A TRAVELING COMPANION.
BY TERESA W. BROWN.
“A first to King’s Cross.”
I had just taken my ticket, and was
standing in the booking office of the
York station, awaiting the departure
of the night mail for London, when the
above words caused me to turn round
with a start. There was something
weird and uncanny in Jthe tone of the
voice which impressed me with an in-
efinable feeling of apprehension I
gould not account for. Turning round,
found myself face to face with the
speaker. ‘
He was a remarkably tall and mas-
sively built man, possessing every in-
dication of great personal strength.
He was enveloped from head to foot in z
a long black cloak, buttoned closely;
under his chin and reaching almost
down to the ground, which concealed
the'whole of his person with the ex-
ception of a. large, bony hand of a
strange, unnatural, almost gleaming,
whiteness. The face also riveted my
attention; a broad, massive forehead,
firmly set jaw, high cheek-bones, a
fileep, sallow complexion, and a pair of
[fecal black eyes which seemed to glow
with unnatural brilliancy—these were
the most striking features of the
strange indiv1dual who stood before
me. '
As I confronted him, his eye rested .
upon me for a moment with a dark,
malevolent expression, but it was in-
stantly averted; whether it was fancy
or not I cannot explain, but I felt as
though under the influence of some
mysterious power of fascination, which
required the exercise of all the self-
control I possessed to overcome, The
sound of the bell announcing the de-
parture of my train had the effect of re-
calling me to my senses, and I hastened
away, not a little relieved to see my
strange fellow—traveler, instead of fol-
lowing me, move toward the other end
of the train. ' _
. After a run of some three hours the
train drew up at Peterborough. Here
my companion and I alighted and at-
tempted to swallow a cup of boiling
coffee in the five minutes' allowed.
Scracely had we taken our places again
when, chancing to look out of the car-
riage window, I beheld the identical
figure in the black cloak. Again the
old feeling came over me, for although
he averted his eyes the moment they
met mine, and moved away, I felt con-
vinced he was watching me. My
startled look must have been noticed by
my fellow~traveler, for he immediately
asked:
“Are you acquainted with the gentle-
man on the platform?” _
It was only by a great effort that I ,
could answer in the negative, adding,i
with assumed unconcern:
“that led you to think so?”
“Because,” returned my friend, “I
have observed at every station where
we have stopped during our journey,
he has walked pastl our window and,
looked in at you as if expecting you to
recognize him. His appearance is soj
remarkable that I do not think I could
possibly have been mistaken.” '
A cold shudder ran through my
limbs, and, as I wiped the thick, clam-
my perspiration from my forehead, I
could not help recalling all the wild‘
stories I had heard or read respecting
the power of the evil eye, and the mys-
terious influence of mind upon mind.
What was the meaning of the subtle
fascination which that dark stranger
seemed to'exercise over me that night?
“’21s it only the effect of an excited
imagination? I tried to persuade my-
self that it was a. delusion—a nightmare
-—a horrid dream, but it was of no avail.
I was wide-awake; there was my
V companion opposite me. evidently dis—
turbed by my strange demeanor. My
brain was in a whirl; I felt sick and
giddy, and remained entranced in .1
kind of morbid stupor out of which
I was onlyawakened by the stopping
of the train at I-Iitchin.
“Well, good-by,” said my fellow-
traveler; “here’s the end of my jour-
ney," adding, hastily: “By Jove! here 5
he is.”
I have a dim recollection of his leav-
ing the carriage and some one else en-
tering. I‘Vho it was I knew well, al-
though some time elapsed before I
could muster sufficient courage to raise
my eyes. At last I looked up. It was
as I had foreboded. There, opposite to
me, in the far corner of the carriage.
sat the tall figure in the black cloak,
the same wild look in his restless eye,
the same evil expression in his forbid-
ding face. '
Directly our eyes met, he leaped from
his seat with the yell of a wild beast.
Something bright flashed in the dim
lamp-light, and as he'paused for an
instant as if preparatory to a spring,
I saw that his hand grasped a clasp-
knife, whose'long, glittering blade was
stretched towards me. In'a moment
the terrible truth burst upon me—I
was alone with a raving maniac, the.
train going at express speed, and no
stoppage nearer than London. Escape
was next to'impossible. I saw at a
glance that in a struggle for life and
death I should not stand the slightest
chance against my gigantic adversary.
Under the impulse of the moment
I stretched out my hand to seize the
handle of the door, determined to risk
a desperate leap rather than await cer-
tain death by remaining where I was.
A burst of fiendish laughter greeted
the futile attempt. '
“Locked!” he yelled. Then modulat-
ing his voice by a strong effort, he con-
tinued: “Now I entreat you to be rea-
sonable, my friend. Let me explain.
