Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1871-09-22
How His Ship Came IN.

As AUlerNs Srem of SrgyGoLE, PATIENCE
$50 lEIUuru
ran oero.- what first struck ne as o very
singular genius on my road from Springfield
% Boston. Tins was q stout. bacS-wli-6or-
cd man who sat Immediately in fraut IF
me. and wao iului-ci, from time o. time, ln
the most strange and unaccluutahic muu.cu-
yros. Every now and then he would get up
ANA hurry away 90 the narrow passage which
leads 10 the door IN these drawing cars,
and when be thought himself secure from OBJ
-eryatiln. would fall % laughing In the uo-
violent manner. and continue the hcalthill
exercise until be was a- red IN the face ar
lobster. As we uearei Boston these demon
STATIONS Increased in violence. save that the
straneer 80 longer nan away % laugh, but
kept hisscat and chuckltd 90 himself, with
his chin deep down IN bis shirt collar. Bat
the changes tina; those uoTtma ntcaus under
went lcmlvod them here. there, every
where be ult them behind him, In front ui
him. on each side of him. lie was evidently
getting ready to leave, but, as We We're Vet
twenty-five miles from Boston, the idea ol such
carly preparations was ridiculous.
live had entered the city then, she mystic
~ would have remained unsolved. bat tie
stranger at last became so excited that he
could keen bis seat no longer. Some one
must help him. and as Was the nearest he Sc
lcctcd me. suddenly turning, as # bad ask
ei q question. Be said. rocking himself 10 and
fro in h.s chair the meantime, and sapqing
his legs, auI breathing hard, Been gone
three years f' 'Ahl' Yes, been in Europe.
Folks don { expect me for six months yet, but
[ GOT through and started. / telegraplcd
them at the last station: they've got 1t by
this time IS be said this lie changed tie
uortmautoau on bis left TO the right, and the
one oo the right 10 the letJ again. Got wiic3
said l. Yes, and three children, he return
Cd. and be got uQ and folded his oyercIat
anew. and hung it over the back If the seat.
You are pretty nervous over the matter ain
you2 said watching his higety movements.
'Wcl should think So, he replied j
hain't slept sJuudiy for week. And dOyou
know, he went on, clancing around at the
passengers and speaking Ia @ low tone. am
almost certain this train Will run of the
track, and break mg neck before get to Bs-
ton. Wen the fact is. | have had toe much
good luck for one man lately. The thing
can't last. faint naturl that il should. you
know. I've watched IL. First IL rams, then
IL shines. then it rains again Ii rains 50
hard You think its nev sr going 10 stop
then it shines 80 bright you think its always
going 20 shine; and Just as You re settled IN
either belief, YOU are knocked over by
change 20 show You that you know nothing
at all about it, Well, according % this
philosophy, said /, you viii continue to
have sunshine because You are expecting a
storm lt's curious, be returned, but
the only thing which makes me think | will
get through safe. is because think wont.
Well. that Is curious. said /. Yes he
replied I'm q machnist-madc a discovery
nobody believed IN it, spent all my non
cy trying TO bring it out-mCrtsagcd my
hamo-aI went. Everybody laughed at ne
everybody but my wiic-spunky little wo-
man-sa.d She should work her fingers of he
fore ] should give it up. Wont to England
ul better therc came within an ace of
jumping or London bridge. Went into q
shop o. can money enough 70 bring ne
home there me, the man | wanted. To
ma &c "a long story short. I've brought $50
900 home with me, and here | am. Good
for vou = | exclaimed. Yes. said he.
'E30 900; and the best Of it is, she don I
know anything about 1t. I've fooled her SO
often. and disappointed her so much, that
lust conclu led would say nothing about
this When got my money though, you
better bel eve ! struck bee line for home. >
And n0G You VIII make herhappy,' said l..
Happy = he replied, why YOU don't know
anything a bout it. She's worked like a dog
while I've been gone, trying to support her
self 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 de-
pot to meet me IN a gingham dress. and a
shawl hun dred years old, and she'll think
she's dIesset up. Oh, she won't have no
clothes after this-oh, no, guess not = And
with these y ords, which implied that his
wife's wardI ODE would soon rival Queen We
toria's, the stranger tore down the passage
way again. and getting in his old corner.
where he tn ought himself out # sight. went
through the strangest pantomine, laughing,
putting his mouth into the dr.llest shapes,
and then sw inging himself back and forth in
the limited pace, as if he were walking
down broadway a fullrigged metropolitan
belle. And 50 on till we rolled into the de-
IDl. ali fAe-ANA IL f7NAA AAl Aitt OtlltT car,
opposit the stranger. who with a portmap.
teau in each hand, had descended and was
standiu 2 on the lowest step. ready to jump to
the pla tform. looked from his face to the
faces of the people before US, but saw no sign
OF reco gnItion.
Sud ienly he cried There they are and
laughed outright, but in hysterical sort of a
way, rs he looked over the crowd. follow
ed his eyes and saw some distance back, as if
crowded out and shouldered away blythe well
dressed and elbowiny throng, little woman
in faded dress and well Worn hat, with a
face almost painful in its intense but hope
less expression, glancing rapidly from win
dow to window as the coaches glided in
She had not yet seen the stranger; but a
moment after, she caught his eye, and in
another instant be had jumped to the plat
form with his two portmanteaus and max
ing hole in the crowd, pushing them here
and there, and running one Of his bundles
rnlurnya int hr H. II q