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

Having found an empty llrSt class
! compartment, placed my grip and rug
on the seat and tipped the conductor
not to allow n one else in my COM
partlnent. l went up and down on the
platform to look at my fellow travellers.
There was the usual crowd of lat.
noisy Germans, nervous Americans and
stolid tlnghSfmen, whose faces Wore no
expression, and though travelling for
pleasure looked as ii tney We're bored
To death.
L had seen this class OF people so
aften that they were thoroughly un-
by Il group CT three people VINO stood
outside IL third class car.
one was an elderly lady dressed in
black. A thin shawl covered her buny
shoulders, and though 1T WAS warm she
was shiVering with cold, and a dry
cough seemed to snake her whole body.
She was accompanied by Il younger
man II Woman. The man had a very
unpleasant face, with coarse features.
The woman was tail and slender, with
a long, narrow face with p~rotruding
and a pointed chin.
oh, my dear Children sighed the
old lady. L feel so miserable, really i
am not we'll at ALL
You only think so. II is all magma
ton. You will be all right in a little
while-won't she, Adele
why, of course. dear. But You
know, mother must always complain;
she would not be herself il She did
not"
But why should l leave today; it
was not necessary at all when L feel
so bad"
A violent attack of coughing racked
her poor body, she held a handkerchief
to her mouth, and L noticed u bright
red spot on it.
oh, God, | am sure something will
happen to me- she cried almost With
tears.
Nonsense, mother, what should hap
pen to you-it is nothing but a cold"
Il nov better. and it was not nee
essary to send ne off today, but, of
course, / know l was in Jour way, and
a burden to YOU"
why. the idea, mother!!"
You only need d few weeks rest in
the country, plenty of food and good
fresh air." said the man. If it had
not been for that You might have
stayed with us"
But you might at least have given
me a cup of beef tea this morning be-
fore L left feel so weak"
Nov that is our wv fault, mother.
Why didn't you get up in time instead
of waiting until the last minute. You
would have missed your train if we had
not hurried you Off"
The old lady sighed. y tear glistened
IN her eye.
"oh. God. Oh. God".' she moaned. IT
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 left! l will die on the way,
and no one will be with ME in my last
minute"
II wish you would be a little more
sensible, mother. l hate to hear you
talk like that: it is ridiculous. 1t is
time YOU got into the car now"
"Goodby. my child. God bless-both
of you"
The conductor -ushed her roughly
into the compartments as though she
had been u bundle and slammed the
door.
1 hurried back to my comfortable
seat. indignant at this heartlessness.
How could a daughter treat her mother
in his 1t was outrageous.
1 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. 1 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. 1
clenched my fist at the thought of those
brutes she had left behind.
The beef tea seemed to revive her.
She was less pale; there was even a
tinge of color in her emaciated face.
Maybe she would get over it.
1 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 who
carried my things.
Suddenly there was a commotion.
Trainmen and passengers hurried to-
ward the third class car.
"a doctor-a doctor, quick!" 1 heard
the conductor cry.
I rushed to the car. There was the
poor old woman. dead. holding in her
cold hand a handkerchief covered with
blood.
Two trainmen lifted up her body and
carried her into the waiting room.
What is tan accident or a muir
der?" an Englishman asked me.
"a murder" I answered." a murder
for which no one can ever be pun
ished by human justice. She was muir
dered by her own child as surely as if
she had been stabbed in the heart"