The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1858-10-28
Railroad Acquaintance,


from London to Edinburgh 10 day. and who
cannot read or 60 to sleep In railway car
risge, to secure for themselves an agreeable
travelling companion. --. 49,. ..
Having to take this Journey very often,
and laboring under the above Disadvantages
as do, the practice Of looking out for eligi-
BILE fellow passengers, at Kings Cross or
Easton Square, has made me perfect in my
judgments. The most cursory glance suf.
fees to convince me Who's Who, in the
nine A. NJ, In the case Of four .fifths OF the
live stock, whose rank and situation can
approximate to with the fidelity Of collect
or Of income.tax, and whose very opinions
| can often predicate without giving them
the trouble Of opening their lips. ~.
Four-ffths OF the human rsce--or, at all
events, Of so much as of it as travels in the
first-class by railway--can be sorted in about
half dozen pigeon holes, and when you
have seen specimen Of each description,
you have seen all, the rest being but dupli-
Gates. j.
Club fogy, army swell, man Of business,
country gentleman, Pigsons, and individual
with grievances very nice people all, with
out doubt, and may they live thousand years
at the very least, but just conceive an eleven
hours journey in the same carriage with
any man Of them or the gentler sex say
nothing, save bless their heart, and muy they
never grow doy older For as to being
shut up for eleven hours with the same fe.
male, | am very sure that the honor would
be altogether too much for me. ... e..
My sphere of choice then, being thus mar
rowed to one-ffth of the human race (male)
who travel in first class carriages, and my
eye and ear being, us have said, unerring
generally chose the carriage which is oc.
cupied by the most intelligent man on the
train. never indeed made mistake, that
can remember; but once, when at the same
instant in which deposited myself and my
carpet bag in carriage, the individual
whose appearance had coptiva,ed me, walk
ed straight out of it with his hands in his
pockets.
On Tuesday, the twentieth of July last
had occasion to sci out nurthward, as usual
from Easton Square. was very late and
hurrd, and there was not very varied col.
lection to choose from. AS walked hastily
by the eide Of the already occupied carriages,
the unthinkiug guard would, in his impa.
tience, have twice consigned me to durance
vile--once in company with whole juvenile
family, who had already commenced eating
and smelling Of sandwiches, and once with
J no less than FIVE Caledonians, only waiting
for an Englishman that they might begin t.
dIate upoh+the periectons OF their native
land. cast MYSELF into the last through
carriage is despair, and without SO much as
looking before me. 1t was probable that
my luck would be better; it could hardly, as
may be imag ined, at all events, be very much
worse.
Beside myself the carriage had but one
other occupant; young man OF an altogeth'
er gen,lemanly appearance, except. perhaps
tina, his clothes looked suspiciously new, ane
his hat somewhat too glossy. He was mo-
reading the Times SO intently but that h
could spare scrutinizing glance at the new
arrival, as | rammed my carpet bag unde
the seat with my hands, and kept sharI
lookout under my right arm on him. When
| rose he was again buried in-yes in tht
advertisement sheet. The gentleman then
had probably some good reason for conceal
ing his talent from observation. Nobody
who is not in want of q situation gets wrap
ped up in an advertisement sheet; and ny
companion felt sure was in want Of no suci
thing. His profession whatever that nigh
be, had settled long ago, and the fishing ro'
and guide book which reposed over his heat
disclosed q young gentleman with money Il
sp0re, who as abont to take a summer hol
liday among the trout streams of the north
One circumstance which occurred just afte
we started, persu AIDED me that he must need
be lawyer (and, indeed, as it afterward
turned out, his pursuits did somewhat par
take of the nature of that calling) so mucl
did it smack of ready reasoning and acute
ness. Leaning out Of the window as tn
train began to move, the wind carried Oft hi
glossy hat, whereupon, instead Of sitting
down forlornly, and muttering good gra
cious or confound il the young man seiz
ed upon his hat box and launched that afte
the missing property. 23 a.,
"My hat box" he explained, in answer Il
my stare of smazement "has got my Edn
burgh address 10 it, but my hat has not
The one is of little use without the other
and It is probable, since we have barely lei
the station, that they will both be found an
forwarded to me BY the next train"
Here was an original! Here was gran
exception to five.fifths of the human rae
who travel in first class carriages ! hug
ged myself at the notion Of hsving secures
so promising a companion, and that, too af
ter couple of previous escapes.
"But how do you know!" l urged, because
had nothing better to say. and was deter
mined, at oil risks, not to suffer the conyer
sation to drop; show do you know that some
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