The daily morning Alaskan., 1900-11-24

SATANS RED EYE

She was a strange looking old woman,
as handsome as an old woman can be,
rather elegantly dressed and with the air
of one who belonged to good society.
She was sitting next me in the waiting
room of the railroad station, but outside
her horses were being fed and watered,
and she was waiting to rest.
When the whistle sounded, she stopped
her ears with both her hands and shud-
dered violently. When the engine came
in sight. she looked at it as one might re-
gard a hideous monster and muttered to
herself in a way that made me fancy her
not quite in her right mind.
Then of a sudden she turned to me
with little bow and said:
"You are travelling by rail, madam"
l answered yes.
How can your asked my interro-
gator. wherever l go 1 go in my car
riage. Those cars are so terrible, espe-
cially the tunnels"
"But if one is not blessed with a car
riage?' asked
"Then you must go behind that terrible
creature, I suppose" said the old lady,
looking toward the engine, 'but I'm sor-
ry for you"
"Do accidents often happen in tun-
nels?" I asked, with an involuntary shud-
der.
"Accidents'' she cried. Worse than
that. I'll tell you what happened to me
in n tunnel. There's time enough, if you
don't mind listening"
l bowed. She put her handkerchief to
her face for moment and went on;
"You see that white house on the hill
up there? That is mine. There my
husband died; there my son married. 1t
was after he married. when l was 60
years old, that this happened. Sixty!
Just think of it-a time when life ought
to run on without any event whatever
and then romance came to me-romance
for the first time in my life, because, you
see, had married without any thought
of that a very good man-but so old-at
16
"Well, as | said. at 60 he fell in love
with me. l think he was %, and, OH,
but he was handsome I was sitting on
my porch when he rode by. and his horse
SHE'D at something and threw him at my
feet. He seemed to be dead. | had him
picked up and brought in, and the doctor
and I restored him to life.
"Do you know what he was? I'll tell
you. He was a rider at the circus close
by. not gentleman, they said. but his
voice was so soft and his way so pleasant
that he seemed one and then what did
that matter? He called me his good an
gel: he kissed my hand. At last he told
me that he loved me.
st was strange to hear. | would not
listen to him at first, but at last he knelt
Mt my feet. and I-ah. I was a woman
1, nd
promised to be his wife.
"When my son heard of it, he was
furious. He said terrible things. Moth
err he said, If you marry this impostor.
who only wants your money, you will rue
the day You were born
81 did not care for my sons wrath, nor
that my friends all turned coldly from
me. I married Adolphe, and we were
very happy.
CAS- soon as we were married he began
to talk of Europe and of the happy life
one led in Paris. So I said, Wen go 70
Paris
1--WE made ready to go. OF course, we
needed money. l had bank notes and
checks to large amount-a little for
tune indeed-in my great wallet. ! also
had my diamonds. Adolphe took care of
all these things. To reach the city
whence our ship started we were obliged
to go in the cars. Even then hated and
was afraid of them.
81 talked and laughed like girl as we
whirled over the country, but he grew
more silent, and by the time we reached
the tunnel very grave. l remember going
into it. Adolphe took my hand and kiss
ed it.
81; he poftloI 40 6orly-
ness grew deeper. felt little brighten
Adolphe. He was not there.
81 said, 'Adolphe.' There was no an
swer. I called, 'Adolphe! again. Oh, it
was so terribe--no answer, and the dark
ness like the darkness of DEATH
"At last it began to grow lighter.
could see shadow forms, but no shadow
Of Adolphe. asked for him. At last
they helped me and made search-he was
not on the train. No one ever saw him
again; he vanished in the tunnel.
"Peoplc tried to make me think i'll OF
him. l would not-I, who felt his kisses
on my hand still. Satan is envious of
happiness, and There the old lady
lowered her voice. "That thing with the
red eye there is satan, though people
don't know it. Don't go into the tunnel
with him-remember what ! say, and
don't go into the tunnel
Madam, your carriage is ready" said
a middle aged woman, entering just then,
and the old lady hurried off, shaking her
head as she went and muttering to her
self
"Shes been talking about the tunnel,
ma amp" asked the middle aged woman,
with a courtesy.
EYES," said.
"She never had good sense, I think"
said the woman, "and at GO she married
a foreigner younger than her son. He
managed to put half her fortune into
checks and such things and ran away
with it after they had been married a
month. He jumped off a train in tun-
mel and got off unhurt
"He was a rope dancer and good at
jumping, or he'd never have done it, and
he's living now with some bird of the
same feather in Europe. She don't know
it or don't believe it, poor old lady! Her
wits amt right, and she thinks satan car
ried him off. Goodby, madam. The old
lady is in hurry, and I must 60 to her."
Exchange.