The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1897-04-23
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upon NE 50 sadd sHiy and fIfeuciisi
'Auick succession, sisss---- y
40 Ie is-too- dark tospaipt-ana iongar.
and you must He very tired Of Keeping
so long in one posture, so let us go into
the drawing room, and over cosy
cup of tea | will tell you the story of
the strangest and most terrible Incl
dent that ever happened to me, and
which your request has brought back
to my mind as wildly as though it had
only happened yesterday.
Il won't bore you with long ac-
count of my early history, but just a
few words are necessary. Up TO the
age of seventeen no girls life could
have been hapEie than mine. My
mother had died in my early child
hood, when | was too young to feel her
loss; and my dear father and | had
for each other so strong an affection
that | never learned to know it. |
cannot tell you how he tried to fill her
place to mellow thoughtful lie was,
almost womanly in his tenderness and
care, so that | might never feel how
great loss mine had been -.
but all too soon the end came; it
was the old sad story of speculation
hopes so alluring, schemes SO plausi-
BILE, ending in results so disastrous;
and still almost child, | found my
self an orphan, and except for the pit
lance of forty pounds year saved
from the wreck of my fathers prop
erty, dependent upon my own eXer-
tions for a livelihood. The talent for
painting which | inherited had been
most carefully cultivated; but my I'M
Gle. who took upon himself the care of
nv future, thought very lightly of it,
and | agreed readily enough to his
suggestion that for the present l
should take "A situation as companion,
caring little then how my life should
| be arranged Such n situation he had
| lust heard of, and all preliminaries
being quickly arranged, it was settled
| that | should start for my new home
in Scotland--Cn a certain Friday,
leaving Euston by the midnight ex-
press.
AT the last moment it was discov-
cred that my drawing materials had
not been packed, and had to take
them in the railway carriage with me.
| Trifling as such an accident seemed,
| how much | owe to it
NV fellow travellers from Euston
were three ladies who, | understood,
were going as far as Edinburgh; but
at Rugby they alighted and left me,
not at all to my regret, alone. Not,
| however, for long, for when the train
was almost in motion again the door
was hastily opened, and a man jump
ed in only just in time. :,
"Engrossed as | was with my own
| thoughts, | had a sort of uneasy feel
| ing that he was looking at me; and af-
| tor OF ofyainSt tho 1aSira fn
raise my eyes for some minutes, at last
| looked up. | shall never forget the
effect of that look The man had, in
| dress 9mldBeneral bearing the appear
ance of 4A gentleman, and there was
nothing noticeable about him except
the They held mine with kind
/ ST ife dir III fascination. and was ut
tgrlS pe4Fefqess to look away.
-sssPresen&hYphe left his seat at the
| door, and came up to the one opposite
mine at the other end of the carriage
mot speaking, but still regarding me
with the same intent and yet wild
| look-and, after d few minutes, put
| his hand into his pocket and brought
| out, to my intense horror, a small re-
yolyer! Still he did not remove his
ewes from my face, though the expires
sion of his own softened little, and a
sort of pitying, regretful look came
over it.
presently he spoke; and you can
imagine my horror and despair when
[ knew that | was alone i'll the car
riagc--the train travelling at the rate
of more than forty miles an hour
with a mailman
He spoke quite calmly and quietly,
though his words made my tongue
cleave to the roof of my mouth and
thought every moment my heart
would stop beating.
MY dear young lady he said, i
regret that very sad necessity is laid
upon me. | shall have to take your
life = as coolly and calmly us he might
have said, 1 shall have to open the
| window