Litchfield enquirer., 1858-02-25
LEM0NFINGERs.
\ NEW STORY BY CHARLES DICKENS

LEMONFLYGERS. l NEW STORY BY CHARLES DICKENS
 Five years ago was telegraph clerk a Newstone Station. l had week of day dut, and week of night duty, alternately. Christ mas eve had come round, of all nights in tn, year, and there I found myself, cooped up al usual, in the little office two great staring instruments iu front of me, faring gaslight overhead, and well heaped grate by my side; not forgetting three volume novel to assist me in whiling away the long dark hours. The night messages at Newstone were never l very numerous. There were rarely any for private people they referred mostly, to busu. ess of the railway company That evening l felt very low spirited. It went against the grain to work on Christmas eve, when every body else seemed to be keeping holiday, and enjoying themselves. Cary and l had been engaged about two years and, for any pros pect of marriage, We might be engaged for twenty years longer Mr. Lancaster, Cary's father, was tradesman in good way of bus iBess, and naturally refused to let his daughter marry fellow who was getting only seventy pounds year. He several times advised Cary to give me up but as she would not do that. he conteDted himself with forbidding me the house trusting to time and distance-for they lived several miles from Newstone-to aid his cause.
 knew that Mir Lancaster always invited large number of young people to his house on Christmas eve, and pictured them there, dancing Cary fl fitting about in her white muslin dress, with the very riband round her waist that had given her only month before. Would any thought of my is,rabIe self ever cross her mnd as she moved anong the gay company? Perhaps my aetested rival Bieks the draper, might be even dancing with her, and pressing her slender vast with his arm, at that very moment thought not calmly to be borne so away went on the platform for change of sceue
 A cit ar, starlit night, with keen breeze that whstlcd shriIl and dry through the tele- graph wires above my head, and brought to my ears, the faint sounds, made soft and sweet by distance of the Christmas waits. Lanterns, Hitting like tirehames among the wagons in the station yard hoarse, uneouth shouts of men, and wild shrieks from distracted locomotives, that .secmed tearing madly ap and down, mere ly to keep thems' Ives in glow on such bit ter night, and not that they lad any ins par t!cular to do So into the ofice again, with numbed fingers, ad of such q haven
 The long dark hours sped slowly each hour chinked out by the valorous little clock in the corner. Midnight came and went oLe o'clock two o'clock, three o'clock. had grown tired of the charming heroine, and again become weakly Respondent on the subject of Binks when was reused by the quick tukle of the electric bell. A private mes age?
 Mir. Korf. Ironville, to Mir. Darke, 30 High Street.
 Lcmonfngers started by the mail to night All c. rene. Take care of the black dwarf.
 1 was accustomed to queer messages, but this was the oldest I had seen. I spelled it over twice, to sec if had got it down correct ly then copied it out on one of the printed forms signed it entered at the foot of time had received t--three, forty-iye-and pla- ced it in an envelope
 Number thirty-nine, High-street, was the residence of Mir. Breem the tailor, and was on- ly five minutes walk from the station. Mr. Breem generally had apartments to let, and Mir. Darke was probably lodger Having locked the office door, l proceeded at rapid trot towards Mir. Breen's concluded that Mir. Darke was Q snowman, and that some- body was sending him a dwarf--pcrhaps gi- ant also-hut certainly dwarf, to put in his caravan. There was light in the second floor of number thirty -nine Was Mir. Darse wait ing, expectant of message? It looked like it
 l gave loud knock and stepped back to note the effect. Tie light in the second floor was not moved, but the window was opened, head popped out, and gruf voice demanded
 Who's there p
 Does MT Darke. live here 2,'
 Why do you want to know ?"
 I've got a telegrapbic message for him."
 Ugh All right. Wait moment"
 A very gruff voice, certainly Next mo- ment, the door was opened, as far as the chain would admit and great muscular hand was thrust out.
 Hand it herc," said Mr. Darke
 Accordingly placed the note in his hand.
 "Wat bit, till see whether any an- swer's required"
 In minute or two the window was again opened No answer" and the easement was slammed down. With the exc. ption of his voice, had no more idea of Mir. Darke when left number thirty-nine, than I had when l went. had merely seen the outline of his head when he looked out of the window. Wheth- CT he was young man or an old man fair man or dark man, was equally at a loss to know
 Ironville is thirty miles from Newstone The mail-tran runs the distance in rather under an hour, aud reaches the latter place at half past five. As the clock pointed to halfpast five. setIoff for stroll up the platform, determined that if any dwarf or giant, or other strange monster arrived by the train, it should not de part unseen by. me. half expected to find MT Darke, waiting for the train but he was not to be seen. True to it's time, the train crawled slowly into the station; and, in au- other moment the platform was flooded with those strangely attired indiyiduals, whose busi- ness or pleasure induces them to travel by