The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-04-25

Piled, little thinking how soon my COM
panlon would be given chance OF win
ming his spurs.
IL came about In this wise Chandesl
travels TO town every day by the West
London railway. whose line, as every
one knows, runs through the Bell tun-
mel, which is nearly two miles long.
IL Is perhaps the darkest tunnel I'm Eng
land. the line making "A curve so sharp
that daylight is lost sight of imme-
diately. There are but two miles I'm rhd
railway system. Nevertheless, 1t was
the scene OF a bad accident. An up
train. stopping in the tunnel at no great
distance from the entrance, was run
into by another. Chandos was in the
second train, and at the time OF the cat
astrophe. was absorbed I'm his newspa-
per. second after the shock he was
seated upon the floor picking splinter
OF glass and smilingly contentedly. The
lights had been extnguished. but upon
the palpable darkness Chandos could
read the words the obvious" almost
as plainly as II they had been thrown
by limehght upon a sheet. I'VE are
none OF us really injured" / suppose. q
voice had said. and half a dozen peo-
pie. some of them a little dubiously,
had pronounced themselves unhurt.
They were getting out, these people, TO
walk back 10 daylight. which they said.
was, fortunately. not far. Chandos,
though with different purpose, pre-
prepared TO follow them. As he left tho
compartment, piece of glass from
broken window fell upon the sill ana
broke into fragments, and I'm the fur
ther corner there began a slow regular
dripping. The noise was very faint-so
slight that IL escaped the ears of Chan
dos altogether. but IL continued after he
had gone for quite a while with horrid
persistence.
Once upon the lines, Chandos set
himself To- stem the current that had
already set toward the nearer exit. The
plan he was carrying out had come TO
him as he sat upon the carriage iloor.
Starting with the assumption that in
every crisis there is a manifest duty
which no one sees. and whose neglect
has dire consequences, he had arrived,
by a process of reasoning that seemed
faNless. at the conclusion that he must
traverse the tunnels lengths, and stop
the onComing down train, which, should
IL plunge into the debris of the COLI
sion, would certainly be thrown of the
line. There was on up train nearly due,
but this, presumably, would have tho
signal against 1t. There was nothins
startling about the scheme, but, to
Chandos. this was its great charm. Ha
would act in an everyday way, anC
show that by -catastrophes he could be
neither stimulating nor depressed. In
all that vast throng he was possibly
the only one whose equable pulses al
lowed him to be quite ordinary, tho
only man with faculties so normal that
he could discern the obvious. The exc
cution OF the plan, however, presented
difficulties. The human river With
which Chandos. like a stout swimmer,
contended was momentarily being aug
mented by tributary rills. These vert
composed of persons whose first
thought had been that nothing very
particular had happened, and that their
release could wait until IL was erected
i'm some regular and official way. 1t
was noticed that these people became.
when their first irrational calm was
broken. the fiercest OF strugglers, Chan
dos found himself tossed about like
cork, swept from one side 10 the other.
and had IL not been for his almost ply
sical grasp of his object, he would
have been carried back altogether. on
a sudden the river ceased 10 flow. 4
high moaning that quickly deepened
announced that another train had en-
tered the tunnel Neither exit beini
in sight. the ear. and the ear alone, had
20 locate the danger. and the ear tho
least trustworthy of our intelligencers.
was unable To perform the task.
The sound came from everywhere. 1t
enyeloped the distracted multitude like
an atmosphere. They felt it in their
faces at the backs Of their necks. while
the weight Of IL seemed TO be hattening
them on 20 the line. For shelter men be-
gan TO rush TO the tunnel wall or to the
footboard of the wrecked train. A few
ran helplessly from side TO side. Chan
dos kept straight on, the comparative
clearness OF the course now enabling
him to make good progress, though his
sensation was that OF being swept
round and round in a whirlpool of
sound. Suddenly the clatter rushed up
into a shrek. The noise became local
lied, and Tar away down the line there
was the shock Of the collision. Chandos
was quite clear Of the trains by this
time. Ii did not take him long TO
reach daylight and to climb into the
signal box, where he learned that there
was no down train due. The carriages
that were wrecked would i'm the ordina-
ry course have furnished the next train
back.
You could not be expected TO know
that, sir" said the 'signalman.
Chandos had known II, only i'm the
excitement he had forgotten that he
had a wonderful memory. For the mo-
ment. he stood overwhelmed with NOR
tification. II was no consolation to him
10 reflect that he had not been con-
who had rushed 10 and fro could say
the same thing. Their faculties had
been paralyZed by the dreadful happen
ings. So, apparently, had his own. They
were all fantastic. he and the rest;
originals departures from their every
day selves.
I'm times of peril the high road 10
distinction Is the pathway OF the OBJ
vious." he repeated. How distant now
seemed the goal! Possibly. however.
there was no obvious In this instance.
and his offensc had been one of COM
mission only. in which case he had
done no practical harm.
IL was with rather better heart that
Chandos went back TO the tunnel.
surgeon was already az work ana
Chandos. attaching himself TO him. was
of considera bic service. The sight OF
blood upset him less than ~ did the
other amateurs. You did not see the
worst thing. though" said the doctor.
"It was a child in q white sailor suit.
II. VI. :. Constant was his vessel. poor
little pno2 He was taken out OF "A first