The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1907-01-24

ing So NeVcfIneiess tla F'-~o
sank and the smile slid down bis
cheek and vanished-''it was the plain
unvarnished truth. and it happened as
/ told you-whllst we we're scuddins
along through this lnferno-like dark
ness, just as tie train is doing now.
but a man without a headl" ! ven-
tured to expostulata. And to enter
moving train-in a tunnell The thing
is impossible, you know, impossiblel
1T happened two years ago, ana
was going then (as I am going now
to Luvinci. small station Just out
side Of this tunnel on the Italian side
At that time / was connected with a
Franco-Itanan firm Of jewellers and
as the samples ! carried were extreme
ly valuable, I made 1t point when
travelling by train to always engage an
entire compartment and have the
guard lock me in securely. was.
therefore, quite alone when the affair
Of which | am about to tell you oc-
CURED. | was, moreover, unusually
careful on this particular occasion. anc i
kept a loaded revolver lying upon the
seat beside me. Some four months
previously, a fellow commercial trav-
eler, who had the misfortune TO re-
sembio me very closely indeed. had
been murdered in a compartment OF
the Lyons express, and his murderer,
who was most fortunately captured,
confessed that he had mistaken the
man for me.
"On the morning prior to my start
ing upon the journey Of which ! am
now telling you. this murderer had
been guillotined in Paris, and there
was full account Of the execution IN
all the evening papers. La Presse In
particular giving very graphic de-
scription Of 1t. I think read 1t quite
a dozen times that night and dozen
more the next morning, and ! was
reading It again when the train
whizzed suddenly into this tunnel The
horrible droning OF the wheels. COM
bIned with tho gloom and. perhaps, the
/ grewsomeness Of the thing had been
reading, got on my nerves and when
/ heard the door behind me-the
locked doori-open and close with
bang, fairly bounded from my seat.
AS | faced around. my heart hammer
ing against my ribs as though it would
beat its way out OF me, saw standing
before me The shape Of a man with
a great scoop cut out Of his coat and
shirt where the collar should have
heen, slim, red line running round
his throat, and above that line gray
white dead face with shut eyes and
hanging lips"
"Achl Lieber Gott."
! heard the words quayer out from
the Germans corner, but could not
see his face. for the thick vapor which
the opened windoE had let in tioated
between us, humid. yellow. reeking OF
sulphur. looked round at the Cor
nishmaa, every fiber Of my being ting
ling, and something creeping up my
neck
Go on" | said family. You are
sure II wasn't nervesg
"As sure as am that you are sitting
here beside me this minute" he re-
piled. Nerves may often make man
fancy that he sees things. but they
can't make those things talk"
And he talkedT
yes. As | faced round and saw
him, his dead lips said quite distinct
! ": Good evening. comrade We
travel far and fast. It may be morn
ing to you. but 1t Is evening to me-
Tor eyerl And then, with a wavo OF
the hand. inviting me 10 resume my
seat he sat do1n IN tie corner near
the window and turned his dead face
towards me, his eyelids never once
lifting. and his head, Jared By the
movement or the train. rocking un-
steadily upon his shoulders Once he
put up his hand to steGdy Il. and as
his fingers touched that red line about
his throat, The trademark OF Mon
sleur de Paris he said. with 4 chastity
movement Of the lips which. in q liv-
ing man. would have been a smile.
He guillotined me at dawn this morn
ing
The Cornishman stopped short and
saw his eye travel to the window.
Along the vaporsmeared surface or
the glass a faint glow OF light was
creeping--a light which presently.
burst into the compartment with such
fierce and binding glare that for an
instant could see nothing Then I
became conscious that we were ont Of
the tunnel. and that the German was
still sitting huddled up In his corner
with gaping lips and wide-opened eyes.
The Cornlshman rose, lifted his
portmanteau out AZ the rack, looked
down at me and-winked.
a rnckon I've won thar flvepDund
note Aaads down." be said with q
laugh. Our friend from the Father
land never slept wink, nor snored a
snore, the whole way through"
~wen. I'm dashedlv / managed to
gasp at last. and pulled my purse into
view.
mo, don't pay It to me-" he said
hastily. "rve won II, know. but
send It as 6 donation to Dr. Barnardo'a
home; It will do some good there |