Centre Hall reporter. [volume] (Centre Hall, Pa.) 1868-1871, 1871-03-24


une of the plcaSAatest journeys ever
took was made short time hack, in COM
pany with total stranger, but who proved
20 BE- the most chatty, most commUnica-
tTve Pcrsoa ever met with, although his
code Of morals was undoubtedly rather
lax. We got in at the London terminus.
and aS be almost at once asked me where
was going, we found we were each bound
20 the same large city. fancied be had
been dining rather generously, from his
face, which was a little flushed he had
plenty Of excellent cigars, and was very
liberal with them; and ere we had ridden
half-s-doEen miles, he produced a pack Of
csriS, aud asked me 10 play. declined F;
and he sad with a smile: Afraid Of
strangers with cards Well, You are quite
right; but We shall do no harm TO each
Other.n
FASTENED to assure him that | was
under no suspicion as regarded himself, but
that | did not care for cards.
There YOU are to blame he returned +;
"you should always suspect strangers who
want You 20 play at cards. Why should a
man carry pack with him, If he does not
intend to profit by their use Take my
advice and always be ON your guard
But then.h said with = smile, 81 BY
yOar own rule you would lead me to sus-
pect you.n
You wouldn't be far wrong. if YOU did. =
he replied, with very meaning nod; q
only wished 10 play for cup Of coffee at
the refreshment station but have played
in railway carriages for very different stakes
--aRd won them. However, am all right
tonight, and don't want 90 win anybody's
money. cleared eight hundred over the
Leger, and that win last me some time
congratulated him on his good fortune,
and said wished had been as lucky.
Ifit shouldn't do you more good than
il win me. you needn't mind, be returned;
"light GENE, light 60 but still il j. better
10 havea few hundreds in your pocket, than
tO be without penny TO pay your fare, a
4 have been on this very railway
Indeedr' | calculated. as be made a
pause here "that must have been awk-
ward
= Awkward | believe you,n he said.
g But there. man with his head screwed
on the right way, need never be al loss,
IN a rich country like this. | hadn't a
peuny-at any rate, hadn't tenth part
OF the required fare-with me; was
bound TO keep an engagement, n long way
down the line, and bad not friend who
would lend me sixpence and here ] found
myself, one evening a quarter Of an hour
before the train started. Something like n
fix, eh What should you have done r.
"Well,n / replied. Il hardly know. II
/ had a watch
But / hadn't be interrupted, " nor
anything else that would fetch two pound
seven, the price Of ticket. A first-class
ticket, Of course | mean; had made up
my mind TO ride first-claSs; ike IL best,
and, under the circumstances, il was Just
as feasible as any other.s
Then, perhaps, | should have gone to
the station-master or superintendent, /
said, land told him all about il and If
that wouldn't do, must have stopped in
London
Then IL wouldn't have done, you NAV
swear he replied, "stati0n- masters are
not so soft as that. Well, now, III tell
you all about IL and il may be use 10
you TO know, some day, what is possible to
be done in such fix"
j nodded my thanks, and be began.
] need not tell you how | came 10 be 81
plaeed-speculative men are often In sucb
aPosition; we Slways ret out of il some
how, however, and did, this time. When
/ arrived at the station, there was the
train, with the engine waiting little way
Off blazing and Kissing away: some of tho
passengers had taken their seats. but most
Of them were walking up and down. or
having parting glass with their friends. or
looking at the bo0kstalIs. How I eDviad
the shabbiest Of them alI for he. whoever
he was, had got his ticket, and eould NOT
get mine. If the train had gone r;oht
through. would have taken INV saat ana
CHANGED dropping out Just before ,bev
stopped but knew they examined ticket
halfway, 50 that would not do. Tf the
journey had been by the same engine 7
would have lain at the back Of the tender
on the coke, as did once TO place nearly
hundred miles down the line but /
knew they changed engines, so this. again.
wouldn't do. / saw one person on the
platform whom recognized, but as be was
a clergymm-a dean, in fact-wbo was
always preaching against US raciue-men
and had once actually persuaded the town,
people to put their races down, | knew he
was of no use. Yet couldn't keen awav
from him; he had sort of fascination for
me; ] may call it presentiment that he
was to get me out OF my hobbIe Well
the hustle increased; you know. of course
bow busy the station gets just before an
express starts. The engine came back and
was hooked on; the porters ran about with
their barrows Of luggage; the passengers
left the refreshment-rooms and bookstalls,
and clustered round the doors of the car
riages the dean got into a Compartment
by himself, and | was walking up and
down in the darkest part Of the platform.
and only five minutes left.
/ paused for moment before a little
room where saw the guards 90 in and out
and wondered whether one of them would
let me ride with him if / told him of a
thing knew really did know Of it-for
the Cambridgeshire; when, all at once.
splendid idea struck me. 1t was the very
thing The door Of the little room was
half open, 30 that could see no one was
in there, and several coats and cans. be-
longing to the guards, were hanging on the
walls. Iglanced down the platform every
railway official seemed up to his eve in
business-no one was looking that way.
popped into the room in an instant-had
put on coat and cap, which fitted me
beautifully was out again in a few
seconds. There was no time for reflection,
nor did need any; nv mind was already
made up, SO, pushing past the people with
the air of regular guard, born and bred,
! put my head into the carriage where the
dean sat, and said: Tickets. if YOU
please The old gentleman was reading
book; pushed his spectacles little
higher on his nose, and excIaiming: ssDear
me- had quite forgotten. y he handed out
his ticket, which very coolly pocketed,
and was moving away, when the old
gentleman said: "This Is a new rule, to
tate tickets at starting, isn't it Z"