The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1871-04-18
A Ticket Robbery.

" took was made short time back,
in company with a total stranger, but who
proved to be the most chatty, most COM
municative person L ever met with, al
though his code of morals was undoubted-
ly rather lax. We got in at the London
terminus, and as he almost at once asked
me where l was going, we found we were
each bound to the same large city.
fancied he 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 dozen miles,
ne produced pack of cards, and asked
me to play l declined; and he said with
a smile Afraid of strangers with cards
Well, you are quite right; but we shall
do no harm to each other"
l hastened to assure him that was un-
der 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 to 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," | said with smile, "by
your own rule you would lead me to sus-
pect you"
"You wouldn't be far wrong, if you
did" he replied, with very meaning
nod 6" l only wished to play for cup of
coffee at the refreshment station; but /
have played in railway carriages for very
different stakes and won them. How
ever, i am all right tonight, and don't want
to win anybodys money cleared eight
hundred over the Leger, and that will
last me some time"
l congratulated him on his good for
tune, and said [ wished | had been as
lucky.
"If it should do you no more good than
it will me, you needn't mind" he return
ed )" light come, light go; but still it is
better to have few hundreds in your
pocket, than to be without penny to pay
your fare, as | have been on this very
railway"
Indeed !" | calculated, as he made
pause here that must have been awk-
ward"
awkward 1 believe you," he said.
"But there man with his head screwed
on the right way, need never be at a loss,
in rich country like this. ] hadn't pen
ny--at any rate, hadn't tenth part of
the required fare-with me was bound
to keep an engagement, long way down
the line, and had not friend who would
lend me sixpence and here l found my
self, one evening quarter of an hour be-
fore the train started Something like
fix, eh p? What should you have done %
WE'LL" 1 replied, al hardly know.
If | had watch"
But hadn't" he interrupted, "nor
anything else that would fetch two pound
seven, the price of ticket. A first class
ticket, of course l mean had made up
my mind to ride FIRST class Il like it best,
and, under the circumstances, it was just
as feasible as any other"
"Then perhaps, should have gone
to the station-master or superintendent
| l said, "and told him all about it and il
that wouldn't do, l must have stopped in
London"
"Then it wouldn't have done, you may
swear" he replied, " station-masters are
not so soft as that Well, now I'll tel
you all about it; and it may be Of use tc
you to know, some day, what is possible
to be done in such fix"
/ nodded my thanks, and he began.
l need not tell you how came to be
so placed-speculative men are often il
such position we always get out of il
somehow, however, and | did, this time
When arrived at the station, there was
the train with the engine waiting littl'
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 will
their friends, or looking at the bookstalls
How envied the shabbiest of them all
for he, whoever he was, had got his tick
@ ct, and | could not get mine If the trair
had gone right through, would have
taken my seat, and chanced dropping on,
y just before they stopped; but knew
they examined tickets halfway, so tina
!. would not do. If the journey had beer
by the same engine, would have lain a
the back of the tender, ON the coke, as
Il did once to a place nearly hundred miles
down the line but | knew they chang
! engines, so this, again, wouldn't do. !
!. saw one person on the platform whom
recognized, but as he was clergyman
dean, in fact--who was always preachin,