The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-12-07
A MENTAL PICTURE.

me and my destination 300 miles.
Three hundred miles passed over in
this eddying fight. The events of
that night I remember how yividly
Although I had dozed frequently on
the journey, I distinctly remember
calculating in my mind there now
remained but one other station at
which stoppage would be made be-
fore reaching London. This was
Norton Heath. No one alighted, and
only one person entrained.
The door Of my own carriage was
quickly flung open, and q man some
what younger than myself sprang
in, closing the door behind him.
Never bestowing upon mo even the
most casual glance the STU nrer set
Sled into cor1Ser and yielded him
self up to the rhy ythmic whirl of tho
wheels, viii h increased almost i'm
perceptibl ith the velocity of the
train sit 3, ,ed over the darkened
country.
After 8 little while be took from
one of his pockets a flask of brandy
which he emptied at draft and
then relighted his cigar, which had
gone out since he entered the car
rage. The 1nonotonous hum of the
wheels, together with the quantity
of spirits he must have consumed,
heightened his drowsiness tolethar-
~, and he gazed vacantly through
the darkened window into the I'M
searchable gloom of wreathing
smoke that woye itself into 600
chimeras past the magician's cum
ming.
We had journeyed thus for nearly
half an hour when, by chance turn
ing my eyes in the strangers direc-
ton, / beheld the man haggard and
terror stricken. The half smoked
cigar lay on the floor near his foot,
and he had taken grim hold on
the door handle, and, rigid with
fear, he gazed away into the dark
ness. twas no ordinary sight which
thus held his attention, I was GER
tain.
h Fearful Of intruding on the pri-
vacy of SO complete stranger, I for
some time refrained from speaking,
but the strangers movements now
became so many nameless fears not
to be endured. Unable longer to
bear the horror of the mans face, I
at length passed over and looked
out.
The night was dense, a deep plu-
tonian darkness, not star visible.
The agony of the white face upon
the pane caused me shiver Now
and then a spasm convulsed his
whole being, and for a rare instant
the fixed eyes were closed. How
long this state continued never
knew.
at last could endure the thing
no longer. I seized the mans hands,
each in one of my own. Even as I
did SO the droning of the wheels in
creased, and against the blackened
pane vague, half formed contours
began dimly to shape themselves,
coming and going fantastically, like
siahouettes Of the dancers against
the curtained window of ballroom.
The train, however, appeared to be
travelling at a much greater celerity,
and the peculiar effect for some time
excited my curiosity to a high pitch.
z Reused to keener sense Of OBJ
servation, ] began to cast about for
tho cause of the fantasy. An empty
up train, hitherto unnoticed, had
sided and for some distance jour-
neyed abreast of us. And yet, how"
ever, it seemed unreasonable to sup
pose LnaG buS tidlu ueiO SiO" Ces Wv W =
after coming up with us. Indeed
SO rapid was our passage that the
carriages could be felt to oscillate
bodily as the train eddied round a
sharp bend in the track.
So strange and d'weird seemed the
aeeting shapes upon the pane that
for q long time 1 was utteSly at a
loss to account for tho curious freak
And yet plainly enough it YVES nos
tho other train that lad slacNened
speed, but we who hal, az I could
not deubt, now inc1-e@Sed our own
and We're consequently moving more
OF less collateral with the darkered
and empty carriages.
1 had heard of tlcso optical iliu-
sions before and ascribcd it to ny
overwrought Imagination. Finally,
satisfied, with these discoveries, ]
turned my attention to the stranger.
His gaze had become fixed and in
tense. I was sure it was no sleeping