The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1901-07-23
A FEARFUL
...ORDEAL.
The Story Of Pursuit and
How 1t Ended.
BY A. G. SALISBURY.

The day was hot and dusty. The sun
beat down increasingly over the burning
pavements. Beads Of perspiration stood
out upon the faces of aldermanic looking
men as they jostled each other in the
streets, and the women looked weak and
wilted. The very horses hung their
heads as they stumbled along with their
heavy loads.
1T was in the great city of the worlds
fair" and l was then a modest little
woman in literary way on one of the
big newspapers. The excitement attend
ant upon the work fascinated me, and as
1 had always led rollicking, jolly, bo-
hemian life l was in my element.
| / had wandered about aimlessly for q
! greater part Of the forenoon, finding moth
ing of interest, when / was summoned
back to the office by fellow reporter
whom met on the street.
| was beginning to lose my temper.
Everything had gone wrong that day.
had awakened with a severe headache
and the intense heat had aggravated it to
such an extent that my brain seemed to
be on fire. l had missed seeing Jack In
the morning. Jack was my sweetheart
and he was going away that day to be
gone ever so long. l knew he was obliged
by business interests to leave at any COST
and so l carried with me the conscious
ness that he had left without saying
goodby and that it was the first time in
the FIVE years that had known him.
Musing in this unpleasant way,
swung open the portals of the great gray
doors with much more energy than a
small woman should exhibit to find the
editor, Notwithstanding all the heat, look
ing as fresh and happy as the cool violets
that used to blossom under the spreading
branches in the old home Of which
sometimes dreamed.
1t was refreshing, truly, and when he
detailed me to do bit of work that took
me out into a country town my restless
ness vanished and / became once more
my happy self
| walked down to the, station with
lighter step, and armed with a tablet and
other articles of journalistic warfare
ensconced myself on the shady side OF
the car and relapsed into a state Of de-
lightful semiconsciousness.
How long l remained thus I do not
know, but / gradually became aware.
with that indefinable instinct with which
one sometimes becomes possessed, that l
was the object of steady gaze. / raised
my eyes, and as l did SO an irresistible
impulse impelled me to look across the
aisle A man was looking at me intently,
and his eyes possessed a peculiar glitter
that l had never seen in human eyes be-
fore. AS my glance met his he seemed
about to rise and come to me. / tried to
break the SPELL l could not until after
what seemed to me ages the train shot
under the bridge, and the darkness imme-
diately surrounding closed out those balls
of fire with their red flashes.
A thousand thoughts flashed over me,
and when the darkness cleared away and
| was once more in the daylight, by
mighty effort and without venturing an
other glance, took a seat in a different
part of the car and reversed the cushion.
In vain I tried to shake off the impress
sion. 1t was stronger than l. So I gave
up trying and endeavored to reason away
my fears What had I to do with fear?
Was it like me to be afraid? Where
was the courage necessary for future I'M
dertakings if could be so distressed by
a single pair Of eyes in broad daylight?
Reasoning thus ! reached my station
and ordered rapid drive to my destina-
ton. Out of the car and away felt
better. tried to think it was all piece
Of folly, but could not forget those terri
BILE eyes, and l remember with what nc
tual dread I looked into the face of the
first person with whom l talked.
As time passed l began to feel more
myself, and as I dined just preparatory
to my return l had shaken the feeling
from me and could laugh at what / was
pleased to term the faneies of brain
overtasked and heated.
1t was late when | arrived in E., and
after stay of four or FIVE hours it was
just gathering dusk.
AS reached the depot and heard in the
distance the roar and rumble of the ap-
preaching homeward bound train a trem-
or seized me for which l could not ac-
count. 1t brought back the scenes of the
day, but determining not to let this silly
weakness get the better of me, immedi-
ately on entering the car l turned reso
lutely to my freshly cut magazine and
soon became interested in it. read until
grew tired and until the pickering lights
in the car threw dancing shadows on my
book, when turned my face YEARLY and
looked out of the car window.
night with signs of a storm in the heav-
ems. The moon was out silvery white
banked by dark clouds. while a low, ram
bling farmhouse stood silhouetted against
the plains.
The train shot on. Station after sta
ton was passed until we were almost
home again. | had grown drowsy and,
throwing my heavy travelling wrap about
7 ho
denly raised my head and looked around
the car. cannot describe the force that
compelled me- but am quite sure that
had my life been weighed in the balance
against my inclnations could not have
done otherwise. | saw the same terrible
eyes fastened upon me with that awful
glitter, and they expressed more than
mortal tongue could have done-hatred,
revenge, cruelty, fendishness.
grew sick at heart 1 could understand
now the fear that must possess the poor
little animal the prey of the larger. My
limbs trembled. Ny head rceled. My
teeth chartered like eastenets, and 1t
seemed to me that the beating Of my
heart could be heard all over the car,
above the roar and din of the rafting
train. A desperate thought flashed
through nv mind / would speak to the
conductor and ask his protection, or that
fatherly looking gentleman in the corner
who resembled a physician. But what
should / say? Tell him l was afraid OF
man on the train who was looking at
me? Go to the fatherly looking old gen
tleman with a blanched face and trem-
bling limbs and beg him to protect me
from some one who had done nothing to
modest me? What would they say, or,
saving nothing, what might they think
NV mind was a chaos of conflicting emo
lions.
/ looked around the car. Evidently the
occupants did not notice my agitation
those who were awake; great many
were in various stages of repose, and l
can remember the half frantic thought
that came to me, imagining how they
would wake from their slumber in Wild
alright should do what was most
sorely tempted to do-lose my control
and give voice TO my nervousness IN
truly feminine shrek.
When the train steamed into the depot,
/ made my way rapidly through the car
to the outward entrance. 1t was very
dark. The wind blew a gale, and the
air had grown chill. l FASTENED rapidly
through the depot without encountering Il
familiar face and picked my way over the
| pavements under the gaslight.
There was neither cab nor car In
sight, and after some little elaboration /
| decided not to wait. Gathering my skirts
about me | disappeared down dark
| street. There was always a policeman
on that corner, knew, and could appeal
to him. / had been out many times be-
fore at night without experiencing any
alarm, but now ! was timid, and looked
in vain for the polieeman's familiar form.
The very lampposts seemed to stretch
out spectral arms that were moeking my
fear. and the massive buildings on either