Of course, you must see that you have
no possible chance of escaping me.
Listen calmly to what I have gotto say.
I took a fancy to your throat the first
moment I set my eyes on you in the
booking office at York. I said to my»
self: ‘That man’s throat is the very one
I am in search of. His carotid is per-
fect; I will cut it to-night.’
“Of course. I felt a natural anxiety
I
' you may suggest.
not to lose you, and took the trouble
to get out at every station to assure
myself that you had not left the car-
riage, for although I prefer doing these
little things in private, yet, ratherthan
miss the chance altogether, I would
have stooped to the. vulgarity of cut-
ting your throat on the public plat-
form in the presence of a lot of coarse- i
minded porters. You will see that I
am only carrying out the doctrine so
admirably enunciated by my esteemed .
friend, the late Mr. De Quincy, with
whose lucid essay on ‘Murder Consid-
ered as One of the Fine Arts’ you are :
There shall be no .
doubtless familiar.
indecent haste. There. are yet five-
and-twenty minutes before our tram
will reach town. I will allow you, say,
a quarter of an hour; ten minutes will
be more than ample time for me to do
all that I require, and we will, with
your permission, devote the interval
to a calm discussion on any subject
Now, can I speak
fairer?” ,
All this was aid in the calmest and
most natural manner. I mentally
thanked heaven for this unlocked-for
reprieve. Short as it was, I felt there.
was yet a chance for my life.
'I he train might be stopped by some. ac-
cident. or i might even be able to make.
my esgaj‘v ly another door. Still, I
felt how hopeless it was to speculate
on this. for a single look at the door i
convinced me of the folly of the at" .
tempt, since, 'in order toreach it, I
' should have to pass my terrible com- .
panion. He looked at his watch, and
said quietly:
“Ten minutes gone
Only a. short five minutes between
life and death!
{$3
The ghastly glitter of the polished;
steel seemed to. grow red in the pale
lamp-light, and the dark, gleaming eyes
were bent on me with the fierce, eager
look I had noticed before.
A sudden thought struck me. I re-
membered having heard that almost all
lunatics labored under some special
monomania, and that by humoripg
them on this one point, and abstaining .
from contradicting them, they would
often become so interested in the sub—
ject as to lose all consciousness of
everything that was passing around
’Iihis, then, was my last chance, '
them.
and I resolved to try it. I at once di-
vined my compa-nion’s weak place, and
looking him steadily in the face, said.
as calmly as I could:
“My dear sir, as I have still to detain
you some five minutes longer, I am sure
you will pardon me for asking a single
question.
De Quincy. I need scarcely say that-I
fully agree with the views therein ex-
pressed, and that if you are really a
homicidal connoisseur—a dilettante in
murder—and follow the art from a
genuine love of: it, then, of course, my .
throat is most heartily at your serv—
ice. But if, on the. other hand, as I inr
agine from your looks, you are only-
a beginner, then I beseech you, for
your own sake, that you reflect serious-
- 1y before you commit yourself to a pro-
: fession for which you may find out too
late that you have no natural genius.”
For a moment I thought I had gained
my object, as he assumed a half—medi-
tative air.
he suddenly said, with the air of a. man
Y who had perfectly made up his mind:
“No, my friend, it won’t do; I am dc-
termined to act up to my principle,
so pray say no more on the subject
You have just a minute and 33 seconds
to live. In the meantime I am sure
you will excuse me for attending to
this little instrument.”
And suiting the action to the. word. ,
he turned up the sole of his boot and
commenced sharpening his knife in the ?
most business-like manner.
It was a. situation full of horrible
suspense. The precious seconds were
flying fast. I fancied I heard a mock-
ing shriek amid the roar of the hurry—
ing wheels. The hissing as of athou-
sand snakes rang in my ears. A low,
crunching, wailing sound, a. slight jar~
ring of the timbers of the carriage.
Was it—? A wild, maddening hope
leaped up in my heart.
“One minute more,” muttered my
tormentor.
Again the sound was repeated, but;
this time more distinct and prolonged. ;
I could not be mistaken; it was the
sound of the brake, the train was stop- i
ping.
It might be only a temporary diminu- .
tion of speed; 110, we were perceptibly ,
slackening our pace, the train was !
about to stop, and in another minute
assistance would be at hand. The ques-
tion was: Would he perceive it? I
looked up. Too late! Too late!
With a yell, the mere memory of
which makes my blood run, cold, the .
sprang upon me; and as we rolled to- -,
‘ hind you, and so promising a career in '
gether at the bottom of the carriage, I
saw the gleaming knife brandished
above me. It was a struggle for dear
life. Despair gave me strength to
make a last effort to avert the blow.
