Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1854-08-10
The Nervous Mans Story.

: In the fall Of 1916, was trave
y ing eastward in stage-coacb, fror
Pittsburg over the mountains. Ne
n fellow passengers were two gentle
n men and 4 lady. The elder gentle
c min 5 appearance interested me ex
e ceedingly. In years, he SCENE,
: about thirty-in air ard manner h
was calm, digniied and polished; an,
: the contour of his features was sin
gularly intellectual He eonverset
!. freely Oh the general topics, until tht
road became more abrupt and pre-
: cipitous, but on my directing his at
tention to the great altitude Of q
precipiee, ON the verge of which ON
coach wheels were leisurely rolling,
there came d marked change over
! his countenance. His eyes, so late
" filed with the light Of mild intel
llgence, became Wild restless, anx-
ious; the mouth twitched spasmodi-
c4lly, and the forehead beaded with a
cold perspiration. With sharp,
conyulsive shudder, he turned his
gaze from the giddy height, and
clutching my ann tightly with both
blinds, he clupg TO me like drowning
man.
I Use this cologne said the lady,
hqniing me bottle, with the in :
stinctiye goodness of her sex.
sprinkled little on his face,
aud he soon became somewhat more
composed; but it was not until we
had traversed the mountain and de-
..sqended to the country beneath, that
his fine features relaxed from their
perturbed LOOK, and assumed the
placid, quiet dignity I had first n B.
ticed
81 owe an apology to the lady,"
said he, with bland smile and gen
lie inclination Of The head TO our fair
companion, ''and some explanation
TO nv fellow travellers also, and per
haps / canuot bett er acqait myself of
the double debt than by recounting
the cause Of my recent agitation.
1T may pain ' our feelings" deli
cately urged the lady.
o0n the contra ry, it will relieve
them, was the res apectful reply.
Having signifed our several de- |
sires to hear more, the traveller thus
proceeded:
"At the age Of eighteen, / was
light Of heart, light. Of foot, and, ! |
fear, (here heHmiled,) light Of head.
a fne property on the right bank
of the Ohio acknowledged me as
sole owner. I was fastening ho me !
to enjoy it ! and delighted to get free
from a college life. Tie month was
October, tile air was braeing, and the
mode Of conveyance a stage coach |
like this, only more cumbrous The |
other passengers were few-but three
in all an old grey-headed planter
of Louisia na, his daughter, joyous
bewitching creature about seventeen,
and his son, about ten years Of agc. I
They were just returning from
France, Of which the young lady |
discoursed in terms so eloquent as to
absorb my entire attention.
"The father vas taciturn, but the
daughter was vivacious by nature;
and we soon became so mutually
pleased with each other-she as a
talker,-I as listener-that it was
not until sudden flash Of Ii ght-
ming and heavy dash Of rain against
the coach-windows elected an obser-
walton from my charming companion,
that l noticed bow night passed on.
Presently there was low, rnmblingi
sound, and then several tremendous
peals of thunder, accompanied BY
Successive flashes Of lightning The
rain descended in torrents, and an
angry wind began to Howl and moan
by turns through the forest trees.
81 look ed from the window Of our
vehicle. The night was dark as ebo- |
4 ~
ny, but the lightning revealed tie
danger Of our road. We were on
the edge Of n frightful precipide- Il
could SEE. at interyalsI huge jdtting
rocks G,r away down the sides, and |
the sight made me ollcltous for the
e,,e oS n y fair compaa ion. | thought |
of the mere half-breadths that were
between. as and eterh hity; single t
IftIa ro,lls IN the track of our coach I
wbeals- = tinv billet de wood, a stray
l;,,,h or tempest-t torn tree, a res
t;yo bor1 o or a careless driver-any
of these might hurl us from our sub !