Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1902-06-13


/ seized it in time. II / hadn't
well, l wouldn't have been here now
to tell the story.
AFTER the train had progressed
half way to Dover one man in the
compartment said: Blast this rail
way servicel Here / got head
ache, the first in my life, through
the ventilation Another also COM
planned of headache, and By the
time we reached Dover there were
seven very i'll men in the compart-
ment. - Hs Fa
Il was i'll, too, but / knew the
cause 1t was the fumes of nitro
glycerin.
AT Dover as we got on the boat
there was another narrow escape. A
stupid porter seized the Gladstone
bag and tried to balance it on bis
head. ! rescued it in time.
eve got aboard the boat at Calais
all right, and l sat pensively watch
ing that internal bag, which rested
quietly, as if it had not been filled
with dynamite enough to blow up
the ship, within ten feet of me.
The passage, thank heaven, was
smooth, but felt pretty well done
up. l left the bag and walked down
into the cabin, thinking of the Gus
tom house officers who were await
ing us on the other side. At last I
saw man = an Interpreter, a
trenchman-snd l decided to make
him help me. | sat down in the
cabin and began to weep. 1t isn't
hard II you know how. He said,
Does monsieur require anything?'
| looked up, wiped away my tears
and told him my sorrow.
''It was to the effect that NV wife
was dying in Paris. She had tele-
graphed me, and l was about to
soothe her last moments by my pres
enee- He became immediately in
terested and begged NE to cheer up.
| agreed to do so on condition that
he would join me in bottle of cham
payne, which he did gladly. AS we
walked l slipped two napoleons into
his hand and said:
Now / want TO get away quick
on the first train. I've nothing but
satchel and don't want to be de-
tanned by the customs house at Ca
lais. Can you arrange matters?' He
swOre that he would and kept his
word. When the boat landed, my
satchel was carried triumphantly
ashore on the shoulders of my
friend the interpreter, and 1 passed
the customs house without a mo-
ment's delay.
"And so we went to Paris-the
Gladstone bag, filled with nitroglyc-
erin, and myself-and in course Of
time arrived at the Care du Nord.
l hailed a passing cab and directed
the driver to my address, but eau
toned him to avoid the rough
streets on the journey. Like all
Partisan hackmen, he did just the
opposite till l stepped him. My
FRIEND said /, do you know what's
in that satchel you have between
your legs on the box? Well, sir,
there's enough dynamite to blow
your whole outfit to the devil, and
if you don't drive quieter the
chances are against you You nev-
er saw more careful driver after
thatin your life.
FINALLY arrived at my rooms,
and the next day I got up early, for
| was beginning to get afraid of
that internal satchel by this time
myself, and went to Versailles,
where stored the stuff safely in nv
laboratory and exploded it at my
leisure.
81 wrote to Majendie in London
afterward, telling of my success,
and received a short reply saving
that / ought to be in Jail this min
ute.
Sunny, isn't it, that these Eng
lish officials have no sense of hn-
mOr?"
And here the colonel lit another
cigar, while l watched the Gladstone
bag refectively.