The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1906-08-31
THE LAST JOURNEY.
Rx Octave Mirhnau.

Having found an empty first class
compartment placed my grip ana rug
on the seat and tipped the
not to allow any one else in my COM
partment, l went up and down on the
platform TO look at my fellow travellers.
There was the usual crowd of tat.
noisy Germans, nervous Americans ana
stolid -EnghShmen, whose faces Wore no
expression, and though traNeilng Tor
pleasure looked as IL tney We're pofeu
to death.
L had seen This class of people so
aften that they were thoroughly un-
interesting to me, but L vas attracted
by Il group CT three people Who stood
outside Il third class car.
One was an elderly lady dressed III
black. A thin shawl covered her bony
shoulders. II though 1T was warm sae
was snivering with cold, and a dry
She was accompanied by Il younger
man and woman. The man had Il Very
unpleasant face, with coarse features.
The woman was tall and slender, With
a long, narrow face with protrualns
eheekbones and a poiated chi m,os +be
old lady. Il feel so miserable, really
am not we'll at all"
You only think so. 1t is all %imagina-
ton. You will be ali right IN q little
while-won't she, Adele?
Why, of course. dear. But You
know, mother must always complain;
she would not be herself II she did
not"
But why should I leave today. it
was not necessary at all wheh L ieel
so bad
A violent attack of coughing racked
her DOOR body, she held u nandkerchlef
to her mouth, and l noticed d bright
red spot on it. :,
.oh. Cod, L am sure something viii
happen to me- she cried almost Win
tears.
Nonsense, mother. What hould hap
| pen to you-it is nothing but a cold.
II know better. and it was not nee
essary to send ne off today, but, OF
course, 1 know l was in your way ana
a burden to you
why, the idea, mother"
You only need Il few weeks rest IN
The n plenty of food II good
fresh air." sal the man. III 1T mad
not been for that You might have
stayed with u.s."
But you might at least have given
me a cup of beef tea this morning be-
fore l left-I feel so weak"
Nov that is your own fault, mother.
Why didn't you get up in time instead
of waiting until the last minute. You
would have missed your train II we mad
not hurried o Off
The old lady sighed. A tear glistened
IN her eye.
"oh, God. Oh, Cod" she moaned. II
know something is going to happen.
What foolish nonsense!" exclaimed
her amiable son-in-law.
'Oh. If L had only had my beef tea
before 1 left. / will die on the way,
and no one will be With me in my last
minute
IT wish you would be a little more
sensible, mother. l hate to hear you
talk like hat: it is ridiculous. 1t is
time you got into the car now
.Coo5hy NV child. God hleSS-OOth
of you"
The conductor -ushed her roughly
into the compartments as though she
had been a bundl and slammed the
door.
/ hurried back to my comfortable
seat, indignant at this heartlessness
How could a daughter treat her mother
in this 1t was outrageous.
Her poor. suffering face haunted me.
l could have thrashed this monster of
a son-in-law who had taught his wife
to abuse her own mother.
AT Versailles, where we stopped for
fifteen minutes, l left the car and
walked along the train. l stopped be-
fore the old lady's compartment. She
had tainted, and some friendly person
was bringing her to and handed her a
cup of beef tea, which she swallowed
eagerly, as If she was starving. ]
clenched my fist at the thought of those
brutes she had left behind.
Inc peer YEA seemed 10 revive neT
She was less pale; there was even g
tinge of color in her emaciated face
Maybe she would get over it.
I slept all night in my comfortable
berth and only woke up when we ar.
rived at Rennes, the end of my trip
, Mechanically I followed the porter wht
! carried my things.
Suddenly there was a commotion
Trainmen and passengers hurried to
= ward the third class car.
D "a doctor-a doctor, quick!" 1 heart
the conductor cry.
1 rushed to the car. There was tn
poor old m dead, holding in he
9 cold hand q handkerchief covered wit
: blood.
Two trainmen lifted up her body an
v carried her into the waiting room.
What is tan accident or a mur
der?" an Englishman asked me.
g "A murder" 1 answered" a murde
n for which no one can ever be pun
IL ished by human justice. She was mur
s. dered by her own child as surely as
n she had been stabbed in the heart"
A Bad Mixup.
Clyde Fitch was reading extracts frol
SC one of his many volume of newspapt