Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1871-06-20
: 4 RaiIroad Car scene.

very sigular genius on my road from
Springfield to Boston. This was a stout
black-whiskered man who sat immedi
ately in front of me, and who INDUCED
from time to time, in the most strang,
and unaccountable maneuvers. Every
now and then he would get up and hurry
away to the narrow passage which lead!
to the door in these drawing-room cars
and when he thought himself secure
from observation he would fall to laugh
ing in the most violent manner, and con
tinue the healthful exercise lntil he was
as redsin the face as lobster. AS we
neared Boston these demonstrations in
creased in violence, save that the stranger
no longer ran away to laugh, but kept
his seat and chuckled to himself, with
his chin deep down in his shirt-collar.
But the changes that those portmanteaus
underwent He moved them here, there,
everywhere; he put them behind him, in
front of him, on each side of him. He
was evidently getting ready to leave, but
as we. were yet twenty-five miles from
Boston, the idea of such early prepara-
tions was ridiculous, If we had entered
the city then the mystery would have re-
mained unsolved, but the stranger at
last became so excited that he could
keep his seat no .louger. Some one
must help him, and as l was the
nearest he selected me. Suddenly
turning, as if had asked question,
he said, rocking himself to and fro
in his chair the meantime, and
slapping his legs and breathing hard,
Been gone three years." Ahr'
Yes, been in Europe. Folks don't ex-
pect me for six mouths yet, but got
through and started. telegraphed them
at the last station; they've got it by this
time" AS he said this he rubbed his
hands and changed the portmanteau on
his left 70 the : right, and ] The b one On the b,
said l. "Yes, and three children" he
returned, and he got up and folded his
overcoat anew, and hungit over the back
of the seat. "You are pretty nervous
over the matter, amt your i said,
watching his fdgety movements. Well,
/ should think so, he replied, II hain't
slept soundly for a week And do you
know" he went on, glancing around at
the passengers and speaking in lower
tone, i am almost certain this train
will run off the track and break my neck
before get to Boston. Well, the fact
is, have had too much good luck for
one man lately. The thing can't last;
taint natural that it should, you know.
I've watched it. First it rains, then it
shines, then it rains again. 1t rains so
hard you think it's never going to stop;
then II shines SO bright you think its
always goingto shine; and just as you're
settled in either belief, you are knocked
over by a change, to show you that you
know nothing about it. " "Well, accord
ing to the philosophy" said |, you will
continue to have sunshine, because you
are expecting storm" It's curious"
be returned, "but the only thing which
makes me think ! will get through safe,
is because / think / won't" "Well,
that is curious" said /. Lord, yes"
he replied. I'm a machinist-made a
discovery-nobody believed in it; spent
all my money trying to bring it out
mortgaged my home-all went. Every
body laughed at me-everybody but my
wife-spunky little woman said she
would work her fingers off before she
should give it up. Went to England-no
better there; came within an ace of
jumping off London bridge. Went into
shop to earn money enough to come
home with; there met the man wanted.
To make long story short, I've brought
e30, 900 home with me, and here am -
Good for you'll" ! exclaimed YES"
said he,' "G50000; and the best of
it is she don't know anything about
it. I've fooled her so often and
disappointed her so much that | just
concluded | would say nothing about
this. When | got my money through
you better believe | struck bee-line for
home" " And now you will make her
happy" said l. Happyl" he replied,
why, you don't know anything about
it. She's worked like dog while have
been gone, trying to support herself and
the children decently. They paid her
thirteen cents apiece for making coarse
shirts; and that's the way she'd live half
the time. She'll come down there to
the depot to meet me in q gingham
dress, and a shawl hundred years old,
and she II think she's dressed up. Oh,
she won't have no clothes after
this-oh, no, / guess notl " And with
these words, which implied that his
wife's wardrobe would soon rival
Queen Victoria s, the stranger tore
down the passage-way again and
getting in his cid corner, where he |
thought himself out ofsight,went through |
the strangest pantomime, laughing, put |
ting his mouth into the drollest shapes,
aud then swinging himself back and forth |
in the limited space, as if he were walk
ing down Broadway" full-rigged Me- |
belle. And so on till we rolled |
into the depot, and placed myself on
the other car, opposite the stranger, who,
with portmanteau in each hand, had
descended and was standing on the low
est step, ready to jump to the platform.
| looked from his face TO the faces of
the people before us, but saw no sign of
recognition. Suddenly he cried, There
they are" and laughed outright but in
a hysterical sort of way, as he looked
over the crowd. | followed his eyes, and
saw, some distance back, as if crowded
out and shouldered away by the we'll
dressed and elbowing throng, little
woman in a faded dress and a well-worn
hat, wi tn face almost painful in its in
tense but hopeful expression, glancing
rapidly from window to window as the
coaches glided in. She had not yetseen
the stranger, but a moment after she
caught his eye, and in another instant
he had jumped to the platform with his
two portmanteaus, and making a hole in
the crowd, pushing one here and there,
and running one of his bundles plump
into the well-developed stomach Of a
venerable-looking old gentleman in spec
tacles, he rushed toward the place where
she was standing. / think never saw a
face assume so many expressions in so