Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1833-11-14

who, had thought himself fairly inlalli.
bic for this time, it was the tall mans
property as clear as brass-nails could
make il.
| The trunk was now the universal
subject Of talk, both inside and outside.
and every body said no would be sur.
prised if it got to its journeys end in
safety. All agreed that it manifested
most extraordinary disposition to be
lost, stolen or strayed, but yet every
! one thought that there was kind OF
special providence about it, which KEEP,
II on the right road after oil; and,
wherefore, it became fair subject of
debate, whether the chances against
or the chances for, were likely to pre-
vail.
Before we arrived at Newport, we
had to 60 on board the ferry steam.
boat for Dundee, the conversation had
gone into other channels, and each
being engaged about his own concerns,
no one thought any more about the
trunk, till just as the barrow was de-
scending along the pier, the eternal
long man cried out
"Guard have you got my trunk"
"Oh, yes" cried the guard very
promptly, "l've taken care of il now.
There it is on the top of ALL"
ats no such thing" cried gentle
man who had come into the coach at
Cupar; that's my trunk"
Every body then looked about for
the enchanted trunk; the guard ran
back, and once more searched the boot,
which he knew to have been searched
to the bottom before; and the tall gen.
tleman gazed over land, waters, and
sky, in quest of his precious encum.
brance.
"Well, guard" cried he at length,
"what pretty fellow you are! There
don't you see!--there'smy trunk thrust
into the shed, like piece Of lumber.
And SO it really was. At the head
of the pier at Newport, there is shed,
with seats within were people waiting,
for the ferry boats; and there perdu
beneath form, lay the enchanted
trunk, having been SO disposed, in the
hustle of unloading, by means which
nobody could pretend to understand.
The guard, with half.frightened look |
approached the awful object, and soon
placed it with tho other things ON board
the ferry boat.
On our landing at Dundee pier, the
proprietor Of the trunk saw SO well af-
ter it himself, that it was evident no
accident was for this time to be expect
ed. However. it appeared that this
was only lull to orr attention. The
tall gentleman was to 60 to Aberdeen
by coach then Just about to start
from Merchants Inn, while !, for my
part, was to proceed by another coach,
which was about to proceed from the
same place to Perth. A great hustle |
took place in the narrow street at the
inn door, and some Of my late fellow
travellers were getting into the one
coach, and some into the other. The |
Aberdeen coach was soonest prepared
to start, and, just as the guard, cried
all's right" the long figure devolyed
from the window, and said, in an anxi-
Gus tone Of voice
"Guard, have you got my trunk?"
"Your trunk, STRIP cried the man;
'swhat like, is your trunki we have
nothing here but bags and baskets"
"Hcavcn preserve mel" exclaimed
the unfortunate gentleman, and burst
out of the coach.
1t Immediately appeared that the
trunk had been deposited by mistake
in the Perth, instead OF the Aberdeen !
coach; and unless the owner had
spoken, it would have been, in less
than an hour, half way up the Carse
of Gowrie. A transfer was immedi-
ately made, to the no small amuse-
ment of myself and one or two other |
persons in both coaches who had wit |
messed its previous misadventures on
the road through Fife. Seeing friend |
on the Aberdeen vehicle, took an |
opportunity ofprivately requesting that |
he would, on arriving at his destina-
ton, send me an account by post of all |
the further mistakes and dangers which |
were sure to beiall the trunk in the |
course of the journey. To this ne
agreed, and, about week after, ! re-
ceived the following letter:
"Dear -
GAIL went well with myself, my fell
low travellers, and the Trunk, till we
got few miles on this side Of Stoneha-
ven, when, just as we were passing
one of the boggiest parts of the whole
of that DOGGY road, an unfortunate
lurch threw US over upon one side, and
the exterior passengers, along with Sc
yeral heavy articles Of luggage, were