The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-12-19
MYSTERY OF A
0LOvED HAND.
~~~~~


4 had been spending q week in New
York with my father and was returning
30 Chicago alone. business OBTAINING my
parent In the east for some time longer.
"Now, Nelly" said my father as he
raw me to my seat and rendered me
supply Of books and papers that would
have lasted me to Honolulu, you will
yet to Chicago as comfortably as il !
tFere going along with YOU"
had lower berth--No. sand to all
appearances the berth above was to be
Aaoccupied.
A parting kiss, a hurried pressure of
hands, brief glimpse of waving hands
and handkerchiefs and the train was
soon speeding on its way westward.
/ began to long for some one to talk
to and almost regretted that fate had
mot provided me with vis-a-vis, even
though stranger. However, l saw
little awakening that promised posi-
BILE break in the monotony. In COM
partment next but one to mine, on the
opposite side, saw a gentleman whom
had not noticed before fixing table
In position, as II for writing. He glanced
across at me now and again with calm
inquisitiveness that somehow suggested
to my mind the probability of 4 closer
intimacy between us later.
was little disconnected at his fire.
Quent slanees in my direction, for
could not tell what they implied. To
avoid recognizing his glances turned
to the newspaper again and made such
good pretense Of being absorbed in it
that l was really startled when I saw
him presently standing close to me, look
ing straight into my face over the paper.
II beg your pardon" he said in a soft,
musical voice, with his hand toward the
seat on which l was sitting.
grasped the situation at once. There
was something under the seat he wanted.
He was the man who was to occupy the
berth above me and who was entitled to
sit on the seat facing me.
l Immediately rose to my feet and
from under the seat he dragged forth
small leather bag, and with a gracious
bow and Il thank you, madam" convey
ed it to the table he had opened out and,
taking therefrom bundle Of papers and
writing materials, was soon busy with
them, covering page after page with
facility that gave me the notion he must
be either newspaper correspondent or
. novelist.
The day wore on; morning grew to
noon and noon to night, and, excepting
the slight intervals for meals, when he
would return all his papers and writing
to his bag, lock it and disappear for
brief interval, he never allowed his pen
to rest.
There was one popularity about him
that struck me as not little remarkable.
He always kept his left hand sloved and,
having not much else to think about,
that gloved hand grew to be an object Of
considerable curiosity to me.
Why l should trouble my head so much
about stranger passed my comprehen-
sion; but, fight against the influence as l
might, the man with the glove exercised
an inexplicable fascination over me.
That he failed to return the compliment
was evident, for, although he often
glanced over at me, be made no further
attempt to disturb my privacy.
A slight diversion occurred after pass
ing Altoona. A thunderstorm of ex.
ceptional violence broke across the val
ley, and the lamps had to be lighted. At
the next station couple Of drenched
male figures boarded the train, shook
themselves free from the hurricane of
rain In which they had been caught and
settled quietly down in compartment
at the other end of the car
What face was his of the gloved
hand as it bent close to the glass and
peered out into the turmoil He saw
roaring furnaces, Scared hills and rag
ged ravines or was much mistaken,
and when at last | retired into the cur
tanned gloom of my lower berth that face
was the object that my brain carried
Into the darkness with ME.
could hear the other beds being made
ready, one after another, and at last
there was a sound Of whispering voices
near me, and l knew that the attendant
was assisting the man with the glove
into the berth above me. Then gradual
ly the silence Of night crept through the
car, the lights were lowered, and each
passenger was left alone with his or
her own thoughts.
30 completely had l mastered my fears
that ! was on the point of falling off
into 4 peaceful sleep when groan in
the berth above me-a groan of agony,
II ever heard one-set my heart palpi-
tating with fresh terror. My eyes stood
wide open again. Parting my curtains,
I looked through the car, where all was
still enough, but at the far end l saw,
fully dressed, the two men who had en-
tered the train at the station after Al
toona.
Now more alarmed than ever, ! held
my breath with fear. What could it all
mean? Was something dreadful por-
tending, or were few trihing circum-
stances that had no connection or sig
niicance playing nightmare tricks with
my brain?
Just then a sight dawncd on my ex-
cited eyes that almost made me shrek.
In the interstice between the bed above
and the side of the car ! could see some
thing, knew not what, protruding. My
eyes were rivcted to the object, and as
the object grew and. gradually dropped
lower and lower, could see that it was
human hand The hand Of the man
with the glove, but now gloveless. The
second and third fingers were wrapped
round with a strip of linen, darkened by
soakings of blood. As | looked coult
see drops Of blood collect at the finger
elps and fall in slow sequence, drop after
drop, upon my bed.
What was to do? Call for the at
tendant and have the man awakened or
let the matter take Its course?
Presently another agouizjDg grOan