Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-10-08


tention. 1T was swarthy. with black
beard. and features Of q foreign cast;
such as might be seen any day In the
neighborhood of leicester square. or on
the platform OF the London Bridge sta
ton, where they would have passed
without remark. And though more
rare under the glass roof at Paddington,
they might possibly have escaped no
tice there, but for their owner being
cloaked on sultry autumn day. 1t
was this that first drew my attention
to him, which became fixed, as his
gaze met mine; for in his eyes read
4cut-throat" as plainly as if the word
were branded on his brow.
AS he passed close to the carriage in
which ! was seated, apparently in
search of a seat himself, I was more
than ever struck with his countenance,
sinister to an extreme. While mental
ly endeavoring to make out whether it
was Israelitish, Spanish, Portuguese, or
Italian, he gave me glance out of cold,
animal orbs. so sneeringly inquisitiye
as to make me feel like resenting it by
speech not very nice; and in all prob
ability, had he entered the compart-
ment, there would have been unpleas-
antness between us before the train had
started. As it was, he did not seem to
fancy any of the seats beside me,
though all were unoccupied. I was re-
lieved at seeing him step into another
carriage, where perhaps he found COM
pany more congenial than mine, for
certainly to him it could not well be
less.
1t was some time before l got the
man out of my mind-indeed, not till
the train had passed Drsyton. And
then he was absent from my thoughts
but for short while; till reaching
Slough, where we made a stop. There
he was recalled to them in a manner
unexpected, and still more forcibly inn
pressive. While listening to the Slough
tationmaster-that gigantic Bonnerges
in green coat and gilt buttons, who
used to thunder out Slow, Slouw."-
But l heard a voice, in foreign coat,
inquiring the way to the house of Gen
eral Harding.
Craning my neck out of the window.
saw that the inquirer was my anti
pathy in the snuff-colored cloak.
What on earth can that man want
with General Harding?" was my mental
interrogatory.
For answer it occurred to me that as
the General was an old soldier, this
might be some Oriental he had encoun-
tered in his Indian campaigns, and who,
just arrived in England, found even its
autumn climate cold, after the hot sun
of Hindustan. l could not help think
ing, however, that if from India he
might there have belonged to the hon
orable fraternity Of Phansigars. Ger
tainly no Thug ever had physiogonomy
more repellant.
My mystified musing were suddenly
interrupted by sweet feminine voice,
also addressing inquiries to the sta
asking for two seats in a
first-class carriage. / had drawn back
in mine, and did not see the lady so in
quiring; but soon the rustic of silks.
with the pattering of little feet, admon-
ished me that more than one was APP
preaching the compartment l had hith-
erto occupied solus. | was congratu-
lating myself at the accession of such
company, hoping it would prove agree
able, when presto. the door was drawn
open, and in were nshered-Belle Main
waring and her mother!
Of course, there were no salutations
exchanged, nor show Of recognition,
on either side; though l could see that
my presence produced a fiutter, which
did not for some time subside. / my
self felt the situation rather irksome,
but, as there was now no escaping from
it, | did the best l could under the cir
cumstances-buried my face between
the pages Of Punch; read that periodi-
cal through and through, even the dull
est of its jokes. till having exhausted
them all, I turned to the advertising
columns; made myself acquainted with
the qualities of ~Gosnell's Soap" and
the superior set of the "Sanhectum
Crinoline in full expanded fash
ion-with other like commercial infor-
nation.
Withal 1 could not resist now and
then stealing side glance at my for
mer pretty partner in the hunt hall OF
B; which each time l caught her
returning in similar slant. AS once our
eyes squarely met l read in hers a light,
which, but for my heart being as ice,
might have set it on FIRE Twelve
months before, it had been nigh unto
melting under that glance of sweet
witchery; but now cooled. hardened 70