The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1859-02-12
From Dickens Household Words
EnglIah Railway Adventure.

:
from it every day; the two journeys consume
about two hours, and having taken them
regularly for the last fifteen years, must
have spent at least twelve month OF my
existence in first class carriage; therefore
may be supposed to know a little about the
passengers. .f.-. ....
! Three times, by the evening express,
have travelled with gent bound for the
other side of the channel from whom / al
ways parted with regret; a middle-aged ra-
ther ruddy complexioned man, spare and tall,
with an intimate acquaintance with foreign
countries and fund of stories of adventure,
which it was very pleasant to draw upon.
| Though we exchanged cards, Mr.. Settler
never told me what was his profession but
| set him down as a traveller for some great
house at a salary, perhaps, of seven hundred
a year, and am seldom wrong in such cal
culations. He carried particularly beauti-
! ful Geneva watch, with turquoise figures on
| it, which must have cost forty guineas, at
! the very least but his dress was otherwise
plain aud insignificant. Aoout week af-
| ter had met him for the third time, took
/ a house at Plover for the season, for my wife
| and family to whom | used to run down
from London every week. was returning
to the city by an evening train, soon after
wards, for which the poor voyageurs from
France were, as usual not in time, in conse-
/ quence of the delays of the Custom House,
when | heard my travelling friends voice
outside of the window, and instantly looked
forth to welcome him. Somehow or other,
however, he had disappeared at that very in
| stant, and | seemed doomed to ride the whole
way to London in company of a solitary
| stranger, who entered at the open door in-
stead. He was big enough for two, indeed,
| but singularly uncommunicative, replying
to a few civilities which | ventured upon, in
grutf monosyllable; and, coiling himself
up in a corner, with his cap over his eyes,
in amanner ofa true passenger ruthan. Still
| could not help thinking, that at some time
and place, both forgotten, | had seen this
man, and spoken to him before; the remem-
| brance of him was like one of those myste-
rious.experieaces, which we all have of bav-
ing previously witnessed some passing
scene, which our mortal eye can never in
reality. have beheld; but indistinct as this
was, it was strong enough to drive all
thoughts from my mind, excepting the alb
sorbing one, to whom is he like?" ard
where have met this sulky fellow before.
Presently, however, my mind reverted to
the voice | had heard at starting, and inn
mediately this idea combined with it, and
said to myself
"Why, it is Mr.. Settler himself, to whom
the man is something like, after ALL
" True, my old acquaintance was spare
man, and this person stout even to obesity.
The former had a voice especially pleasing
and the latter a grunt that could scarcely
! be reckoned human that convivial visage,
and this face from which ill-health and ILL
humor together expelled every trace of jol-
lity. Still having acquired my idea with
so much trouble, | was not the man to let
it easily go again, but hattered and pour-
ished it in my mind until it grew larger and
stronger, and at last shot up into full belief
that this uncommunicative stranger was not
only like Mr.. Settler, bnt was Mr.. Settler
himself. No other than he, / now felt per-
suaded, could have presented himself at the
carriage window so Immediately after my
hearing his voice close beside it.
"SiF," said |, composing myself in my
corner, as if to sleep, '' should like to know
how long | may hope to rest myself. Will
you kindly favor me with the time ?'
| shot through my fingers an eager glance
as the stout gentleman pulled his watch out,
with an expression of impatieuce at being
reused Ny scheme had succeeded my
I
old Geneva watch with the turquoise fig
ures.
Mr. Settler said | quietly, "why do
you wish to cut my acquaintance "
"Why, the fact is" replied he, in his nat
ural frank voice, and not without touch of
pathos in it, 81 am positively ashamed to be
recognized; do you observe how tremen-
dously large | have grown?"
"Of course | do, said /; it would
be ridiculous to pretend otherwise why
you are three times your usual size ut the
very least
There is no need to exaggerate. goodness
knows rejoined he gravely ) ga main with
such drowsy as this s no fit subject for
joking"
My old acquaintance indeed exhibited
so much acrimony and bad humor that L
was sorry | spoke to him at all, and felt
quite relieved when, wheeling and grumb-
ling to the last, he parted company from
me at the terminus. On the next Saturday
| again went over to Plover, and only reach
ed the station in time to hit the train. /,
therefore, threw myself into the nearest
6rst-class carriage, and was of before |
ever looked to see who was my companion.
allow are you my boy?' > cried Mr.. Set
tier, for he it was spare and hearty ever.
al am afraid ] was rather cross with you
the other day"
Cross said |, littly grimly, is not
the word for it you were Il bear of the
: first water and 10y the by, what has be-
come of your dropsy 2"
"Well," rejoined be, 81 have been tap
) ped since saw you.
"Tapped' cried I, laughing, "why you
, have been emptied-drainedl r.
eyes," answered Mr.. Settler evasively
{" | dare say it seems SO. | am subject to
these attacks. They're hereditary. Have
you seen to-day's paper?
SO we turned the conversation on other
l subjects, and spent the time between Lon
don and Chokestone as pleasantly as usual
A month elapsed and then [ met my
, friend once more in the up express, going
e to town for the best advice, he said, and
stouter than ever. However, he was very
good-humored this time, observing that he
q was not going to suffer the disease to prey
c upon his spirits any longer; only from hi
e ate voyage and his accompaniments he wa:
n n really very exhausted, and presently fel
Q asleep looking, as | thought, like Falstaf
e after fit of sea-sckness.