Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1871-08-11
THE WANDERERS RETURN.


This was a stout, black-whiskered
man who, sat Immediately in front
of me, and who indulged, from time
to time, in the most strange and un-
accountable manGuvers. Every now
and then he would get up and hurry
away to the narrow passage which
leads to the door in these drawing
room 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 red
in the face as a lobster. AS we
neared Boston these demonstrations
increased in violence, save that the
stranger no longer ran away to
laugh, but kept his seat and chuck
led to himself with his chin deep
down in his shirt collar. But the
changes that those portmantcaus un-
derwent. He moved them here,
there, everywhere; he put them be-
hind him, in front of him, Oh each
side of him. He was evidently get
ting ready to leave, but we were yet
twenty-five miles from Boston, the
idea Of such early preparations was
ridiculous.
If we had entered the city then,
the mystery would have remained
unsolved, but the stranger at last
became so much excited that he
could keep his seat no longer. Some
one must help him, and as | was the
nearest he selected me. Suddenly
turning as if had asked a question,
he said, rocking himself to and fro
in his chair, the meantime, and slap
ping his legs, and breathing hard,
"Been gone three years - ''Ah y
eyes, been in Europe. Folks don't
expect me for six months yet, but |
got through and started. | tele
graphed 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
to the right, and the one on the
right to the left again. "Got a
witc?" said l. eyes, and three
children" he returned, and he got
up and folded his overcoat anew,
and hung it over the back of the
seat. "You are pretty nervous over
the matter, aint you?" said, watch
ing his tidgcty movements. "Nell,
| should think | was" he replied;
81 hain't slept soundly for week. :"
"And do you know" he went on,
glancing around at the passengers
and speaking in a lower tone, 81 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'vc watched it. First it
rains, then it shines, then it rains
again; it rains so hard you think
it's never going to stop; then it
shines so bright you think it's al
ways going to shine; and just as
YOU are settled in either belief, you
are knocked over by a change, to
show you that you know nothing
about it."
"We according to the philoso-
ply" says |, ''you will continue to
to have sunshine because you are
expecting Storm"
''It's curious" he returned, after
a pause, "but the only thing which
makes me thi..k I'll get through safe
is because l think | won't"
NV ell, that is curious" said |.
"Lord, yes he replied. "l'm a
machinist-made a discovcry-no-
body believed it; spent all my
money trying to bring it out-mort-
gagged my home-all went. Every
body laughed at me-everybody but
my wife-spunky little woman-said
she would work her fingers off be-
fore l should give it up. Went to
England-no better there; came
within a ace Of jumping off London
bridge. Went into Il shop to earn
money enough to come home with;
there met the man | wanted. To
make long story short, Tve
brought thirty thousand pounds
home with me-"
"Good for you," l exclaimed.
EYES," said he, "thirty thousand
pounds; and the best of it is she
doesn't know thing about it. I've
fooled her so often and disappointed
her so much that l just concluded l
would say nothing about this. When
got my money through, you better
believe l struck Decline for
home"
"And you will make her happy"
said l.
"Happy," he exclaimed; "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 lived half the time.
She'll come down there to the depot
to meet me in the gingham dress
and shawl Il hundred years old, and
she'll think she's dressed up. Oh,
she wont have no clothes after this
oh, no, l guess mott" And with
these words, which implied that his
wiie's wardrobe would soon rival
that of Queen Victoria's, the
stranger tore down the passage way
again, and getting in his old corner,
where he though himself out of
sight, went through the strangest
pantomime, laughing, putting his
mouth in drollest shapes, and then
swinging himself backward and for
ward in the limited space, as if he
were walking down Broadway Il
full-riggcd metropolitan swell. And
so on until we rolled into the depot,
and l placed myself on the other
car, opposite the stranger, who,
with a portmantcau in each hand,
had descended and was standing on
the lower 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. Sud
denly he cried:
llu,l ,a tt,,, orn >, onJ I,uuho a. i