Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1855-09-17
The Man with the Carpet Bag.

| IL was only mistake an awkward mistake, too,
| for bachelor, to get hold of the wrong carpet
bag on a steamboat just at bed time. And Just
fancy how you would have felt, If / had been you,
and Il you had got all ready for your night-cap and
robe de n,it, and then found that instead of your
own carpet-bag, you had laid violent hands upon
one full of--full of baby clothes That would be
bad. Changing baggage with a man going south,
while your route lay exactly north is bad enough,
but nothing compared to such change as we have
hinted at, when the poor fellow was left without
change, unless he went back to first principles.
| We were travelling lately with a crowd on a
steamboat and had room in partnership with a
publisher of magazine that is printed not thou
sand miles from the Knickerbocker Office and
very good fellow he is too and very fond of print
ing jokes upon other folks.
There was, os usual, when there is a crowd Of
folks, a right smart chance Of baggage" in tho
care Of which Il was every one for himself, and
some other power for the rest of them
I've taken care" said our friend, "to secure
my carpet-bag, as he deposited one Of those
smooth black-leather sacks that by some misnomer
are called carpetbags in our stateroom before any
general scramble took place among the baggage,
" Pm all right now for sleeping"
Till bedtime he rested easy-and then--well,
and then-being modest man he put out the
light before he made the last change and took up
his carpet-bag to get his night-clothes. For long
time we could see by the dim light from the cabin
that he was trying to penetrate the interior, but
the lock resisted his efforts more than all the
safes in the Crystal Palace did the great ock-pick
ing Hobbs. He held up the bag and looked at Il
all ever and solioquised: " 1t looks like mine-it
is just the size and shape and color, AM took il
from the very spot where put mine, but IL amt
mine, that Is certain What wretched mistake.
| What shall dor"
| "Ca waiter we suggested.
| 81 can't, I'm undressed; confound it,
at seems already confounded You can sleep
in your shirt and perhaps you'll be all right in the
morning"
"No shan't--I haven't a clean shirt in the
world, and no possible chance TO get one--no ra-
| zor-"
Glad of IL; wish every man was just so-can
lend You a shirt II you don't find yours, and"
Yes yes, but | believe this bag belongs to
some woman, and there' be the duce to pay"
"Then you must keep dark"
:" SO will. Good idea that"
To carry ont that good idea, he dressed himself
and went down, looking for what was not TO be
foand. OF course not. If he had got somebody's
carpetbag that looked exactly like somebody elscs
Of course somebody else had got his. And then,
what f somebody else's key fitted his lock there
would be an exposition Of masculine traps Ia q
ladys cabin and the worst Of Il was they would
know who owned them. Painful prediction. No
help for II though. The deed was done.
| SO he called The steward the steward called tho
| head waiter the head waiter called the waiter at
the other end Of the body corporate of cabinet at
tendants but the only information obtained was
that he had heard some woman in one of the state
rooms-couldn't tell which" going on like fun
about her carpet-bag"
All, that was it-some woman. Our bachelor
friend would sooner encounter some bear than that
woman--the woman whom he had robbed Of her
night-gown. Without shirt, was notbing-with
n shirt was something. And then 20 think that
he co ildn't 20 ashore. No. he had got TO wait,
and face the foe by daylight Heaven krows if
he slept, though he said he did, and dreamed Of
being locked up In a carpetbag which contained
more linen ready for the wash than poor Falstaffs
basket Then he dreamed that he was trying TO
dress for breakfast, in clean shirt without a col.
lar very long, and wide at the bottom.
il was drcary night, that night upon the sea;
and morning brought no hope WHAT could the
dreamer do? Why he could get up early and dress
as he was dressed before. Why should he changer
the world changes; why should VIC 2--and get the
stray carpctbag back to the baggagc-room and
wait coming events. All day he waited, but none
came. There stood the carpet.bag without an
owner. Finally every room was looked into by
the chambeimad, aud nowhere was the counter
part Of that bag to be found. It's like was not on
the boat. Terrible idea, that il had gone ashore
anu mere was our Dachel0f frend on a tnree days
trip without the chance Of clean Shirt unless
such a one as he had seen in his vision Of dream
To help the matter on, an accident detained the
boat another day. IL was n very dark day. But
our friends case was darker; il was black case
case Of black leather; but IL contained white
shirt But where was itp that was the question,
not what was in IL.
Finally the baggage-man was called to sec if he
could tel where the lost carpet-bag had gone
ashore.
"What sort Of onef"
"Just like that--exactlyn
"Exactly?" "Yes, precisely"
Precisely Then that is precisely It ; for there
has not been another Ike II on the boat since We
left Qubec.n
Impossible. | have tried and tried to unlock
it, My key don't fit the lock at ailn
Let me sec. Same size-same shape--that
little crook in key hole, and here a crook to ft"
Eyes but il won't go in It il no use to try"
II is no use ever TO say 1T is no use to try,
Keep trying. Never give up. The man took a
little nail out Of hs pocket--screwed il into the
hole In the key, and wound out wad Of lint and
dust-clapped the key to the lock, and presto
the lost carpet-bag was found, and the owner was