Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1867-02-14

| a. 1ho hoAe Clme we stopped, however
tne guard put his head into our caSri18,
window and said, with wink: -
| Gentpn In next compartment com
plains of your smoking, sir.p
| SmokingW we exclaimed, with mocl
Indignation. "Do we look as though wei
been smoking? What nonsense pi and ad
ued IN q mysterious manner, "You sc,
there's one vacant seat, of course we,r,
not going to tell tales Of the man who oc
cupied that"
| "AU right" said the guard, laughing
II wasn't born yesterday@ And after {
slightly confidential transaction of pc
cuniary nature, left us in peace.
The snow, which had been falling
heavily all day, now lay thick all around
| Our eyes ached again, as we looked out O
the window (which was Itself all frosted
oveT,l on TO the dazzlingtaaw which GOV.
ed our feet on the floor Of the carriage we
began heartily to wish ourselves at our
journeys end, and by the fireside.
"Hallo! what are we stopping for now
l-wonder whether we're going to do an
upset, or anything exciting of that kind, !"
said Davies, looking out of the window.
II don't see train anywhere that we
can have friendly collision with.n
Get out here, gentlemen" said the
guard, passing the window; "the line is
showed up, and we shall have to wait
till it is clear"
The grumblihg which this pleasant an
nouncement caused was immediately
stopped by hearing the voice of our dis
agreeable companion In the next COM
partment.
"Line showed up, is it?n said the gen.
tleman, trying to appear calm in his
fury, land we get out here? Oh! and do
you suppose 1 am quietly going to sub
init to this? The line ought tU have been
cleared ready for us. shall bring an
action" -
"But, sir" 7 said, "How on earth
could they"
might l request to know who spoke
to you, sir? 1 consider your remark and
interference excessive impertinence.n
This was little too bad, and I turned
to Jack and whispered that we would
devise some plan of giving our friend
a lesson demOnstrative of the evils at
tending bad temper at Christmas time.
We were fortunately stopped Mt dis
tance of only two hundred yards from q
station; but a very poor station it was,
without any waiting-room or refresh
ment-rooms.
The station-master, who was pleas
ant sort of a fellow, said we should have
to wait but a couple of hours, and gave us
room, where we made the best of bad
job, and having sent for some beer to the
nearest "public" became, as Edward
automatically observed, approximate
ly happy. The old gentleman, however,
had not yet vented all his wrath, but
kept on matchmaking the snow and
the railway people at intervals. After
we had warmed ourselves Stretcher pro-
posed that we should have some songs;
but as no one volunteered. suggested
that we should get OH our way sooner If
we all went out and helped to clear away
the snow from the line. To this all
agreed with the exception Ofour amiable
friend of course.)
we had worked away merriiy fOrabOut
an hour, and were congratulating our
selves on being able to start again, when
Jack came running up with very pleas
ed expression of cOuntenance, and as he
tapped me on the shoulder remembered
that he had not been with me for the last
half hour.
Fred" he said, "I've got an idea"
Keep it then" I replied, "for it is so
rare-a commodity with you that I would
not deprive you of 1t for the world"
Don't chaff, apd I'll tell you all about
just now, and found our friend the old
boy fast asleep in his chair, completely
collapsed under the soporific effects of
the fire and glass of gin and water.
ran into the village and
bought these" he said, showing me q
handful of screws, a gimlet, and a screw
driver. ........
"What in the name of everything ri
diculous do you want these fOr?"
asked.
Don't you see? we shall be able to
start directly, now that the line is clear
we meanwhile run up stairs, and screw
the old gentleman firmly into the room
1.-The train goes on-we are revenged for
his surly behavior to us, and he will then
learn that 'old gentlemen should not be
"Capitalv 1 said, always ready to fall |
in with q practical joke; "let us be off at
)nce."
We certainly found the old gentleman
n as Morphean tOrpor as we could |
wish. His feet were propped up on a |
chair, whilst his boots We're drying, and |
he was breathing with his mouth wide |
,pen in q rather rapoppleciic manner.
"Shall put SNOWFALL into each of
lis boots?" said.
"No! that would be too much of q good
ming; but III tell you what you shall do;
'ou're rather swell at drawing, aren't
'ou? I'll just burn the end of that beer
'ottle cork, and you shall artistically
dorm his face" ..I,.''.
''That is splendid" /" he whispered, as
inished offwith giving him moustache,
which turned up in facetious manner.
Just move that looking-glass, and put it
0 that lie may admire himself directly he
wakes; and now let us be Off"
We walked on tiptoe to the door. The
inges began to creak; and cold as the
weather. was, a faint perspiration began
0 develop itself on my foredhead, as
oticed the old gentleman move in his
hair; it was, however, only to turn his
cad on to the other shoulder, and we
losed the door in safety.
"Give me the screws quick" said,
and go to the bottom of the stairs and
revent any one coming up.n
/ bore hole after hole as noislessly as
1uld, and having made the door as fast
) eight good screws would make it, ran !
own stairs and whispered "All rightW
"Is there gentleman up stairs, sir?n
lid the station-master, walking toward
3. "He asked me to wake him In time
II the train, and it is just ready to 60"
"Oh! he won't like to be disturbed till
ie last moment, you may be sure" said
ack. "By-the-by, wished to talk to :