Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1899-05-25
The Night Express.

Inc N1gnt Express.
A bitter December midnight, and the
up express painting through its 10 min
utes' rest at Rugby. What with pas
sengers just arriving and passengers
lust departing; what with the friends
who came to see the last of the de-
parting passengers or TO meet the ar
irving ones, the platform was full
enough, | can assure you; and had
some difficulty in making my way from
carriage to carriage, even though |
find that people almost unconsciously
perhaps) move aside for the guard
when they see him walking up or down
close to the carriage doors
This difficulty VISA increased, too
by the maneuvers of my companion, a
London detective, who had Joined me
TO give himself a better opportunity
of examining the passengers. Keenly
he did it, too, in that seemingly care
less way of his, and, while he appeared
TO be only an idle, Longing acquain-
lance of my own, l knew that under
his unsupported scrutiny it was next
10 impossible for the thieves he was
seeking to escape-eyen in hampers.
I didn't trouble myself to help him,
for | knew it wasn't necessary; yet
I was as anxious as hun lreds of 9th
ers we're that these pray ticed thieves,
whom the police had been hunting for
the last two days, should be caught, as
they deserved.
Sometimes we came upon group
which my companion could not take in
at a glance, and then he always found
himself unusually cold and stopped to
stamp a little life into his petrif1ed
feet. OF course, for me, this enforced
standing was the signal for an attack
of that persistent questioning with
which railway guards are familiar;
ana, in attending to polite questioners
who deserved answering, and unpoilte
ones who insisted on 1t, | had not
much time for looking about me; but
presently | did catch myself watching
one girl who stood alone at some dis
tance-a girl very pretty and pleasant
to look upon, I thought; though her
face and her dress and her attitude
were all sad A tall, slight girl, in
deep mourning, with a quantity OF
bright. fair hair plaiteu high upon her
head, as well as hanging loosely on
her shoulders ana childishly limo
cent face, with pretty, bewilderlng
eyes. She stood just at the door OF
the booking Office and | wished ! coula
have gone straight to her and put her
into one-the most comfortable-of
the line Of carriages at which she
gazed 50 timidly.
Just as / hesitated, a very remarka-
bic figure elbowed its way to me-a
stout, grandly dressed old lady, pant
ing painfully, and almost piercing me
with a pair of restless, half-opened
eyes. that looked out through the gold
trimmed spectacles perched on her
sharp nose. Two porters followed her
laden with bags, clOaks, umbrellas
and fowers-the only flowers in the
station, | expect. on that winter night
and one of the men winked at me
over her head, while the other guard
ed her treasures with a face OF con-
aentrated anxiety, and thoughts en-
crossed by possible fees.
This is the London train, Is it,
gIa'de' she asked, pee:ing sharply in
10 my face with her half-closed eyes,
as il she found it difficult to distin-
eui-h me even through her spectacies.
From her whole attitude ! guessed
her TO be deaf, but I never guessed how
deaf until, after yelling my answers
so loud that the engine driver must
have heard it is carriages of, she still
remained stonily waiting for it.
Deaf as a dozen posts" remarked
The detective, aloud, giving the old la
dg an expressive little nod in the d.
reetion Of the train.
Slow train" she asked, in that
p.a.ntiye tone which the very deaf
often use.
Nail" I shouted, putting my mouth
a- close 20 her cheek as ! fencied she
would like.
A.e.' she shrieked back at me, the
pe-.alles shaking little on her thin
nose. Why should you want ale for
listening to civil questions that you
are paid to answer? Ale. indeed /
believe railway men think Of nothing
e'se
Then she shook her head angrily
and wadi'ed OF, looking as acid an old