The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-08-27
CHAPTER VI
WHICH CONCERNS SOME STRANGE
BEHAVIOR


WHICH CONCERNS SOME STRANGE
BEHAVIOR.
/ left the school with much regret and
a vast amount OF uneasiness. Ny fathers
manner, nervous. excitabie and suspici-
Gus, was one we'll calculated TO arouse
suspicion and excitability in others. He
gave me no reasons for his hurried de-
parture. He did not even condsscend TO
tell me why he was going to Wales. We
drove In a fly TO the station. and, though
the afternoon was beautifully fine. no
made the man put the hood up. This ma
was anything but agreeable. and when 1
hinted at IT he replied that he always
avoided an unnecessary draft. To me. on
the contrary. II seemed that draft was
most necessary. but what I thought mat
tered nothing. The silent man In the
corner had taken the helm.
At the station he discharged the ny
md hurried me into the waiting room. IN
the remotest corner OF which We sat with
our belongings. He informed me that his
heavy stun had gone on to Denbigh.
which heavy stun" I discovered later
on, consisted of nothing but Gladstone
bag Ny father was a man who did not
believe In heavy baggage. To move and
move quickly was the principle upon
which he worked.
He never went out on the platform to
see q train dash through or to watch the
passengers alight but sat In his corner
OF the waiting room reading. reading In
cessantly. And yet / noticed that when
ever any one entered the room he seemed
70 know II as IL by intuition. and the top
of the paper would gradually drop 20 q
level with his eyes, and he would subject
the newcomer to a careful scrutiny. At
FIRST ! thought that I must be mistaken.
yhat his glance was such as most people
bestow upon the advent OF a stranger.
for who has not entered such a place and
seen every eye Immediately turn his
way? To me- however, there seemed
something more than mere idle curiosity
In my fathers glance. and after a brief
interval was assured OF II.
I happened TO be speaking to him at
the moment when. without any appar-
ent cause, saw his eyes. which were
turned toward the door, start nervously.
while a sudden spasm seemed TO sweep
across his face. Hastily he raised his pa
per and at once seemer 70 be deeply en-
crossed in his reading.
The cause OF this sudden transition
Immediately sought for. but I could see
nothing 10 warrant IL. The few people
scattered about the room were yawndng
as usual and lolling about on the haru
benches in the most ungraceful attitudes
while I'm the doorway, the direction In
which my father had looked. there stood
q little man Of dark. foreign appear
ance. but whether he was Turk. Malay
or Mongol / could not tell He merely
stood there for a few moments while ne
surveyed the room. but evidently not lik-
tng the appearance OF It turned away and
began slowly to promenade up and down
the platform.
AS soon as he had gone my father. as
though instinctively aware OF the man .
departure stole a stealthy glance over
the top of his paper. and l saw thai mis-
usually pale face was IL anything more
ghastly than usual
You are I'll, sir" I said. What is rne
natter"
Nothing" he answered sharply. irri-
tably. except the cursed cold OF this
dreary room" And he huddled up closer
into the corner as though he gaineu
warmth thereby.
Now, TO me the room seemed unpleas-
antly warm. permeated as II was by an
cdor which seems inseparable from such
places. and i could not help saying some
thing to that effect.
AYE" he answered. but IL you hau
the fever in you as / have you'd wish
yourself well out OF this cursed drafty
country"
Well as far as the country was con-
cerned,- he had little TO complain of. He
had not troubled II much OF late years
Presently a train thundered into the
station, and went to the door TO watch
the people coming and going When I
returned, my father evinced some curl
osity as to the passengers who had de-
parted. and even went SO far as going 10
the door and looking out The scrunity
evidently satisfied him, for he came back
with smile and told me to bring my
things out on the platform.
Punctualy to time our train slid into
the station, and my father ana / en-
tered a first class smoker. During the
few minutes that the train stood there
he glued his face to the window and
watched anxiously the entrance 20 the
pIatform. But at last the guards whis-
tle sounded. the engine replied with
short sharp shrek. and slowly we crept
out OF the station. Then my father threw
himself back with n sigh OF content.
rested his feet on the seat opposite and
quietly began 20 all his pipe.
once the train was fairly under way
the land skimming by us on either side,
and no sound came but the roar and the
rush Of the wheels. my father settled
himself down TO read. and scarcely
think he moved unless IL was to refill
his pipe or 20 cross or uncross his legs.
I tried hard 10 follow his example,. tried
hard TO convince myself that found
my varied store OF literature interesting
but was conscious all tho time OF tho
utter failure OF my endeavor.
As we began TO approach Shrewsbury
my father dived once more into his valise
and extracted therefrom Bradshaw.
which ne began intently TO study. And
here I may state that this Bradshow was
o companion OF his which was In constant
requisition. Thumbed and dog cared
pencil marked on the margin, II showed
q mutilation or an indgnity upon almost
every page. To me Bradsnow has always
been n WEAKNESS 20 the flesh. a thing
devised TO drive men mad and hurry their
souls 10 perdition, but 20 my father IL
was an endless page OF lunatic delight
n didn't matter where the editors hid
away a train. he pounced upon II like
n hawk. Their ingenuity was wasted on
him. He reveiled IN mountains OF bewil-
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