The form above me swayed for an in—'
stant, the blade swerved in its descent,
and, glancing harmlessly within an
inch of my forehead, shivered into frag-
ments against the floor of the carriage.
With a wild curse he seized me by the
throat, his knees pressed heavily on
my chest; and all was a blank. .
When I came to my senses I found
myself on the platform at —-— station.
“That was a. rum customer, sir, of
your’n,” said the guard. “When we
opened the door he had a’most nigh
throttled you, and it took half a dozen
men of us to hold him. It seemed he
escaped at York from his keepers, who
were bringing him down from Scot-
land, and whom he tried to murder a
score of times; but it was not until
after they had missed him for some
hours that they made out he had gone
by the train. Of course, they tele-
graphed to all the principal stations;
but the train had left Hitchin before
the message arrived. However, they
sent it on here, sir, and we signaled her
just in time; but it was a close shave,
sir, a very close shave!”—Tit-Bits.
Much .
might happen in a quarter of an hour. '
You have just now referred .
to an ingenious essay by the late Mr. ‘
But after a brief pause, :
RAISING OF» HORSES.
'Prospect for the Future as Presented to
the Diocoui'.it-;ed u‘aruier.
The price of homes has in lute been
'so reduced that farmers are discour-
aged in horse l'aising.« rThe low prices
now prevailing are due to a want of
demand on account. of the electric car
system, which has been so generally
. established throughout the cities anal
some parts of the country for rapid
transportation. This is, no doubt, in
some part the cause of the weak de-
mand for horses in the markets. There
is, however, another cause, which will
be found in overproduction. A few
years ago the horse craze, as it may
there was scarcely anyone who was not
, breeding either first-class roadsters or
blooded drivers.
For these, for a few years, first-class
prices were obtained, and the demand,
which was at the time a fictitious one,
produced a sort of boom inshorseflesh,
with an oversupply, and now there are
too many horses for the market, which
has for the time been somewhat dimin-
ished by the electric car lines.
But good horses are always desirable,
and will in the near future bring better
prices than now. Farmers will under-
stand what they need, and for awhile,
perhaps, the supply will be short of
. the demand, but the price will again
settle to a fair compensation for the
trouble and risk in raising good horses.
Good. family horses will always be in
demand in the cities and in the prosper-
ous villages. Cars may carry men to
business, and women to their shopping,
' but there is a demand, in hours not
spent in business, for a carriage horse
to supply the need felt by every well-to-
do family that they may have a restful
I airing in the parks and in the suburbs
. of the city. Farmers would do well
5 to turn their attention to raising horses
I to supply this want. Horses should
7 be raised of the best blood, not for the
; turf, but for the carriage, and as much
l care should be taken in their training
for this purpose, as is necessary to pro-
. duce good conditioned, quiet, trusty
‘ horses suited to drivingthrough all the
bustle and noises of the city.
This will require time and care in the
trainer, but such horses will always
have a' good sale, and can be profitably
raised.
Give us good family horses and the de-
mand will be sufficient to pay the pro-
ducer a good profit—Farm News.
NOTES ON PARIS GREEN.
Two Hundred Tons Employed In the
United States Annually.
Paris green is the most useful and
valuable of the arsenicals used as in-
secticides. As is well known, its action
is more rapid and effective than that of
.London purple, and having a definite
chemical composition it ought to be
subject to variation in the amount of
the active agent, arsenic. Its use as an
insecticide has enormously extended
of late years, and upward of 2,000 tons
are annually employed in the United
States, besides 400 tons in Canada. The
chief difficulty in usingr I’aris green is
the readiness with which it settles to
i the bottom of the tank 01' reservoir ol
2 the spraying apparatus. This is be-
cause it is a rather coarse powder, very
. much less finely divided than London
[purple, which latter fact gives the
l purple a certain advantage.
A recent conversation with one Of the
leading manufacturers of Paris green
has brought out the fact that this
coarseness of grain and the accompany-
ing difficulty in using Paris green in
water suspension is quite unnecessary.
It seems that the market has hitherto
demanded a very dark colored article.
3 the lighter color having been deemed to
indicate adulteration. It seems, how.-
ever, that the darker color is simply due
to the larger size of the crystals. 1f
the green were reduced to an impalpablc
powder, which would make it much
more satisfactory as ah insecticide, it.
would lose the intensity of its color and
become whitish. This manufacturer tells
me that for a number of yearshe was
able practically to control the market...
because he had discovered a means of
crystallizing the green in unusually
large particles,__ securing a very
dark-colored product, although he
was aware that for the use' in-
tended the product so obtained
' was much less valuable. Yet the
. darker green, with its accompany--
- ing larger sized crystals, is more diffi-
cult to manufacture and hence cx~
- pensive.
