Hopkinsville Kentuckian., 1907-01-17
IN THE n
TUNNEL
By L ". MANslmw


tSopynght, 1906 by Joseph B bOwles.)
I cannot conceive what impelled me
to do the thing, but the fact remains
that, Just as the train pulled away
from the dingy little station at Mo.
dane. and the fat man in the corner
began to nod again. I said quite audi
bly,: III bet flyer that fellow is
asleep before we reach the tunnel, and
Will snore like blessed pig the whole
way through it,"
did not address my remarks to
any Of the persons who shared the
compartment with me. There were
four of us in ala mummified Italian
VINO Kept his nose in a book hour In
and hour out; the fat German who had
sat blinking like an owl every time ]
opened my eyes during the night, and
had only had two waking intervals
since the day broke; and a somewhat
sallow-fRced individual who looked
like a Frenchman, and spent the time
iotting things down on pocket writ
ing block when he wasn't chewing the
end OF his lead pencil and staring up
at the roof of the carriage in manner
indicative of deep thoughtfulness.
A more engaging set of animated
dead men it had never been my mis-
fortune to travel with. We had left
Paris--en route for Genoa--at nine
O'Clock the previous evening; we had
tumbled out at Modane the next morn
ing to pass the customs on the italian
frontier, and during the entire IA
hours of our enforced association, not
one solitary word had been spoken by
any member of the party until un-
thinkingly broke the silence in the
manner recorded. 1t came, therefore.
as a somewhat startling surprise when
the man whom l had long ago decided
as French commercial traveller max
ing up his accounts en- route, glanced
round at me and said, with as fine an
accent as ever came out of Cornwall:
rNo-o, think not He Is pretty good
at the game, | will admit; but fancy
he won't go as far as that" and forth
with showed his writing block into his
pocket and edged along the seat until
he was beside me.
IF you like to bet on losing haz-
ards, that fellow will accommodate
YOU" he continued in a carefully low
cred tone and with nod in the direc-
ton of the somnolent German. "He
understands English"
How do you know that?" inquired.
He hasn't spoke syllable since he
oana I'm hara last NIGHT -
Il am well aware that he hasn't.
Thinks he would make it too agree
able for other people If he did. But
he understands English we'll enough
to read 1t, If you will take the trouble
to notice that newspaper sticking out
OF his coat pocket"
But that proves nothing. He may
have bought 1t for a friend"
mot he If | know anything,
know the human mule when / see
him; and If that fellow hadn't been too
far gone when you offered to wager
FIVE pounds that he would snore the
whole way through the tunnel, he
would have defeated you on general
principles. You cant trust man with
mouth and chin like his to let you
win anything ii he can prevent it,
l glanced over at the sleeping Ger
man and laughed
Are you a family connection of
Sherlock Holmes ?' l asked.
mot the slightest" he replied, with
curious smile that lifted one corner
of his mouth half way up his cheek.
That is one of the few lines | have
never tackled as yet. But one never
knows what cards one may be called
upon to play before the end Of the
game Pardon me moment. We
shall be entering the tunnel presently,
and ! never fail to take look at this
particular bit of landscape"
He rose as he spoke and stood with
his hand upon the strap which con-
&olled the window, and his eyes fixed
upon me with c@Eions UOrt CGtbntent'
hess.
oyer been urougA aha Ceais t'a-
nel?" he asked
rNo never. This is my first expert |
ence," replied. is the sensation as
uncanny as l have been told?'
1T would require a second Poe to |
do Justice to it, AS for me-" He |
lifted the str, of the window, and
could see that h.I hand shook nervous
ly. 81 always liken the passage |
it to six-and-twenty minutes
in hell. and never fail to fill my eyes
and my memory with the picture of |
green trees and bright sunlight before
/ am swung into the place. But then,
mine was such an awful, such an ur-
earthly experience"
A sudden crash cut in upon his I
words. The window strap had slipped
from his hand and the sash shot down
with a bang that made the sleeping
man beside it start up with an ex-
cited "Ach! Lieber Gott!" and the
reading Italian turn for the first time
from his book. And, at the same mo-
ment. light and air and landscape were
licked up and swallowed, a swirl of
|