Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1904-06-15
THE OPIUH CIGAaEl

CharIng Cross stalUn, I.Vnuon.
1.-THE Russian. sir
What Russ.,u.
Don't know, sir. He's some q
man In his country These people 4
to see him on. sir. He's going home
stepped into the compartment
where / had engaged a seat. There
found two elderly women with several
children. all OF one party. Beyond. Oy
window. sat a young woman whose
appearance interested me at once.
| Never have | seen such an expression
on any human face The only deser.p-
| ton can give of IL Is that it reminded
me of picture | had once seen OF an
| early Christian martyr who had nerved
herself to be buried alive. But tbs
! gives only vague idea OF the woman
| whole appearance. She was well
dressed, and her features ana bearing
indicated one OF the highest class. 1t
was impossible for her to conceal
mental restlessness that showed Itself
especially in the eyes, which were
! constantly moving.
| The train made but one stop between
| London and Folkestone. where the
! party of women and children got out.
leaving only me and the woman | have
| been trying to describe in the COM
| partment.
"rhank heaven" she said to me In a
contraito voice. they are gone! | am
sure you will not object to my smoking
cigarette in this compartment.
! though 1t is not a smoker"
| Certainly not. madam"
"You speak French?" she asked in
that language.
| assured her that / did, and after
that we conversed in the French Ian
| guage. | took out some cigarettes and
| lighted one to keep her company, but
she insisted on my smoking one Of
| hers. which. she said. had been made
| expressly for her from a recipe fur
! nished By member of the suit of the
sultan OF Turkey. | threw mine away
and took one of hers. | knew at once
that it contained opium, but how much
or what other drugs / did not know.
| One thing | did know. | was rapidly
| passing into a delightful trance. which
|
| delightful | saw the woman watching
me. and when she was satisfied that |
was powerless she opened hand bag
beside her and took out something
rolled In brown paper, opened it. took
out wedge shaped piece of wood and,
seizing my chin, opened my mouth and
| gagged me.
This done, she took out timetable,
which she scanned, looked at her
watch, cast glance out of the win
! dow, then momentarily gave way to a
| terrible depression. l judged that she
| was obliged to wait for something, and
on the eve of some move-one involv-
| ing life and death, for instance-there
| is nothing like delay to break one
| down. / noticed that we were passing
through a thickly settled district and
| that as soon as we had passed again
| into the country she nerved herself
and prepared for something she was
| about to do.
Her first act was to disrobe. But in
stead of displaying the undergarments
of woman she lay bare a mans out
! er clothing. Her woman's attire was
| merely a covering, which she threw
| out of the window. Next she took a
| glass globe about two inches in diam
| eter from her satchel. and the satchel
followed the clothing. Then sheer
rather he. for by this time had made
up my mind that the person was a
| young man-cast glance at me which
seemed to satisfy him, took another
look at his watch, peered out at the
| passing landscape and after casting up
his eyes and muttering a prayer
climbed out of the window and let him
self down on the footboard.
Had not been under the influence of
| opium l should have been profoundly
moved by all this. AS it was it seem
ed but a part of my dream, and the
moment the singular being passed out
| of IL he was forgotten. / remember be-
ing Jared by an explosion, but did not
at the time connect it with the young
man.
Whatever occurred was hushed UP.
When we reached Folkestone guard
was obliged TO carry me on TO the
channel boat and l did not come to
myself again before we reached
Boulogne. | did not get an oppor-
tunity to interview any of the passen-
gers, and the whole affair was to me
something of mystery. Indeed fan
cied had dreamed il under the influ-
ence OF an opium cigarette. If bomb
was really exploded with view to kill
Ing the Russian official in another com
Dartment Ii failed Nv theory based
on the view that it was real occur
renee. was that the assailant dropped
the bomb before he was ready to ex-
plode 1t in or under the compartment
occupied by the Russian.
Two years afterward I was in st.
Petersburg standing in a crowd watch
ing for the emperor to pass on his way
10 reNiny snrnn Of his trnnns Amnna