The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1871-06-29

A SKETCH Equal TO AEYuusa Is
DICKENS.

I
Albany railroad a short time ugo
1 ran across what first struck me ns a
very singular genius on my rond from
Springfield % Boston. This was q stout
black whiskered man who indulgcd. from
time 10 time, in the most strange and
unaccountable maneuvers. Every now
and then he:would get up and hurry away
70 the narrow passage which leads 10 tho
door in these drawingroom cars, and
when he thought himself secure from
observation, would fall TO laughing in the
most violent manner, and continue the
healthful exercise until he was aa red in
the face as n lobster. As we ncared Bos-
ton these demonstration increased in
violence, save that the stranger no longer
ran away TO laugh, but kept bis scat and
chuckled 70 himself, with his chin deep
down in his shirt collar But the change
that those portmanteaus underwent
He moved them here. there everywhere
he put them behind him, III front of him.
on each side of him. Hc was evidently
getting ready 10 leave. but az we were
yet twenty-five miles from Boston. the
idea of such early preparations was ridi-
culous.
II we had entered the city then the
Mystery would have remained unsolyed.
but the stranger at last became 40 much
excited that he could keep his seat mo-
longer. Some one must help him. aud
as i was the nearest. he selected me.
Suddenly turning NJ IL had asked %
question, he said, rocking himself 10 and
| fro in his chair the meantime. and slap
ping his legs, and breathing hard "BcCn
gone three years." "Ahl" "Ics been
in Europe. Folks don't expect nae for
six months yet, but / got through and
started. / telegraphed them az the last
station they've got il by this time. As
he said this lac rubbed his hands and
changed the portmantcau on hi4 left tl
the right, and the one on the right to tho
left again "Got a wiiey' said II eyes.
and three children, ho returned. and ho
got up and folded his ovcrcout anew. and
/ hung il over the back of the seat. "lou
are pretty nervous over the matter amt
you?" / said, watching his fdgoty move.
ments. "Well, ] should think / was.
he replied; hHin't slept soundly for
week. And do you know, ho went ON.
CHANGING around at the passengers
and speaking in n lower tone II ana
almost certain this train will run Oh the
track and break my neck before / get to
| Boston" "Well, the fact H.. j have had
/ too much good luck for one man lately
| The thing can't last; faint natural that it
should, you know; I've watched &C. First
il rains, then il shines, thcnit rains again.
it rains so hard, you think its never
going 10 stop then IL shines 90 bright you
think it's always going 10 shine; and just
as you arc settled in either belief, you arc
knocked over by n change, 90 show you
that you know nothing about H." "Woll
according 10 the philosophy" says J.
''you will continue 10 have sunshine
because you are expecting storm" cts
curious" he returned, after n pause.
'.but the only thing which makes mo
think ~ get through safe, s because ]
th@k ! won't" "Well, that ~ curious"
said l. Lord, yes" be replied. "lm
a machinist-made n discovery nobody
believed il; spent all my money trying to
bring il out mortgngcd my homo-nll
won't Everybody but my wife -spunky
little woman-said she would work her
! fingers off before / should give IL up.
! Went 10 England-np better there; camo
within an ace Of jumping or London
Bridge. Went into shop 30 earn money
enough 30 come homo with; there met the
man ] wanted. To make % long story
short, I've brought thirty thousand
pounds home with me- Good for you"
] exclaimed. "Yos," said he, "thirty
thousand pounds; and the best Of IL is sho
doesn't know anything about IL. I've
| fooled her so often and disappointed her
so much that Just concluded i would say
nothing about this. When got my mon
ey though, you better believe ] struck "a
Decline for home" "And now You will
make her happy" said l. Happy Doe
replied, "why, you don't know anything
about il. She's worked like a dog while
j have been gone, trying 10 support her.
self and the children deccnuy. They
paid her thirteen cents apiece for making
coarse shirts; and that's the way she lived
/ half the time She'll come down there 90
the depot 10 meet me ia gingham dress
and shawl a hundred years old, and
she'll think she's dressed up. Oh aho
won't have no clothes after this--Oh, mo-,
/ guess mott" and with these words. which
/ implied that his wiles wardrobe would
soon rival that Of Queen Nictorias. the
stranger tore down the passage way again.
and getting in his old osncr. where ho
thoughthimselfo out ofsight, went through
the strangest pantomime, laughing. put
/ ting his mouth into the drolost shapes.
and then swinging himself backward and
forward in the limited space. ns ifit were
walking down Broadway a full-riggod
metropolitan swell. And so on until wo
rolled into the depot, and placed myself
on the other car, opposite the stranger.
who, with a portmanteau in each hand
/ had descended and was standing Oh tho
lower step, ready 10 jump 10 the platform
/ / looked from his face 10 the faces al tho
people before rs, but saw no sign of
recognition. Suddenly he cried. "rhcro
they are, and laughed outright, but in
a hysterical sort of "A way, as be- looked
over the crowd. followed his eyes, and
saw some distance back as III crowded
out and shouldered away by the we'll
dressed and elbowing throng, "a little WOO
mon in a faded dress and a wcl-wOrn bat,
with face almost painful IN IT, intense
but hopeful expression, CHANGING rapidly
from window 10 window as the coaches
glided in. She had not yet seen tho
stranger; but a moment after she caught
his eye, and in another instant lac bad
Jumped TO- the platform with his two port
manteaus, and making a hole ia Che
crowd, pushing one here and there, and
running one Of his bundles plump into
the well-developed stomach 81 a veneer
able-looking old gentleman in spectacle.
he rushed toward the place whore she was
standing. j think / never saw face as-
sumo 10 many different expressions in s0
short time rs did that Of the little wo-
man while her husband was on his way OBJ
her. She didn't look pretty. On the
contrary, she looked very plain, but some.
way l felt big lump rise in my throat as