Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-04-20
DAILY SHORT STORY
The Opium Cigarette.
(Orginal.l


The Russian, sir"
What Russian
Don't know. sir. IDc's some big
man in his country. These people are
to see him off, sir. He's, going home
L stepped into the compartment
| where 1 had engaged II seat. There l
| found two elderly women with several
children. all of one party. Beyond, by
| a window. sat Il young woman whose
| appearance interested me at once.
| Never have l seen such an expression
on any human face. The only descrip-
! ton i can give Of il is that il reminded
| me OF picture l had once seen of an
| early Christian martyr who had nerved
| herself TO lie buried alive But this
! gives only I vague idea of the woman's
| whole appearance. She was we'll
/ dressed. and her features and bearing
! Indicated one OF the highest class. 1t
| was impossible for her to conceal
! mental restlesSneSS that showed itself
! especially i'll 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 l have
! been trying TO describe in the CON-
partment.
Thank heaven" she said TO me in 4
| contraltO voice. they are gone! l am
sure you will not object to my smoking
a cigarette in this compartment,
! though it is not Il smoker"
| Certainly not. madam"
You speak French!" she asked in
that language.
| L assured her that l did. and after
that we cOnverSed in the French Ian
| guage. l took out some cigarettes and
| lighted one TO keep her company, bat
| she insisted on my smoking one OF
| hers. which, she said, had been made
| expressly for her from Il 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 l did not know.
One thing | did know. | was rapidly
passing into a delightful trance. which
every Whit seemed to make still more
delightful. | saw the woman watching
me. and when she was satisfied that l
was pOwerlesS she opened hand bag
beside her and took out something
rolled in brown paper. opened it. took
out a 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 Il 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 |
m Of
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 n mans out
er clothing. Her wOman's attire was
merely n 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 l had made
up my mind that the person was Il
y
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
y 80 IL, -, !
moment the singular being passed out
OF it he was forgotten. l remember be-
ing Jared by an explosion. but did not
at the time connect 10 with the young
man.
Whatever occurred was hushed up
When we reached FclkeStone a guard
was obliged to carry me ON TO the
channel boat. and 1 did not come to
myself again before we reached
BouloGne. l did not get an oppor-
tunity TO interview any of the passen-
gers. and the whole affair was TO me
something of Il mystery Indeed | fan
cied l had dreamed il under the influ-
ence of an opium cigarette. If a bomb
was really exploded with view to kill
ing the Russian official in another com
partment. it failed. My theory. based
on the view that it was n real occur
renee. was that the assailant dropped
the bomb before he was ready TO ex-
plode it in or under the compartment
occupied by the Russian
Two years afterward l was in st.
Petersburg standing in a crowd watch
ing for the emperor to pass on his way
to review some of his troops Among
the members of his staff l saw a face
that aStOnished me. l never forget
faces. and l certainly could never for
get this one. 1t was the face of the
young man who had drugged me on the
train between Boulogne and Folke-
stone. Happening to glance down upon
me. he caught my astonished glance,
which doubtless helped him TO recog-
niZc me The caTalcade passed on and