American fiction -- 19th century; Dime novels; Popular literature
Whenever he approaches a group of the women there rises a series of
the most ear-piercing shrieks, and the fluttering that followed would
remind a sportsman of a covey of partridges flushed by his dog.
In this one glance Craig sees volumes. He notices one woman dressed
in a garb that would proclaim her a Sister in some sacred convent,
telling her beads with feverish eagerness, and whenever the mad
professor passes by swinging his arms like great flails, she holds in
front of her a small crucifix, as though confident that bodily harm
cannot reach the one who crouches behind this emblem of the Church.
One alone of all the dozen occupants of the car does not engage in
these outbursts of terror. Aleck notices this fact and it makes a deep
impression upon him.
This is Dorothy. She stands there, white of face it is true, and
doubtless trembling in every limb, as is quite natural, considering
the terrible situation, but not a sound escapes her lips, nor does she
fly to the other end of the car when the cause of all this turmoil
approaches.
Dorothy has traveled far and wide, and this alone has given her a
spirit of bravery and independence far beyond the usual run of her sex.
The scene is appalling, and no one can tell how it may end, but thus
far she holds her ground. Perhaps the spirit that caused Samson Cereal
to run away with the mother has descended to the daughter. She does not
appear to be armed, and yet Aleck notes that one hand is concealed from
view amid the folds of her rich silken dress. It is not unusual for the
American girl of to-day to own a revolver. They are made of the finest
of steel, exquisitely fashioned, and look more like a toy than a deadly
weapon.
He does not wait; all these things are before him, so that one sweeping
glance shows him the whole. Then his feet touch the floor of the car,
and at the same moment the great triumph of American engineering again
moves, the iron circle with its dangling cars starting upon its journey.
The professor rattles the other door viciously, and such is his savage
fury that he threatens to demolish the framework. Then with a roar and
a volley of French expletives he turns to make another rush upon the
opposite end of the car.
In thus turning he finds himself face to face with a man. The professor
heeds him no more than he would a troublesome fly that buzzes before
his face. His long arms saw the air like those of a Dutch windmill,
and giving his wildest whoop he starts to clear a passage to the other
terminus, as though he sees the open door and means to escape by it.
In so doing he counts without his host, for Aleck Craig blocks the
way. An experienced boxer, he notes the approach of the wizard with a
feeling of disdain. It is almost like boy’s play to encounter such an
easy mark, but the safety of those in the car demands prompt action.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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