The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1857-04-02
THE STORY OF AN ENGAGED YOUNG PERSON

1t seemed IL very long journey that we
poor parliamentary passengers were taking,
in this early November weather, all the
way from London to Liverpool. The stop
pages were frequent enough, but Of such
short duration that we had scarcc y time to
get ourselves warmed at the crowded CRATE
before the incxorallc hrll rung for Us 10
start again, and of we went with a shrek
into the blinding fog. TWAS positively too
darkzto. read with any comfort, even if one
was SO sindifferent to the biting mir rs to
lend one Of his hands to lol,l the book up :;
we put both of them in our pockets instead,
or more usually sat upon them to keep
them warm. 1t WAS only when the guard
came from time TO time 10 look ut onr
tickets, and trod upon our feet, that we be-
gan to feel We had them, SO dead they
were with cold.
"Sir," observed the comical looking tail
or to this official "your seats are too mar
row to he set upon after my cross-legSe'l
fashion; so please be careful, for although
my toes are frozen they will not bear"
This produced !, laugh, and then arose Il
little talk, principally about how miserable
we were. and then, as poor people Use, We
began to tell what our business WAS upo,,
at LIVERPOOL; whereupon it seemed tla,
half the carriaycful ut least were cmigrants.
Each had his say and every tale however
roughly told, had more or less Of interest,
because it WAS real and human. so that we
quite forfot our weariness and cold for Il lit
tie time. Then, since this had answered SO
well, the spright'y tailor proposed That one
Of the party should tell us regular story,
of his own life if lie chose, but not only
of his present circumstances but Of what
had led to thcm-wlrh was an idea We
:ll received quite rap,urously. expecting the
tailor himself to begin. But lie said no;
we must draw lots for that. So producing
some long slips of measuring paper, lie
wrote word on one, and sIouk them alto.
gcthcr i'll Il hat, and sent it round There
Was great deal of secret trepi,tirn
among The men, but for a long time nobody
pulled the fatal lot; at last IL burst of laugh
ter from those about one of tho corner
seats announced that the victim had been
selected, and that from among the ladies'
She WAS certainly The plainest of the &C.
male passengers. Her nose turned and her
mouth had scarcely any turn at all; her
hair was red, and so were the rims of her
eyes; and her eyes themselves were far
from heing good ones but there was Ger
tain piquancy ami spriglIincss about her,
too, rs though she had hcen French la
dy's maid rather than an Englisl, one. She
looked as II she c"ull put her hand and
her wcl'roundcd arm to anything, and had
been very good tempered and oLlrginy
throughout the journey. 1t WAS understood
1t had been expressed, indeed, already.
fatl'er tr'umphantly by the young lady her
se't-that she was m engaged young per-
son, going out to Australia to lie married
'hat there WAS somebody waiting upon
the other hemisphere with outstretcl,.d
bands, to receive her as his bride. SHE
would bc capital wife for a settler. with
out doubt, although perhaps in England we
should have called her ,ather a settler for
"''e. She seemed to know very well,
indeed what we were all likely 10 think
aoo"t tlI's matter; but she didn't care,
1t had been little 'letter Iook okn,r-s,.
oegan her story with piis-I might never
have got husband, or at~least not the
money to marry linn, wlrich is tho same
thing. The unsuilableness of nv s,ce ,o
wn"t may be allowed to call II very toIer.
s"'e hgnre, has been literally the means of
'es.o"'"g happiness. ms hope, upon Jo-
seph' and of putting &4oO into INV ow,
pocket. And this was how it came about
my late mistress, who was very kind to me-
and had intended, poor tl,ing-for she told
me so-to leave me comfortable nrov;,,.a
for took me over, seven years ago. to pa,i,
o''e was a widow Indy, iond of a CAV ,if,,
and brilliant amusements, and tia. n,ae.
suited her so we'll that SHE mada :, H.
home, and |, but Title 10th, remained ,l,sr.,
too. Joseph and kept company together
before that time, but lie was not 40 fool
ish as to wish me to give up my expecta.
tions for the sake Of hurried marriage
he said that he would wait patiently. dear
fellow, although the great salt sea was to
roll between US, and there could be no
chance OF his getting letter more than
oncc day. He was q masons assistant