Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1858-11-23
MISCELL A n Y
From Household Words.
A Travelling Acquaintance.


1t is highly important to those W no travel from
London to Edinburg in day, and who cannot
read or get to sleep in a railway carriage, to Sc
cure for themselves au agreeable travelling com
panion.
Having to take this journey very often and
laboring under the above disadvantages as | do,
the practice of looking out for eligible fellow
passengers, at Kings Cross or Euston Square,
has made me pretty perfect in my Judgments
The most cursory of glances sutfices to convince
me of Who's Who, in the nine u. mA in the case
of four tifths of its live stock, whose rank and
situation can approximate to with the hdellty
of collector of iucome-tax, and whose very
opinion l can often predicate without giving
them the trouble of opening their lips. 49,
Four ffths of the human race-or, at oil e.
vents. so much of it as travels in the trst-class
bv railway-can be assorted in about half do
zen pigeon-holes, and when you have seen a
specimen of each description, you have seen all,
the rest being but duplicates. ....
Club fogy, army swell, man of business, coun-
trv gentleman, parson, and individual with O
grievance very nice people all, without doubt
and NAV they live thousand years at the very
least. but Just conceive an eleven hours journey
in the same carriage with any one OF theml Ol
the gentler sex l say nothing, save Bless their
hearts, and may they never grow day older
For as to being shut up for eleven hours with
the same female, am very sure that the honor
would be altogether too much for me.
Nv sphere of choice, then, being thus narrow
ed to one fifth of the human race (male) who
travel in first class carriages, and my eye being
as have said, unerring, generally choose the
carriage which is occupied by the most intelli
gent man in the train. never indeed made 8
mistake. that can remember, but once, wher
at the same instant in which deposited mysel
and my carpet bag in carriage, the individual
whose appearance had captiyated me, walked
straight out OF it with his hands in his pockets
On Tuesday, the twentieth day OF July last,
had occasion to set out northward, as usual, from
Eustun Square. / was little late and hurried
and there was not O very varied collection o
passengers to choose from. AS liwalked hastily
by the side of the already occupied carriages
the unthinking guard would, in his impatience
and twice consigned me to durance viie-onct
in company with whole juvenile family, who
had already commenced eating and smelling o
ham and sandwiches, and once with no less thar
| five Caledonians, only waiting for al English
man that they might begin TO dilate upon the
pertections of their native land. cast mysel
into the last through carriage in despair, an(
without so much as looking before me. 1t wa
probable that my luck would be better; it coult
hardly, as may be imagined, at all events, b'
very much worse.
Beside myself, the carriage had but one othel
occupant; young man of an altogether gentle
manly appearance, except, perhaps, that MI
clothes looked suspiciously new, and his ha
somewhat too glossy. He was not reading th'
Times so intently but that he could spare scru
tinizing glance at the new arrival, as rammet
nv carpet bag under the seat with my hands
and kept pretty sharp lookout, under my righ
arm, on him. When rose, he was again buriet
in-yes lin the advertisement sheet. The gen
tleman, then, had probably some good reason TO-
concealing his talent for observation. Nobody
who is not in want Of a situation gets wrapped
up in an advertisement sheet; and my coinpau
ion. I felt sure was i'll want of no such thing
His profession, whatever that might be, hat
been settled long ago, and the fshiDg-rod ant
qnide.book. which reposed over his head dis
closed young gentleman with money to spare
who was about TO take d summer holiday anon,
the trout streams of the North. One circum
stance which occurred just after We started, per
suaded me that he must needs be lawyer (and
indeed as afterwards turned out, his pursuits d
somewhat partake of that calling) SO much di
it smack of ready reasoning and practiced acute
ness Leaning out of the window as the trai
began to move, the wind carried away his CLOS
sy hat, whereupon, instead of setting down for
lornly, and mutteriug Good gracious! or con
found It'll the young man seized upon his hat
box and launched that after the missing proper
ty.
my hat-box," he exclaimed, in answer to m
stare OF amazement, "has got my Edinburg ad
dress in it, but my hat has not. The one is @
little use without the other, and it is probable
since we have barely left the station, that the.
will both be found and forwarded to me by tn
next train"
Here was an original Here was grand ex
ception to five-ffths of the human race wh'