The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1868-04-26
(Fron Chamber Jovr.ail
IN A CITY BUS.

. life. To me, tho Stock Exchange is = complet
) terra isoee.iis. OF the thousand and one differ
{ merchants, bankers, brokers, and that counties
army which 8ocks Citywsrd every weekday
morning from nine till eleven, know sbsolutel;
the Money Article Of the Nm-s ever been fead b,
me from beginning to end. Yet, notvithstsni
ing all this, it has 80 happened ehat, On certain
gent private STAIRS" to join the throng of city
bees tor q few hours, and wing my way eastward
with the swarm. At such times, have gene
rally chosen to survey aasnkind from the box
tnse" not to surpassed, and hardly equaled,
for any one who loves to watch the wonderful,
eVer-shifting panorama of London life. -
On one such occasion, now several wears uhy,.
the morning was SO intolerably rainy THO
was obliged to give mp all thought of my favotS
lite perch aloft with the driver, and content
At that time, l was only Extraordinarily
years old, and had been in London about u
couple of years, having been sent up from my
far-otf home, in of the northern counties To-
attend the classes Of, and to study under. n
, certain then famous analytical chemist. On
the morning to witch have just referred, after
waiting twenty minutes in the rain, was glad
TO lind u vacant place inside one of the numerous
| city buses that passed the end of the street in
| which my rooms were situated After having
squeezed into my place, and been well scowled
at tor my pains, proceeded to take stock of
my companions in misery. We were eleven
| men and one woman. All of Ills men were more
or less moist, and each of us had IL very damp
umbrella. We had all put on our severe Business
air. and we We're all more or less suspicious of
the company in which we found ourselves; and.
IN consequence, perhaps, of the badness of
inclined to bully the contuc tor, and to noke
him viciously in the ribs with the ferules Of our
umbrellas. :
But the twelfth inside: Well, she was a lady
young and nice-16oking into the bargain; and
envelopetl with the prettiest air of unconscious-
ness that she was in the company Of eleven
Rku ,f God ~n<E, Al n
beings of flesh and blood, not quite unsusce,,.
tible let US hope, to the charms of female love
~ have no doubt in my own mind, ,that
if she had travelled any length of time in onr
company, the mere fact of her presence would
have softened our manners, and have weaned
u.s. In some measure, from that touch me not
by omnibus love to cloak themselves But for
tunately, or unfortunately, as the case NAV he
journeys by omnibus are of short duration and
our young lady asked to be set down mt tLa
corner of Cheapside. Previously to this how. |
ever, we had stopped some half-dozen times to |
let down and take up other passengers all of
them OF the masculine gender, so that was be- |
ginning to look upon myself quite in the light of
an Old acquaintance, when our lady got up to |
leave u.s. was sitting next the door M che |
a,mghted and could not help noticing how pale
she seemed all at once to have become. With
out needing the rain that still kept falling, she
began to feel for her purse, in u trembling.
nervous sort of way, first in pocket, and
then in another.
have either lost my purse or else nv
pocket has been picked!" she said ut last. witt,
= sort of gasp. |
merely put q fresh straw in his mouth and then
asked us gents" to move while he looked for
Inc purse, !" which, if young ladies was bus
money. -
But the purse was not to be found. "If it |
really amt anywhere about yOu miss said
the conductor, as he emerged from amonp thc
straw, "then your pocket has been picked. Il
How much was there in it r' ~ l.
Haif-a-sovereign and acknowledgement in
ilver," answered the young Ia. with tears IS
rembling on her eyc-lils. Bui ..rt was not i
III. 1t also contained valuable diamond ring,
ne property of the lady with whom am liv- k
lot far from here, to be repaired Il
Inc conductor turned an eye of compassion
m her. wen, I'm blowed J" he muttered, to $;
reen." Then turning quickly on the remaining
nsides, he scanned us over, one by one ending Il
,,tI, solemn shake of the head Can do i,
or go tns' pp::''' = give them a description F
f your r,"p.f... ! trows most of nv morning Sc
lS.;%n@'rs f"F ;A table city gents; l,:,t there
rs one iisii%-1ouking covC--aim ~ rot in ot ca
dgewasr Road. md sat ,loxt y.u Hiss all Tie fo
.;N 10 tarimStoi Srre"t-wiiat didn't like
nc looks Of; and il %o"t pu:se was taken Ivy to
AynDdy after ,yuu got into th. bus IN Law al
dds that VIII the cove took il. And wasn't
e downy-lookns card! Oh, no, not IA bit of lie
:" And the conductor winked at me portcn- st
pusly. &c signify that his last remark was
ieant for s;irkasum." 81
p" But l have not even money left to pay NV Z,
are with" urged the young lady.
Half dozen purses We're ont Mt once sucb Ia,
'as the influence of beauty in distress
" Never mind the fare, miss" answered the IA
'ndnctor ahably, as he mounted to his perch. TO
tanner won't either break the company. or NJ
lake its fortune. You go to the police-that's ci
head" 3" ms
The bus drove away leaving tire young lady
andlng ON the curb. She put down her fall. co
} hide her wet eyes, and was turning SADLY
way, when our conductor le,Iped niinbly tlowI