The daily Alaskan., 1910-01-10
THE TELEET HANl
By EDMUND cAMPToN,

"Father," said a miss of sixteen, "tell me a story about when you were young man."
 "A story about when ! was young manf Let me see. There's one about a ride In a train once took that might interest you. I'll tell you that one.
 q got into the car ten minutes be- fore the traln started, and, there being but few seats occupied, put my satch- el beside me. hoping that l might sit alone. But people kept coming in. and I reluctantly set the bag on the floor, thus offering the seat to any one who chose to take 1t. Presently a girl came in. looked disconsolately at the now well Glled seats, glanced irresolutely at the seat beside me and dropped Into 1t.
 "she was about twenty, a blond' pretty as a peach, handsomely dressed, with a suspicion of the odor of violets about her. considered myself a lucky man to have such an attractive crea- ture so close beside me. I drank in her beauty out of the corner of my eye, though reluctantly refr0lned from turning my head in her direction.
 'aThe train was a suburban one, and the tourney would be short This re- gretted. for if we had had a longer ride I should certainly have made an effort to scrape an acquaintance with the lady. When the conductor came through the car for tickets | noticed that she was going to the same place as myself This gave me comfort, for so taken was | with her that resolved to leave no stone unturned 10 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 a temptation 10 turn my head for a look at my neighbor Unfortunately she turned hers in my directly at the same moment. Sbe turned 1t away again immediately, and somehow a feeling took possession of me that | had made her afraid of me.
 "Iustead of shooting right through the tunnel. the train slowed up and stopped in the center of 1t. It always makes me tlmorous to stop in a tun- nel. don't like tunnels anyway. lf anything should happen to 'roin 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 l. She wore an overcoat with pockets at the sides and bad been riding with the hand next to ne in 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. It had scarcely started when felt something plunged into my own overcoat side pocket. the one next the lady. Natural ly put my own hand in the same place and grasped a hand-a soft hand. Indeed, knew It was the hand of the girl beside me. The hand at once grasped mine and held 1t in a grip a delicate woman could only have pro- duced under some strong emotion.
 What should do? It did not occur to me that the girl had tried to rob me. Such a supposition never entered my head. But what was her hand do- ing in my pocket, and what object had she in holding it so tightly? Had she held 1t gently should have supposed she was DO better than she should be and had taken this means to capture ne. l did uothing-simply waited for developments. When the first dim re- turning light entered the car the girl called to a man sitting on the opposite side of the aisle in a terrified voice:
 "T'm being robbed! Protect meP
 "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 a shriek, 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 aud covered her face with her hands.
 'I explained briefly iu an undertone to the man she had called upon to pro- tect her that she had mistaken my pocket for her own. He resumed bis seat, with smile. Several persons sit ting near asked to be enlightened, and gradually the story spread through the car. a wave of litter accompanying it.
 "When we reached the station at which the girl and were to leave the train she was obvious to our arrival there. lifted my hat and asked her if that was not her stopping place. She made a dash for the door. rush. cd after her and with difficulty kept her from jumping off the train when 1t was still moving rapidly. A carriage yyos yvoItino- for bpr and I Dut her in