A Sleeping-Car Horror.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 1902, 4 June 1892, Page 2 (Supplement)

A Sleeping-Car Horror.

Night had spread har inky mantle all over things, shutting from view the high-priced scenery on either side of the train. Wearied by a long day's journey tho occupants of the oar had one by ono retired to pnjoy un I disturbed the repose which the luxurious appointments of the car afforded, while an assistant was excroieing his right p.ihi in reducing into a state of patent-leßther glosßinc-sa the outer Buxfuce of the various pairs of shoes ho had bten able to abiluc' from their rightful owners. lie was also exercising great caro in the matter, but hi arm got far more exerei=e than great can did. An atmosphere o£ holy calm pervaded the car, and bulged out at tho top through tin ventilators, while tho w-:nry passangoit, wrapped in (slumber and blanket^ unconeoiously sped on to their journej't end. But hold I (This statement ia morel) thrown in for its dramatic eff ct, and I oan not vouch for its truth.) What is that low rumbling noise which ominously sound? upon the midnight stillness, hitherto unbroken save for the now faint rattle of the train 1 Even the inexperienced in such matters would unhesitatingly pronounce it a snore — a snore which ssema to take up the monotonous refrain of tho wheels beneath, and carry it along on its ponderous way with many added and wholly superfluous chest tones. It is a nasal symphony which fil'i the remotest recesses of that migratory palace, or at least all of them it can find, co full that they will not hold any more, and now it goes on eight care ahead, and serves notice on the engineer. That bravo man, as is customary with engineers in time of danger, grasps the throttle, and thinks ci bis wife and little ones at home. Don't understand me as saying that ho did anything with the tbrolllo after grasping it, None of them ever do ; but this would not be a genuine railroad Btory nnleßS I brought th> phrase in. Having got this point off my mind, 1 will now return to the sleeper. The train sped on in the darkness, aa is customary with trains at night, according to timetable. So did the snore, only the latter gaine'i noticeably upon tie former, and it didn't require any time-table either. Ever an'l anon it would ri3o up into unexplored heights of snorcdorn, and becoma terribly and pitifully shrill in its intensity ; but thees were mare transient oecillationa, efter whioh it would gravitate deteiminodly back to th&t settled saw-mill baritone in which it had been first introduced to the public. Low muttered curses soon Hosted from various berths, and rested on what little atmosphere the Bnoro wasn't using, and various unkind remarks were made concerning penchant for saronsm, ss exhibited in liis designating them as sleeping-cars. B-.fflid Morpheus went out on tho rear platform to rids, fully convinced that hi 3 soporiferous power would avail him nothing whpn pitted ngainst the able-bodied enore, Soon it WS3 decided that the snore issued "rora '■ Lower 6," but strong men faltered >hen it was suggeeted that some one request ' ! io occupant of that berth to be less •■itnnolently demonetrativs. The volume •i the snove, thftt is, the published volume, il tokened a man of ucu3ual Bize and •trongth, and psrflapa of ungovernable cm per. .4 collection was hastily taken up, with vhich the porter ngreed to be eubsidieed to o tho end that he'iudace the dread occupant ' ' Lower 6 " to refrain from giving audible iMdenso of tho faei that he waa dreaming, • f f ily ('rcaminp. With light, firm tread and uublanohed ■ukbe approached the berth, and reaching -tw-:an the curtains, appr-ared to eh&kethe ritaicd Blumbcrer. The snore ceased, j 'i.rro was no doubt about this. Ths verdict .•9 uu.i: imo»3. After ibist is^eratila of the wheels had a | •:ar.co, tba engineer quit grasping tho j .rottle, and Jlorphcu3 came bsck into the j r and grumVlingly proceeded to get in hie j a stcoud time that night. The nJ!;ht x:otq on. I am not informed bat <ho n>ght wore on thafc occasion, I nl I j. reajme it was something euitable. ] Wfafn all ia ones more quiet, the Poster j t'p>"»rs on the ecene. Ife cautioatly makes his way to " Lower j," and r^a^ee a moment in order that we •iy stu-iy his cxpreasion. There is no f,lare in his eye — in either of them, a that ciatUr— but a glad smile oi triumph r -iid?rg th'; ni sst of his face invisible, and •ipa^t &imi<-] li^ht to the circumambient air. I {•» d. ftly resohes between the curtains and j jiclidnwj " MunrHY'a Auomatic Ssokograph." lie had pmelißsed one of those cunning "•tile i hoo> graphs, of which Mr. Edison in \\o author, snored it fi.ll of Bnore the rivious liny, with tho BBsiatacca of several .risr.di 1 , aad arranged the automatio part •■i.Tisdf. As he carefully bora tho ingenious con'rivp.r.ca to his studio at the end of the car, •Ms diGCßKaged hand tenderly caressed some 'ii"cr coin, the result oft ta first night's -Airk, and the fact that this is undeniably an af;a of prcgie? s aud invention dawned upou him wish dsz?,iin!! briiiiariny,