
sand chimeras past the magicians
cunning.
We had jOurneyed thus for nearly
half an hour when, by chance turning
my eyes I'm the strangers direction. L
aahe.d the man haggard and terror
stricken The half-smOked cigar lay
on The floor near his foot, and he he'd
taken a grim hold on the door handle,
and rigid with fear. he gazed away into
the darkness. It was no ordinary
sight which thus held his attention. I
was certain.
Fearful of intruding on the privacy
of So complete q stranger. / for some
time RETAINED from speaking; but the
strangers movements now became so
many naueless fears not 20 be endured.
Unable longer to bear the horror Of
the mans face. I at length passed over
ard looked 0Ur.
The night was dense-a deep pluto
MAN darEnoss-DOt a star visible. The
s-onN or the white race upon the pane
caused me shiver. Now and then a
soasm convulsad his whole being, and
for rare instant The fixed eyes We're
closed How long this state continued
Z never knew.
At last ] could endure the thing no
longer. ] seized the mans hands each
in one OF my own. Even as [ did so
the orcnlng OF the wheels increased,
a1t against Tho olackened pane vague,
Ha-t-Iormed contours began dlmlV -
share themselves coming ana gong
..lIas.lc2-F. IKE shlooe,las or Jae
. dancers against the cUrtalned window
or q ballroom. The train. moreover,
+ appeared TO be travelling at q much
greater celoritv. and the peculiar effect
for some time excited my curiosity to
+ q high pitch.
Reused to o keerer sense Of observe
rior began TO cest about for the
cause OF the fantasy. An empty up
--air hitherto unu0ticed had sided.
and for some distance iOurneyej
abreast % MS. And yet. however. it
seemed unreasonable to suppose that
-ra train had slowed down after com
i1e mp with us. Indeed. so rapid was
our passage that the carriages could
be felt TO Osci'0to bodily as the train
eddied round a sharp bend iu the track
So STRANGE and Wierd seemed the
. r-ettrc shapes upon the pane that for
long time was utterly at a loss to
account for the furious freak. And
yet plainly enough. It was not the o-'-
er train that had slacEoned speed. but
we who had Gas could not doubt now
increased our own. and were co0S'-
CueDt'v moving more or less collateral
with the darkeued and empty car
RACES.
had heard or these optical illusions
before and ascrihed it 20 my over
wrought imagination Finally, salts
fed with these discoveries, i turned
my attention 10 the stranger. His gaze
had become fixed and intense. j was
sure it was no sleeping state i'm which
ne was plunged: some mysterious
power held him charmed
Suddenly 4 released my hold Of the
mans hands, ana I'm an instant the lilu-
sion vanished / was dum0foundeo.
Again I seized ms hands and he.d
them. one IN each OF my own. Grad
UcIiv. rs dream grows into life, / was
conscious OF nndmer&Die Things pass
ing swiftly before me, unintellSlble'
and with @ sense of infinite woe.
by the workings or the man race i
was sure that, by some morbid sympa-
thy. the mirage was visible IN both, Ior
Z perceived that I might by the mere