The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1909-12-08
. THE VELVET HAND,
By EDMUND cAMpToN.


BY EDMUND cAMPTON.
copyright. 1909, BY American Press Asso-
ciation.l
Father" said miss OF sixteen, etell
me story about when you were a
young man."
IA story about when | was q young
mani Let me see. There's one about a
ride In train once took that might
tnterest you. I'll tell you that one.
II got into the car ten minutes be-
fore the train started. and, there being
but few seats occupied. put my satch.
e. beside me. hoping that | might sit
alone. But people kept coming in. and
] reluctantly set the bag on the floor.
thus offering the seat 70 any one who
chose to take It. Presently a girl came
In. looked disccnsolately at the now
well filled seats, glanced irresolutely
at the seat beside me and dropped into
it.
"She was about twenty, a blond,
pretty as peach. handsomely dressed.
with a suspicion OF the odor of violets
about her. considered myself lucky
man to have such an attractive crea-
ture SO close beside me. ! drank ia her
beauty out Of the corner Of my eye.
though reluctantly refrained from
turning my head In her direction.
''1he train was a suburban one, and
the journey would be short. This re-
GREETED. for If we had had a longer ride
should certainly have made an effort
to scrape an acquaintance with the
lady. When the conductor came
through the ear for tickets noticed
that she was going to the same place
as myself. This gave me comfort. for
80 taken was with her that resolved
to leave. no stone unturned to discover
who she was and secure an introduce
ton.
"a few miles from the city there are
heights under which the trains must
pass. We entered the tunnel the train
being lighted only at the other end
from that which we occupied. leaving
our end almost In darkness yielded
to temptation TO turn my head for a
look at my neighbor Unfortunately
she turned hers In my directly at the
same moment. She turned it away
again Immediately, and somehow a
feeling took possession OF me that /
had made her afraid Of me.
Instead of shooting right through
the tunnel. the train slowed up and
stopped III the center Of It. 1t always
makes me timorous to stop IN tun-
mel. don't like tunnels anyway. II
anything should happen to train In
one OF these holes in the earth the
panic of the passengers would be
dreadful The girl beside me evidently
had the same view IN the matter as |.
she wore an overcoat with pockets at
the sides and had been riding with the
hand next to me ia her pocket, as
though holding on to something she
was afraid Of losing. When we stop
ped she withdrew her hand. looked
about her nervously. evidently forget
ting everything but the situation.
presently the train moved on II had
scarcely started when felt something
plunged into my own overcoat side
pocket, the one next the lady. Natural
~ put my own hand ia the same
place and grasped a banda soft hand
Indeed, knew it was the hand Of the
girl beside me. The hand at once
grasped mine and held IT In a grip
delicate woman could only have pro-
duced under some strong emotion.
what should do? 1t did not occur
to me that the girl had tried to rob
me. Such supposition never entered
my head. But what was her band do
Ing id my pocket. and what object bad
she 10 holding II so tightly? Had she
held it. gently should have supposed
she was no better than she should be-
and had taken this means to capture
me. did nothing simply walled for
Developments. When the first dim re-
turning light entered the car the girl
called to man sitting on the opposite
side Of the aisle in a terrified voice:
"Pm being robbed. Protect meg
1.-THE man rose and stood facing us.
Meanwhile the train ran out Of the
tunnel. The girl rose, which impelled
me to rise also. The man. the girl and
looked down at my side. The girl
gave shrek. took her hand out Of my
pocket. thrust 1t into her own and
drew out a fat pocketbook. Then she
sank back into her seat and covered
her face with her hands.
II explained briefly 10 an undertone
to the man she had called upon to pro-
tect her that she had mistaken my
pocket for her own. He resumed his
seat, with smile. Several persons sit
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