Itseems, therefore, tha ’0 all these.
Y years we have been using a poison
which could have been had at less ex—
pense and in a much more satisfactory
3 form.——Insect Life.
Old Military Stupids.
“What made you leave the army at so
early an age, with such a fair record be-
. front of you 2’” I, once asked an officer,
whose chief defect was a proneness to
act on hot-headed impulse. The pur-
port of the reply was: “At my last in-
spection I was questioned by the gen-'
eral concerning the prices of the sol-
‘- diers’ socks and shirts. I gave him to
understand that I neither knew nor
cared, and of course I was pretty sharp-
ly reprimanded. I became so disgusted
with this and similar absurdities of
regimental pedantry that I sent in my
papers.” The weary waste of time, the
circumlocutionary twaddle of the old
military correspondence, was a subject
for burlesque. Once, as president of a
board to report on an accident to a
horse, I simply stated that “the leg was
broken,” and received a rather sharp
., reprimand for embodying an opinion in
such trivial language. Thereupon I
amended the defect by suggesting that
“the tibia was fractured,” and was com-
plimented for the satisfactory lucidity
of my report. Tradition declares that
in India a similar board recorded an
opinion that “the elephant is dead and
smells bad.” The general in a towering
passion sent back the proceedings for
revision, whereupon the board amended
its report: “The elephant is still dead
and smells worse.”—Blackwood’s Mag-
azme.
be called, prevailed among farmers, and .
THE EVENING7GAZETTE'. ‘i’ls4 I, ”’:P
0!: NEW YORK.
RICHARD A. MCCURDY President.
men relear inglleutllfllfi.
Assets. .’ $221,213,721 33
Liabilities . . 194,347,157 58
Surplus $26,866,563 75
$48,597,430 51
, $23,126,728 45
Total Income . .
Total Paid Policy holders in 1895, .'
Insurance and Annuities in force, $899,074,453 78-
Net gain in 1895 : $61,647,64536
NOTE—Insurance merely writ/en, is discarded from this Statement 3. ' ‘ '
actually issued and paid for in cash lslncluded. S whollv misleading, and only Insurance
I have carefully examined the foregoing Statement and find the same to be correct.
CHARLES A. PRELLER, Auditor.
From theSurplus a dividend will be apportioned as usual.
Report of the Examining Committee.
' united the Mutual Life insurance Company of New York,
February 11, 1896.
, At a meeting of the Board of Trustees of this Company, held on the 18th day of
December last, the undersigned were appointed a Committee to examine the annual
Statement for the year ending Decembrr Slst, 1895, and to verify the same by com-
parison with thoe assets of the Company. A
The Committee have caiefully performed the duty assigned to them, and hereby
certify that the Statement is in all particulars correct and that the assets specified
therein are in possession of the Company.
In making this certificate the Committee bear testimony to the high character of
the investments (f the Company and express their approval of the system, order and.
accuracy with which the accounts'and vouchers have been kept, and the business in
general transacted.
Robert Clyphant,
'Wm. P. Dixon,
J. H. Herrick.
H. C. Von Post,
Charles R. Henderson,
James C. Holden,
Committee
ROBERT A. GRANNIS, Vice-President.
I
WALTER R. GILLETTE, General Manager.
HENRY E. DUNCAN. Jr., Cor. Secy.
ALBERT KLAMROTH, Asst. Secy.
ISAAC F. LLOYD, Second Vice-President,
WILLIAM J. EASTON, Secretary,
FREDERIC CBOMWELL, Treasurer.
JAMES TIMPSON, 2d Asst. Trees
' EDWARD P. HOLDEN, Asst. Cashier.
IOHN A. FONDA, Assistant Treasurer.
WILLIAM P. SANDS, Cashier
EMORY MCCLINTOCK LL.D., F. I. A., Actuary. . '
JOHN TATLOCK, Jn., Asst. Actuary. WM. W. RICHARDS. Comptroller.
CHARLES A. PRELLER, Auditor, HENRY S. BROWN, Asst. Comp.
5 JOHN C. ELLIOTT, Superintendent of Domestic Agencies,
EDWARD LYMAN SHORT, Gen. Solicitor.
MEDICAL DIRECTORS , . ‘ ,
GUSTAVUS S. WINSTON, M. D. ELIAS J. MARSH, M. D. GRANVILLE M. WHITE, M. D.
Jenn W. Niouons.
New Haven, General Agt. for State of 'C onnecticut.
Ac re- @AMPQ
\
A‘.
In iCtii Age: Lit.
Norwalk Chronicler