Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-10-19

started back with package of bills
amounting to $1,000. which | was In
TOO much of Il hurry TO count Hap
ply for me. the 800 express for Paris
was late arriving, and | had time TO
spring into n compartment that /
thought was empty.
lady, however, was there before
Inc IN the corner to the right This
lady was not only young. but very
pretty, elegant and dressed In perfect
taste. Presently she took up paper
folded on her lap and began to read.
Meanwhile we were rapidly APP
groaching the station of Maisons- La
.ltte, when all ut once the notion
ttruck me to read again some letters 1
had about me and that had only
glanced ut i'll the hurry of my morn
Ing departure.
put my hand in my pocket then
and drew out in II loose heap the bun
die of papers and letters and among
them my pocketbook.
took up the pockctbook, therefore.
drew out the notes and In the absolute
security of that narrow. shut In car
riage counted them slowly, compla-
Gently, without the slightest fear Of
being spicd on. With my accustomed
carelessness In everything l did l laid
The pocketbook down on the seat be
side me, along with the handful &C let
tiers that proposed to read
A sharp rattle Of iron made me look
up brusqucly. Was 1t really possible
we were already passing Asniercs?
Tho vpnt,,r tvntnnn tOn IoI hnnn
drawn by the noise from her immobil-
ity. She folded up her paper, then
drew OFF her glove.
But now the shadow OF the great
wall OF the Batignolcs was falling In
TO the wagon. already gray with the
coming twilight, and saw that the
lantern was not lighted. 4 moment
more anil we rushed into the Asnieres
tunncl3S
Immediately l was conscious of n
slight rustling sound. almost impercep-
tible In that fracas of rafting iron, Il
sort of light rubbing or scratching
among the papers lying on the seat be-
side me. es.t
Absentmindcd rs am, there were II
hundred chances To one against my no.
ticing so slight Il thing. Nevertheless.
be il Il supernatural warning or latent
suspicion, l instantly thought of my
pOckctboolI, and instantly. too, with
out reflection, threw myself forward,
my two hands spread out wide upon
my scattered papers, and leaned heavi.
~ upon them.
My heart gave one great plunge and
seemed to stop beating, for | felt at
once under those sheets of paper that
i had seized upon something-some-
thing that, like bear In Il trap, sought
TO be free, writing, struggling, claw
Ing. twisting.
Just then the train whistled again, Il
whistle of distress, of inquiry maybe,
relaxed its speed and came to n stop in
the black night OF the tunnel, and
< there in that pltchy darkness, for some
seconds Mt least, lived through the
crisis OF a verltable nightmare.
How long 1t went on l never knew
never VIII know-but presently that
hand, after doubling itself with the
vain but tortured tossings OF a captiye
scrvant-that hand-crushed remorse-
lessly under my own two palms, grew
still and stirred no more, like thing
that Is dead.
And all this while | saw nothing,
heard nothing, not even signing
breath from the owner Of that hand,
though 1 perfectly comprehended that
she TO whom the hand belonged was
simply crafty that she was biding her
time merely; that in that black obscurl.
ty even she eyed me treacherously.
r At last the train began to move on
once more. The relief experienced us
Ii started was SO great that involun-
tarlly my entire being seemed to relax
from its strain.
She was watching for exactly that
moment, for instantly that hand was
stirring again. struggling again to be
free, not in fits and starts this time,
but in n steady recoll. tenacious, vigor-
Gus, into which was thrown all its re-
manning energy.
| felt it through the papers, slipping,
gliding, escaping me. little by little. TO
get II better purchase OH 1t moved my
palms slightly, and--the hand was
gone. grasped only ing pocketbook-
/ opened it fey erlshly, learned by feel
ing that the bills were still there,
thrust it into the breast of my coat
and folded my arms upon 1t. Then l
breathed freely.
The darkness now was growing less,
the street light beginning to en;cr the
compartment.
Naturally my first glance leaped to
that young woman's face. She was In
the same place in the same attitude
of naughty unconcern Nothing was
deranged about her toilet; not n fold
of her robe seemed to have stirred.
The paper still lay folded upon her