Volcano weekly ledger., 1856-08-16
kissing a Strange Girl in Stage Coach.

tive village in the destitute situation that is
/ frequent among New England boys; that is
to say, he had only the usual Accomplishments
of these unaedged chips, who afterwards
make the merchants and great men of this
country and not uufrequently of other lands.
lie had a little wooden trunk, pretty well
stocked with hum madcs,' a sixty eight cent
Bible that his mother packed in for him, fear
ful that he might forget it, three dollar
New Haven bank BILL and any quantity of
energy, patience, perseverance and ambition.
he entered the counting room Of a large mer-
camille house in South street. His honesty,
activity and industry, won him many friends
Among them was an English merchant,
who had large commercial house in Cal
cutta, aud a branch at Bombay. He was in
this country on business connected with his
commercial firm at Calcutta, and did his
business with the firm Walter cerked for;
and here the latter attracted his attention.
He was sixteen years of age only; yet the
Bombay gentleman fancied him, and made
him liberal offer to go to India with him;
which after very little palaver among his
friends, Walter accepted. New England
boys don't often start off on their unusually
long, wandering excursions without first get
ting leave of absence for few days prepara-
tory exercise, which they spend in going where
they originally came from; and then, having
taken few good looks at the weather-beaten
church, the high old steeple, which was won
derfully reduced in size and elevation since
they first saw it, to notice it, in school boy
days; then they must hear the old bell ring
once more, even if they have to take spell
at the rope; then take q turn among the
white gravestones, see if there are any very
green mounds, fresh made, and if so, to ask
who among old friends have gone to their
last resting place; then to kiss mother and
sister, shake hands with father-and the
stage is at the door of the tavern and they
are ready for a start to go anywhere"
Walter went up to do, and did do, all this;
but he did not get into the stage at the tay-
ern. He walked down the road, ahead of
the coach toward the old bridge, and told
the stage-driyer to stop and let him get in at
the minister's house-at Parson Fuler's.-
Mary Fuller lived there too, for she hap
pened to be the parsons only daughter. She
was the merrest, loyeliest little witch that
ever wore long, loose tresses Of auburn hair,
and had blue eyes. She was only twelve
years old, and Walter was nearly seventeen
She did love him, though; be was almost all
in all to her; he fought her battles all through
her childish campaign; and she had no brother
She was Walters cousin, too-a sort of half
first cousin; for her mother had been the
half sister of Walters mother They were
not too near related for purposes hereinafter
to be named
Poor Molly! she would have cried her eyes
out on this occasion had it not been that
Walters solemn phiZ set her ideas of the rid
iculouS in motion, and she made a merry ten
minutes as a wind-up to their parting scene
Three days afterwards Walter was in New
York, and just four months and twenty
days farther on in Times almanac he was ma
king out invoices and acting as corresponding
clerk to the firm" in Bombay.
shall not stop long enough to relate how
many times he went to the exhibition of ven
omous looking cobrade capelos, biting Sepoys,
Just for fun, and to show how innocent the
beauties were, and how easy their bite was
cured; how often he visited the far famed
Elephant caves how many times he dined
with good Sir Robert Grant, the Governor Of
Bombay and how he was with him. and
what he said the very morning oil the day
the old scourge-the cholera-made the ex-
cellent Sir Robert his victim; all these things
/ shall leave to another time and more ap-
propriate heading | skip over all these,
and six years Of time beside, and land Master
Walter at Staten Island, bring him up to the
city in a steamboat, and leave him at res
pectabe hotel, and there let him sleep all
night, and take good shore rest" after
tedious voyage Of four months and more
The next morning we awaken him; make
him get up, pay his bill, take hack, and
ride down to the New Haven steamboat, and
20 on board. 1t is I o'clock A. NJ At lP.
~ the boat has reached the landing; his trunk
and traps" are on board the Litchfeld
stages he has taken seat inside; his desti-
nation is an intermediate village lie is |
alone in the stage, no, not alone-there is an
old woman on the front seat and Presby- /
terian clergyman on the middle seat The
stage is up in the city, and slowly meander-
ing about New Haven town, picking up pas I
sengers who have sent their names to the
stage Office, as is still customary in that staid
and sober city of mineralogy, theology and
'oloqies in general The stage Jehu pulls
up at the door of neat little cottage in
Chapel street to take up a passenger-a
Young lady Of sweet seventeen, or there
abouts. Before she has fairly got inside
Walter has noticed her, and she had noticed
him, too He gazes in astonishment at the
perfect vision of loyelness before him; he
hasn't seen anything of the kind for some
years. There is not particle of conner
about her She ON her part half laughing.
has regarded him Uery attentively; pushes