Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1859-02-04
"-not so sounn, nor ha'fso deeply sweet.

mitigated discomfort:
'--not so sounG, nor ha'f so deeply sweet,
AS he whose brow, with hOmey biggn bound
Shores out the watch of night" fAs.S/H
But the philosophical Latin poet tells us,
that something bitter bubbles up from the
very fountain of pleasure. l had scarcely
composed mysef--not to sleep--but to the
delightful dreamy doze which pr cedes it, in
which, escaped from thought, you have just
consciousness enough left to know that vou
are conscious of nothing-was just sinking
into a state, which am sure I could not have
said the first line of the multiplication table.
nor returned thanks for complimentary
toast at Il public dinner.-when the door of
the car opened, and two gentlemen bounded
cheerily in, took their seats at the stove, (Iny
berth was next to the stOve,) and engaged in
p loud. animated, earnest conversation! The
first hearty burst of question and reply went
off like a pistol. and summoned me back
from the misty precincts of dream land;
thought resumed her importunate sway; and
a pnrpleXed impression succeeded that either
on their part or on mine the right man was
not in the right place. For moment | was
lost in doubt VIII thcr somebody or other was
not unseaSouably loqnacious. or | myself un-
seasonably drowsv In fact was not quite sure
of my personal Identity felt somewhat a
Hodge did. wheE he awOke and found himself
in his wagon, from which some rogue had
stolen his cattle while he slept. ''lf am
not Hodge," quoth he, 81 have found a
capital wagon; if | am Hodge, have lost a
first rate yoke of oxen"
Pretty soon, however, found out that
was Hodge; that the sleep on which | had
calculated SO confidently was in a fair way
to be stolen; moreover that | had long
journey before me; that | was to speak at
Canandaigua IN the evening. and was likely
to be a good deal the worse for wear. AccOr
dinghy, after waiting while for the river to
run dry, | raised myself. with the most wO-
bcgone look could assume. (and it required
no effort to assume it, looked over the end
of my berth. and told my conversible neigh
bOrs that was very weary, and wanted sadly
to go to sleep, but that / could not possibly
do SO, if they continued to talk with each
other. The gentleman nearest me answered
with the utmost pOliteness. that they were
not aware there was person in the next
berth who wished to sleep, and that they
would cease to disturb me. For what other
object than going to sleep, the worthy gentle
man supposed | should be packed away at
midni ght, in the lower berth of sleeping
car. between Albany and Syracuse, in the
middle OF the nineteenth century, be did not
intimate, nor have | been able to conceive.
Satisfied, however, with his courteous and en-
cOuraging assurance. sank back; the gentle
man drew up the screen that separated as
six inches higher. and apparently under the
impression that sound like water would not
rise above its source resumed with his com
panion their conversation as befOIel
This was state of things to put ones
philosophy, even if he had been wide awake.
to the proof The conductor presently passed
along and made my appeal To him. l ex-
postulated, argued, l sought to move. L
really think on this occasion | was eloquent.
pleaded for the impreScriplible right of
every human being to nights sleep, once
in the tweuty-four hours. put it on the
ground of contract; L had paid my dollar for
a berth in a sleeping car. Had | known that
| had paid double price, | could have put
that point more torcibly. | threw myself Gu
his sense Of duty as a conductor; on his
feelings as man. | had travelled since
o'clock, A. NJ, and expected to travel till half
past ten the next day, before | reached my
destination. | was tired; in word, was
sleepy; and | stood. or rather, at the moment
l lay, upon my right to go to sleep. L had
half mind to tell him, that. a. he had
caused the words sleeping car TO be printed
on the outside, and had taken my money for
a berth, could bring aSsampsh against him,
if he did not adopt all reasonable measures to
let me 20 to -lecp.
The conductor was evidently not only con-
WINGED but moved. H. admitted the sound
htSS VI EuuCHbf IL "sNH Iishah th'e az
felt the force of my appeal; hut, when beg
ged him to interpOse and oblige the laxative
gentlemen to cease their conversation, his
countenance fell. and leaning towards me he
said, in low voice, by way of excuse for not
interfering, that ''he knew they ought not To
talk, but one was high offic of the New
York Central Railroad, (and he named the
office, but shall not) and the other was IA
great President of a Railroad cut West" He
uttered the words with sole unity, adding for
my consolation. that 1.-THE Officer OF the New
York Central would get outat Schenectady
This was all the satisfaction got by my first
appeal; of second and a third he took no
notice as he passed by. lie probably sup
posed vas beside myself, 10 think Of stop
ping the conversation OF high fdnctonary
of the Central with the great President Of
some other road. But the longest hour has
AN end: we reached Schenectady; the officer
of the New York Central got out; and the
great President like other great Presi-
dents, leaving his seat retreated to obscurity,
in the rear of the ear. AS he passed me
toward his berth, murmured tn myself reqIies-
cat ia pace, meaning only Il am OF II very for
giving make) may be get a good nap"
With this benediction, dismissed the great
President (who, like the great Macbeth. had
murdered sleep, y to that rest of which he
had deprived me. For the rest of the way
silence resumed her solitary reign, and | slept
till we reached Syracuse.