The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1912-08-14
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@uo wnOi0 l0n8tn OF tne car Cltng1ng
to his wife as II she were Francesca
"a Rimini. and he Paolo, fitting
through Inferno. The fight ended at
the stateroom door with such q thump
| that Mrs. Fosdick was sure a detec-
tive had come for her at last, and
with battering ram.
But when Jimmie got back breath
enough to talk, he remembered the
train-stopping excitement of the day
before and called out:
Has Mrs. Mallory lost that pup
again?" '
Everybody laughed uproariously at
this. People will laugh at anything
or nothing when they have been
frightened almost to death and sud-
denly relieved Of anxiety.
Everybody was cracking q 1oke az
Martorle's expense. Everybody felt q
good'natured grudge against her for
oeins such a mystery. The car was
ringing with hilarity. when the DOR.
ter came stumbling In and paused at
the door. with eyes all white. hands
waving frantically. and lips fiappins
IKE nannei, IN vain effort to speak.
The passengers stopped laughing at
Marjorie. to laugh at the porter. Ash.
ton sang out:
what's the matter with you, Dor
ter! Are you trying to crown"
everybody roared at this. till the
porter finally managed to articulate:
T-t-t-train rob-rob-robbers!"
silence shut down as II the whole
crowa mad been smitten with paraly.
SIS. From somewhere outside and
anead came a pop-popping as of fire.
crackers. Everybody thought, RE
volvers!" The reports we're mingled
Win paroaric yells that turned the
marrow in every bone to snow.
Inese regions are full OF historic
terror. All along the Nevada route
the conductor, the brakemen and old
travellers had pointed out scene after
scene where the Indians had sIaked
the thirst OF the arid land with white
mans blood. Ashton. who had trav.
eied this way many times, had made
nimsen fascinatingly horrifying the
evening before and ruined several
breakfasts that morning In the dining.
car by regaling the passengers with
stories OF pioneer ordeals, men and
women massacred in burning wagons.
or dragged away to fiendish cruelty
ana obscene torture, staked out supine
on burning wastes with eyelids cut
on, bound down within reach of raj.
tlesnakes. subjected to every misery
that human deviltry could devise.
Ashton had brought his fellow pas.
sengers to state of ecstatic excit.
ability. and. like many recounter OF
burglar stories at night, had tuned
MS own nerves to high tension.
The violent stopping of the train.
the heart-shaking yells and shots out.
side. found the passengers already apt
70 respond without delay to the ap.
peals OF fright. After the first hush
OF dread, came the reaction to panic.
Each passenger showed his own
panic In his own way. Ashton whirled
round and round, like a horse with
the blind staggers, then bolted down
the aisle, knocking aside men and
women. He climbed on seat. pulled
down an upper berth. and, scrambling
into IT, tried to shut 1t On himso II.
MRS. Whitcomb was so frightened that
she assailed Ashton with fury and
Selling his feet. dragged him back In.
TO the aisle, and beat him with her
hsts. demanding that he protect her
and save her for Sammy's sake.
Mrs. Fosdick, rushing out of her
stateroom and not finding her lus-
cious-eyed husband. laid hold OF Jim.
nile Wellington and ordered him to
go to the rescue OF her spouse. Mrs.
wellington tore her hands loose, cry
Ing: Let him go. madam. He has
wife OF his own to defend"
Jimmie was trying to pour out dy-
Ing messages. and only suffering, for.
getting that he had put bis watch In
MS mouth to hide 1t. though It's chain
was still attached to his waistcoat.
Anne Cattle. who had read much
about Chinese atrocities to mission.
aries. gave herself up to death, yet re-
Joiced greatly that she had provided
timely man to lean on and should
not have to enter Paradise n spinster.
providing she could manage to con-
vert Ira In the next few seconds. be-
fore 1t was everlastngly too late. She
was begging her first heather to toin
her In a gospel hymn. But Ira was
roaring curses like pirate captain In
hurricane. and swearing that the
Villains should not rob him of his
bride.
Mrs. Temple wrung her twitching
hands and tried to drag her husband
to his knees. crying:
"Oh, Walter. Walter. won't you
please say a prayer?-a good strong
prayer?"
hut the preacher was so confused