The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1869-09-02
THE BOX TUNNEL.
BY CHARLES READE,

Inc 10 10 tram guided from PaudlnptOn
May Z, 1917. In the left compartment of q
certain lirst-class carriage We're four passen-
gers: Of these, two We're worth description.
The lady had a smooth, white, delicate brow,
strongly marked eyebrows long lashes, eyes
that seemed to change color, and a good-sized
delicious mouth, with teeth as white us milk
a man could not see her nose for her eyes and
mouth; her own sex could and would have
told us some nonsense about it. She Wore
IN unpretcnding grayiSh dress, buttoned to
the throat, with lozenges shaped buttons, and
Il Scottish shawl that agrccably cvadcd the re-
sponsiblity o.. color. She was like a duck so
tight her plain feathers fitted her. and there
She sat, smooth, snug and delicious, with Il
book in her hand, and & >ouJ,cou of her wrist
Just visible as She held it, Her opposite
ncighbor was what | call n good style of man
the more to his credit, since he belonged to
Il corporation that frequently turns out the
worst Imaginable style of young men. He
was a cavalry officer, aged twenty-five. He
had a noustache but not u very repulsiye
one; not one of those sub-nasal pig-tails on
which soup is suspended like dew on a shrub !;
it was short thick AND black as Il coal His
teeth had not Yet been turned by tobacco
smoke TO the color Of juice, his clothes did
not stick to nor hang to him; he had IN en-
gaging smile. and what liked the dog for,
his vanity, which was inordinate, was in its
proper place his heart, not in his face, jost-
ling mine and other peoples who have none
in Il word, he was what one oitener hears
Of, than mcets-l young gentleman. He was
conyersing in an animated whisper with a
companion, Il fellow officer; they We're talk
ing about what it is far better not to do-wo-
men. Our friend clearly did not wish to be
overheard, for he east ever and anon furtiye
glance at his fair rts-N-3il and lowered his
voice. She seemed completely absorbed in
her book. and that treasured him. At last
the two soldiers came down to a whisper, the
truth must be tolu,) the one who cot down
Slough, and was lost to posteritv, bet ten
pounds to three, that he who was going down
with Us to Bath and Immortality, would not
kiss either Of the ladies opposite upon the
road. ''Done, DONE" Now ! am sorry a
man have hitherto praised should have lent
himself, even in q whisper, to such 4 specula-
ton. ''but nobody is Wise at all hours,'' not
even when the clock is striking five and
twenty; and YOU are to consider his proteS-
sion, his good looks, and the temptaton-ten
to three.
After Slough the party was reduced to
three; at Twytorl one lady dropped her
handkerchief Captain Dolignan fell on il like
a tiger and relurnedit like a Ilmb two or three
words We're incrchangeu on this OCCASION
At Reading the Marlborough of our tale made
one of the safe investments Of that day, he
bought Times and Puuch; the latter full Of
steel pen thruSts and wood cuts. Nalor and
beauty dcigncd to laugh at some intlamcd
humbug or other punctured by Punch Now
laughing together thaws our human ice; long
before Swindon it was II talking matcll-at
Swindon who so devoted as Captain Dolignan
he handed them out-he souped them--he
tough chickencd them-he branded and
cochinealed one, and he branded and burnt
sugared the other; on their return to the
carriage, one lady passed into the inner COM
partncnt to inspect Il certain gentleman's seat
on that side of the line.
Reader had it been you or | the beauty
would have been the desertcr, the average
one would have stayed with us, till all was
blue, ourselves included; not more surely
does our slice of bread and butter, when it
escapes from our hand, revolve it ever so of
ten, alight face downward on the carpet But
this was Il bit of I; fop, Adonis, dragoon-so
Venus remained i'll tete-0-tctc with him. You
have seen a dog meet an unknown female of
his species; how handsome, how cuprtssce,
how expressive he becomes; such was
Doignan after Swindon, and to do the doc
Justice, he got handsome and handsomer
and YOU have seen Il eat conscious of approach
ing cream-such was Miss Haythorn; she be
came demurrer and demurrer; presently our
captain looked out of the window and laugh
ed; this clicted IN cnquirng look from Miss
llaythom,
1--WE are only u mile from the Box Tunnel. .
''Do yon always laugh Il mile from the Box
Tunnel?" said the lady.
''Invariably"
'What foro''
"Why, hem T! it is a gcntleman's joke"
Captain Dolignan thus cncourag ged recount
ed to Miss Iaythorn the following
"a lady and her husband sat together going
through the Box Tunncl-there was one
gentleman opposite; it was pitch dark after
the tunnel the lady said, George, how absurd
of You to salute me going through the tun-
nell Il did no such thing You didn't ?'
NO. why@ Because somehow | thought YOU
did p"
Here Captain Dolignan laughed and en-
deavored to lead his companion to laugh, but
it was not to be done. The train entered the
tunnel
Miss llaythorn-ah!
gnan-What is the matter?
Miss Haythorn-I am frightened.
Dollgnan (moving to her side)-Pray do
not be alarmed; | am near YOU.
Miss Haythorn-You are near me--yerv
near me, indeed, Captain Dolignan.
Dolignan-You know my name
Miss llaythorn--I heard you mention it.
wish we We're out of this dark place.
Dolignan-l could be content to spend
hours here, reassuring you, my dear lady.
Miss l1aythorn -Nonsensc!
Dolignan-Pweep (Gravc reader, do not
put your lips to the next pretty creature YOU
meet, or you will understand what this
means.)
Miss lIaythorn-Ee Ec. Ee!
Fricnd-What is the matter9
Miss Haythorn-Open the door! Open the
door,
There was Il sound Of hurried whispers, the
door was shut and the blind pulled down with
hostile sharpness.
If any critic falls on me for putting mar
ticulate sounds in u dialogue as above, an
swcr with all the insolcncc can command at
present, "llit boys as big as yourself" big
ger, perhaps, such as Sophocles, Euripedes
and Aristophancs; they be gan it, and learn
ed it of them, sore against my will
Miss llaythorn's scream lost most of its