The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1898-10-20

of dead leaves-fit emblems of faded
dreams and withered hopes.
Beneath you, those dark and troubled
waters are rushing out to sea. Behind
you-fast fading from sight like the
hopes and ambitions of better days
are the lights on Governors Island. Off
there, to the right, from the Jersey coast,
long streams of light come glimmering
across the dark waters, like ghostly
fingers leading you out to sea; ahead,
and into which you are rushing, "dark-
ness and nothing more" Imagine this,
and the stage is set for the part about
to be played call it tragedy or comedy
of errors, as you will.
| There were several other passengers
out on deck, among them an old gentle
man to whom my attertion was drawn
by his asking me what time it was.
The chilling breeze from the ocean
gradually drove the others within the
cabin leaving the old gentleman and
myself alone. Like Rebecca at the
we'll, 1 saw yet saw not, saw with my
eyes alone, my mind being elsewhere.
Perchance was thinking how fool
ish I had been in trying to make the
king swim out" instead Of "coppering'
it. At any rate, while I stood within
ten feet of the old gentleman, he sud-
denly threw up both hands exclaiming,
"Oh! 1 can't bear this any longer, God
help me" and in an instant he was over
the chain and had plunged into the
water directly in front of the boat;
which passed over him. Idonot know,
of course, how much trouble he may
have made for himself or others during
life, but know that he dropped out of
it easily enough.
The morning papers gave him about
three lines, viz
can unknown man, about seventy,
jumped from Staten Island ferry
boat last night at $780,"
There is, certainly, nothing uncom.
mon in such an act, in fact, it is an al
most daily occurrence in all large cities.
But being, as it was, sort of curtain
raiser" for another tragedy which was
enacted shortly afterward it made an
indelible impression upon my memory.
The ferryboat had scarcely been
"wound up'' in its slip at Staten Island,
when my ears were greeted with the
ominous glang, glang, of an ambulance
gong. The "case' was in the lady's
waiting-room. AS was an acquaint-
ance of young "DOc" M the ambu-
lance surgeon who himself became a
suicide a few years afterward.
[ went in with him. Lying upon the
floor, with travelling bag for pillow,
was the body of young woman scarce
ly out of her "teens." She was still
breathing heavily but epxired almost as
soon as the doctor reached her side 1t
was hard to realize that she was dead,
for not feature was distorted or
marred in the slightest degree. One
ungloved hand rested upon her cheek,
and the whole poise of her body was
that of a weary traveller who had chosen
rather a public place for nap. She
had shot herself just behind the right
ear, her hair concealing the wound.
These are the bare facts, and all, I
believe which were ever known. She
had no baggage, (the travelling bag act
ing as an improvised pillow belong to
another.) Her purse, containing moth
ing but few pieces of silver, and the
revolver were the only articles found.
The marks upon every article had been
carefully removed, I know, however,
that she was gentlewoman.
How do know it? Well, used to do
the washing in a "good family" where
they were "real ladies'" and 1 learned,
that fingernail, the shape of a boot,
the make of a glove, the presence of
this and the absence of that little thing,
are all indications refined tastes,
just as surely as the display of jewelry
and "scent bottle" stamps on a vul.
gar gawk.
What her name was, from whence
she came or whittier she was going, no.
body knew, or if they did, made no
sigh. Well, the papers gave her a