Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1871-05-04
THE EXPRESS TICKET.
Frorc Chambers Journal.

Fror; Chambers Journal.
One of the pleasantest journeys /
ever toek was made a short time back.
In company with a total stranger, but
who proved to be the most chatty, most
communicative person eyer met with,
although his code of morals was un-
doubtedly rather lax. We got In at
London terminus, and as he almost at
once asked me where / was going, we
found we were each bound to the same
large city. fancied he had been din
ing rather generously, from his face.
which was a little flushed; he had plen-
ty of excellent cigars, and was very lib
eral with them, and ere we had ridden
half-a-doZen miles, he produced pack
of cards and asked me to play. Ide-
clined; and he said with smile:
Afraid of strangers with cards. well
you are quite right; but we shall do no
harm to each other"
Ihastened to assure him that I was un-
der no suspicion as regarded himself,
but that / did not care for cards.
There you are to blame, he re-
turned; you should always suspect
strangers who want you to play at cards.
Why should a man carry a pack with
him if he does not intend to profit by
their usel Take my advice, always be
on your gard"
''But then" said with a smile, '.by
your own rule you would lead me to
suspect ysu-"
''You wouldn't De wrong, if you did, !"
he replied, with very meaning nod 81
only wished to play for a cup of coffee
at the refreshment station; but have
played In railway carriages for very
different stakes-and wol them. How
ever, am all right tonight, and don't
want to win anybody's money. / clear
ed eight hundred over the Leger, and
that viii last me some time"
/ congratulated him on his good for
tune, and said wished / had been as
lucky.
ssIf it shouldn't mind" he returned:
light come, light go; hut still it is bet
ter to have few hundred in your pocket
than to be without penny to pay your
fare, as / have been on this very rail-
way"
Indeed" calculated, as he made
pause here; "that must have been
awkward"
Awkward believe you" he said.
''But there! a man with his head screw
ed on the right way need never be at
loss in a rich country like this.
hadn't penny-at any rate, / hadn't a
tenth part of the required fare-with
me; Twas bound to keep an engage
ment, long way down the line, and
had not "a friend who would lend me
sixpence; and here found myself, one
evening, quarter of an hour before
the train started. Something like a
fix, ehi What should you have done
done?"
WELL" 1 replied "I hardly know
If had watch"
'But hadn't he interrupted: ssnor
anything else that would fetch two
pound seven, the price of ticket. A
first class ticket, of course, / mean; ]
made up my mind to ride first class /
like it best, and, under the circum
stances, it was just as feasible as any
other. 4"
"Then, perhaps, I should have gone
to the station master or superintend-
ent, y / said, "and told him all about
it; and if that wouldn't do, / must
have stopped in London"
"Then it wouldn't have done, YOU
may swear, he replied; /" station mas
ers are not SO soft as that. Well, now,
I'll tell you all about it /; and it may be
of use to you to know, some day, what
is possible to be done In such a fix. u
/ nodded my thanks, and he began
Ineed not tell you how came to be
so placed-speculative men are often
in such a position; we always get out
of 1T somehow, however, and / did, this
time. When arrived at the station,
there was the train, with the engine
waiting a little way off, blazing and
kissing away. Some of the passengers
had taken their seats, but most of them
were walking up and down, or having
parting glass with their friends, OF
looking at the book-stalls. How I en-.
We'd the shabbiest of them all, for he,
whoever he was, had got his ticket, and
1 could nos get mine If the train had
gone right through, would have taker
my seat and chanced dropping out jus,
before they stopped; bnt / knew they
examined tickets halfway. so tha,
would not do. If the journey had beer
all by the same engine, I would have
lain at the back of the tender, on the
coke, as did once to a place nearly {
hundred miles down the line but
knew they changed engines, so thii
again wouldn't do. / saw one persor
ON the platform whom / recognized, bu
as he was q clergyman Dean, in fac
who was always preaching against M
racing men, and had once actually per
suaded the townspeople to put thei
races down, knew he was of no use
Yet couldn't keep away from him h
had fascination for me; may cal
it q presentment that he was to get m
out of my hobble. Well, the hustle in
creased you know, of course, how bus,
the station gets just before an expires
starts. The engine came back and wa
hooked on, the porters ran about viii
their barrows of baggage, the passenger
left the refreshment rooms and book
sta Us, and clustered round the doors O
the carriages; the Dean got into q com
partment by himself, and there was
walking up and down in the darkes
part of the platform, and only five mir
utes left.
paused for moment before q littl
room, where saw the guards go in an
out, and wondered whether one of tn
men weuld let me ride with him If
told him of . good thing knew
ally did not know ofit-for the Cam
bridgeshire, when all at once splendi
idea struck me. 1t was the very thing
The door of the little room was hal
open, SO that I could see that no on
was in there, and several Ok and caps