The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1901-07-10
A FEARFUL
...ORDEAL.
, The Story of a 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 perspration stood
out upon the faces of aldermanic looking
men as they josted 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 "wofld's
fair" and / was then a modest little
woman in a literary way on one Of the
big newspapers. The excitement attend
ant upon the work fascinated me, and as
1 had always led a rollicking, jolly bo-
hemian life l was in my element.
1 had wandered about aimlessly for
greater part OF the forenoon, finding moth
ing of interest, when l was summoned
back to the Office by a fellow reporter
whom l met on the street.
l was beginning to lose my temper.
Everything had gone wrong that day.
had awakened with 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 / carried with me the conscious
ness that he had left without saying
goodby and that 1t 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 I
sometimes dreamed.
1t was refreshing, truly, and when he
detailed me to do a bit of work that took
me out into country town my restless
ness vanished and / became once more
my happy self.
l 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 ndefnable instinct with which
one sometimes becomes possessed, that
was the object of steady gaze. l raised
my eyes, and as / did so an irresistible
impulse impelled me to look across the
aisle. A man was looking at me intently,
and his eyes possessed peculiar glitter
that had never seen in human eyes be-
fore. AS my glance met his he seemed
about to rise and come to me. l tried to
break the spell. / 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 theiy red flashes.
A thousand thoughts flashed over me,
and when the darkness cleared away and
/ was once more in the daylight, by a
! mighty effort and without venturing an
other glance, | took seat in a different
part of the car and reversed the cushion.
| In vain l tried to shake off the impress
sion. 1t was stronger than l. So gave
/ up trying and endeavored to reason away
my fears. What had l to do with fear ?
| Was it like me to be afraid? Where
was the courage necessary for future I'M
dertakings IL | could be so distressed by
a single pair of eyes in broad daylight?
Reasoning thus l reached my station
and ordered rapid drive to my destina-
! ton. Out of the car and away I felt
| better. l tried to think it was all a piece
I of folly, but could not forget those terri
BILE eyes, and | remember with what nc
tual dread l looked into the face Of the
first person with whom l talked.
! AS time passed l began to feel more
myself and as l dined just preparatory
to my return l had shaken the feeling
from me and could laugh at what l was
! pleased to term the fances 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 trem-
! or seized me for which / 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 turned reso-
/ lutely to my freshly cut magazine and
( soon became interested in 1t. i read until
I grew tired and until the Pickering lights
in the car threw dancing shadows on my
book, when l turned my face YEARLY and
| looked out of the car window.
The heated day had merged into cool
night with signs of storm In the heav,
ems. The moon was out sllvery 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. l had grown drowsy and.
throwing my heavy travelling wrap about
me, rested against the cushions. Sud-
denly raised my head and looked around
the car. / cannot describe the force that
compelled me, but l am quite sure that
had my life been weighed in the balance
against my inclinations / 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 could understand
now the fear that must possess the poor
little animal the prey OF the larger. My
limbs trembled. My head reeled. My
teeth chsttered like castenets. and il
VI.