The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-10-23
IN The DARK.

and after breakfast, I took my keys 10
the family attorney As L was about
10 leave the Office, the head clerk called
me to his desk and said: There is also
some money coming to you from your
Urcie's estate. Six thousand francs. Here
ic is
The surprise was most agreeable to me.
I took the blue bills and slipped them
into my pocketbook without counting
them Because OF this delay. I had 10
hurry to get TO the station in time. orr
tunately, the train was late. 1t pulled in
just as l stepped on the platform. Seeing
al empty compartment, as 1 supposed, 1
hurriedly entered it.
AS I sat down I saw that 1 was not
alone. 4 lady sat in the right-hand cor
ner of the seat facing me. 1 drew back
as far as possible in the ieft-hand corner.
not because OF suspicion. as I had already
forgotten my windfall, but in order TO
stretch out and reflect at my ease.
The lady was young, beautiful, and
elegant A dark-blue travelling dress Of
a correct cut set of her slender grace
full figure. Masses OF golden hair dippled
back under a dark-blue felt hat trimmed
with a band of ribbon and a quill. \
dainty patent-leather shoe was visible
below the hem of her skirt. a watch
with some coQuetish trinkets hung from
her belt, while a bangled bracelet on her
left wrist indicated a pretty feminine
vanity. A gold-handled umprella, in its
sheath, leaned against {. portiere near her.
From my observation. I gained an impress
son of sober luxury. a trihe English in
its rgor. A newspaper lay on the lady's
lap, and she was reading It with such
perfect Inconsistencies of my surveil
lance that l could not even see the color
of her eyes.
After We had left the Maisons Lafitte
station, the thought occurred TO me 10
read over some letters which 1 had merely
glanced at in the morning. put my hand
III my pocketbook. A feeling Of pleasure
came over me at the remembrance of my
beqUest and l could not resist a childish
desire to handle my little fortune. took
the bills from my purse and, in the per-
feet security of the closed compartment,
l counted them without the slightest sus-
picion of being watched. The six thou
sand francs were there. 1 folded the
money up, put it back into the pocket
book, and, with my usual heedlessness,
laid the purse Gown beside me with the
letters 1 was going to read. now took
these up, one by one. read them, and
tossed them back on the seat.
was soon made aware. by the vibra-
ton OF the coach. that we had reached
the Asnieres bridge. The young woman
folded up her newspaper, and. without
glancing in my direction, began slowly
and compOsedly TO unlace the glove of
her right hand. Finally she drew it of
We were about to reach our destination
II was not the time for removing ones
gloves. Still, the act did not impress ne
at the time. l merely admired the slim.
nervous hand, with its tapering fingers.
The girl clasped and unclasped them with
marvellous agility, as If they were numb
fl ON their bondage. The shadow of the
great wall of the Batignolles soon fell
upon our car, and 1 no..ced that the Ian
tern was not lighted A moment after
ward, with a confused rumbling of wheels
and rails we entered the tunnel.
Soon l fancied l heard-the sound was
barely perceptible in the general fracas-
slight rustlin among the papers at
my side. CarelesJ as l usually am. it is
a wonder that the sound attracted my
attention, and still more of one that
thought of my pocketbook. BY some in
tuition, however, l did so.
Not Intentionally, but with an instinct
i've. rough gesture. OF which I should
have been ashamed in the daylight,
forcibly threw both my hands over the
scattered papers ana pressed them down
with all my might. Then, with a start, I
felt something move under the pile, like
an animal In trap trying TO escape by
twisting, turning and pulling. 1 bore
whistle shrieked out The speed slack
ened and we came to a standstin in the
blackness OF the tunnel. For moment 1
experienced a ver.table nightmare. With
a rustling and tearing of papers, the
struggle continued, silently. but fiercely
After having wriggled and turned des-
perately in every direction. like stran-
gled reptile. the hand, crushed under my
palms, lay quiet. / saw nothing heard
no In Or 7
ever, that my companion was on the
alert, noting my every movement. Suffo- |
Gated by emotion and wearied by the
tension on my nerves, I waited for the
doylight for deliverance
After a period of time very short prob
ably, but the length Of which I could not
estimate. the train Legan TO move slowly /
Ny relief at this was so great that my
whole being involutarily relaxed from its /
tension. This was evidently expected. for
the hand again tried TO free itself, not by /
violent jerks this tine, bat By a strong
steady pulling ] felt II slipping along /
little by little. under the papers. impru- /
IDENTIFY raised my palm a bit to get i /
fresh hold. When ] again bore down 1
ciasped only my pocketbook. The hand /
had escaped. I knew not when nor how.
hastily opened the purse. felt that its I
c. ntents We're there then put It into my {
vest pocket and stupidity crossed my arms /
over it.
At last a gray light penetrated into I
the compartment. followed by the bright /
light Of day. Ny first glance was at the 1
lady opposite. She sat in exactly the (
same place. with the same air OF naughty .
Nothing about her toilet
was disarranged in the least. Not a fold 4
d her dress seemed TO have been moved. (
The newspaper lay folded in her lap, the /
sold-handled umbrella leaned against the
portiere. the patent-leather toe protruded /
slightly below the hem OF her skirt.
She looked pale. however. and her eyes
we've bent on her right hand as she
slowly laced UP her glove. II truly SEEM
~ as If l were waking from a dream
and what proof could 1 offer 10 the con-
.rary?
The train stopped and the platform
vas on my side. The lady rose. dropping
he paper from her lap. took her umbrella
ind with a perfectly composed and polite
Pardon me, scr. passed IL front OF
ne.
Feeling stupid and duped. I put out
ny arm 70 detain her. But she was al
-eady on the steps. and noticing ny ges-
ure. she turned --alf around. and for the /
lrst time 7 saw her eyes.
They were as blue as the SKY and
impid and beautiful in expression. They
sazed al ne with 50 much surprise and
,-ndor that I was disarmed completely
Ind I let her 20 unmoiested. Had II not
eeen for the rumpied torn papers or the
icat beside me. I might nave been tempt
70 believe that she mute bit fierce
iuei il N dark was merely a hallucina-
ion or a bad dream--Transiated from The
french Of Charles p Obey ~ r. Twichen.
2 the san Francisco Argonaut
NotHfnn fer Afv-eafF