The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1901-07-10

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 my 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 blancLed 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,
saying nothing, what might they think?
My mind was a chaos of conflicting emo
lions.
looked around the car. Evidently the
occupants did not notice my agitation
those who were awake; q great many
were in various stages Of repose, and
can remember the half frantic thought
that came to me, imagining how they
would wake from their slumber in wild
alright should / do what l was most
sorely tempted to do-lose my control
and give voice to my nervousness in q
truly feminine shrek.
l 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. FASTENED rapidly
through the depot without encountering a
familiar face and picked my way over the
pavements under the gaslight
There was neither a cab nor a car In
sight, and after some little deliberation l
decided not to wait. Gathering my skirts
about me I disappeared down a dark
street There was always a policeman
on that corner, knew, and l 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 polceman's familiar form.
The very lampposts seemed to stretch
out spectral arms that were hooking my
fear, and the massive buildings on either
side of the street looked grim and fore
boding.
1t might have been a city Of the dead,
everything was so silent--not q soul in
sight The gaslights had grown dim. 1
looked about me nervously and recognized
with horror form that had grown to me
terribly familiar. I threw self control to
the winds and started to run. There
were only two blocks more, and l felt
sure could reach the end of the way.
On, on, sped, my heart beating with
such rapidity that it almost suffocated
me. One block more and I would be
safe. With a courage born Of despera-
ton, l made the final effort. l looked
around. The form was gaining upon me
rapidly. Would ever reach it? At last
my foot was on the step and l clutched
the balustrade. Just at that moment
felt clutch upon my shoulder. My
head was bent backward by the contact.
l felt hot breath upon my face. A
hand clutched me with a grasp of iron
and my face was uplifted to another, held
there by some terrible magnetism.
closed my eyes resolutely. At that mo-
ment l was stronger than l had ever
been. / thought of my mother and the
dear friends who had all been so good to
me. My time had come. and l was going.
| felt the keen edge of a knife as it cut
into the flesh. I can remember how it
felt-that it did not cause me great pain
and then / knew no more.
| / was in my own room, and my sister
Lila was bending over me. l had had a
terrible struggle with DEATH and l had a
serious wound. They told me all about
it when l grew strong again. He was
Professor Joseph, a hypnotist, whose
| wife, little lady resembling me greatly,
became insane and was confined In an
asylum. The shock was so great that
it had eventually unsettled his reason,
and he was constantly pursued by the
fear that she was trying to murder him.
He had met me, of course, accidentally,
and the resemblance that bore to his
wife was so strong that with ali the cum
ming a mailman will sometimes exhibit
he had watched his opportunity until the
best time to retaliate.
Friends coming home to neighboring
houses had witnessed the struggle and
run to my rescue. He escaped. but was
afterward captured and confined in the
Jefferson insane asylum, where he now
Is.
/ never board train but what it all
| comes back to me-the wild ride among
the drifting shadows and my encounter
with a madman.-Waverly Magazine.