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Hawthorne, Julian, 1846-1934

"Bressant"

You've been sleeping-here
for more than a hundred miles; if you want to sleep any more I expect
you'd better get out and go to an hotel."
Bressant removed his feet from the extra seat, and, the conductor having
reversed it, the lady and gentleman took their places. As for the boy
with the green bag and the blue-spotted handkerchief, he was nowhere to
be seen; he must have left the train at a previous station.
The train had stopped, and Bressant, glancing out of the window, saw
that they were at some large railway-junction.
"How far are we from New York?" he asked of the conductor, with his hand
to his ear to catch the reply.
"Be there in two hours," shouted back that gentleman, in reply.
"When does the next train go through here in the opposite direction?"
"We're just awaiting for one to come along and give us the track--and
there she is now," returned the conductor, as he took his departure.
The whistle screamed malevolently, and, with a jerk and a rattle, the
car began to move off. Bressant rose suddenly from his seat, walked
quickly along the aisle to the door, passed through to the platform,
grasped the iron balustrade with one hand, and swung himself lightly to
the ground. The whistle screamed again like a disappointed fiend.


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