The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-02-27
From Punch.
NOoks and Corners OF Chnrac ter.

4
Wedelight in picking up stray straws of char
acter, and balancing them on our minds nose-for
| If the mind has an eye, OF course ii must have
nose
| The Railway still abounds in characters, though
so many have recently been lost there It has been
at Woolverton, Birmingham, Derby, and many
otberstations OF pressing hunger and thirst, that
wa have devoured-now with a stale bun, now with
baSin Of hot soup in our hand-the following little
dtlieious bit of character. 1t to the name
d.
| THE RAILWAY RErREsHMENT GIRL
| How pretty she is You jump from the train
! nth six hours accumulation of appetite. Your
| Iungry eyes survey the stock of pastry and pork
pf lllH Health before you, and, in the tempting
Eiety, you are puzzled which TO choose. A fairy
form with blond cap fits before you, and your in
decision grows greater. silvery little voice, no
you will please TO take" and in the nervousness
Iof your throat. you murmur cooingly, Turtle,
real turtle" The next minute Is handed you
Soup plate, swimming full of ox-tails-and me-
chanicaly you dip the silver spoon into it. You
have scalded yourself, of course-but what matter
One glance from those loving eyes, and the pain
has sweetened into pleasure. The plate is still be-
fore you, and you. keep blowing, blowingIor "a
ther, signing, sghing-but your eyes and thoughts
are fixed On the moving Grace before you.
How good -natured she is I! She has smiles and
change for every one. Her hands fly over the table
nimby as those of German professor over the
pidity of THALBERG. Harmony seems to flow from
her fingers, and each glass she touches becomes
musical glass.
But though the Railway Refreshment Girl plays
admirably, yet she is rarely heard to sing. Talk
to her as much as you please, she seldom replies
The fact is she discourscs with smiles, and each
smile is as good song, looking almost as if 1t
said aloud, " Wilt thou love me then now ~
Neatness waits each little action she performs.
She puts in the sugar to the negus herself,
up the mouth of each paper bag tightly that the
mixed biscuits will not fall out, and never hands
"coppers" (shame that she should touch such
thing > excepting in the handsomest envelope of
brown paper,
Her dress is a study for a milliner. Her cap
would win smile from the most captious little
grisette and the gay, huttering strings never OBJ
trude themselves into the coffee or the calfs foot
Jelly, or improper places. Her apron is after the
pattern OF aprons that are worn by stage wait
ing maids only much pretter Her gown shines
like summers day, and brightcns your eyes TO
look at it. Take her altogether (only the counter
prevents that y you would say that she lived all her
life in French fashion book, and only came down
upon earth for certain five minutes every day to
feed a drove of starving passengers.
IL she mortal? For apparently she does not
quire the vulgar sleep that other mortas in bright
petticoatscannot dispense with. Drop upon her at
what hour you will, the Railway Refreshment Girl
is always he same. At five O'Clock in the morning
she looks as sunshiny as at noon; at ten at night
her eyes pour out as much brightness in the mid
die of the day. Her dress, too, never betrays the
smallest loosepin of hurry, negligence. You
can generally tell the time of day by ladys hair;
but il is quite impossible to say what hour it is
whether a. N. or p m.-from the neat little head
| before you. Who ever saw Railway Refreshment
Gl in curl papers? She lives in perpetual ringlets
Your hcartis at her fect-if feet che has any, for
none are to be seen-and she appears to walk on
wings Youi revene deepens at every gance
| your admiration is sank 10 the depth Of an Arte-
sian WELL and overfi,ws all your nature; when sud-
denly sharp bell wakes you up TO life again. Tim
idly, you ask what tiere is TO pay? and, leaving
your soup and your lsart behind you, hurry out,
none the happier for he change that is ringing
to your beating bosor. Your appetite is unap-
peased, but your thoughts full, and for hours
You feast on the sweet ecollections you have i'm
bibed, if nothing olse, fom your interview with the
Railway Refreshment Girl.