Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1871-07-14

John Smith, Jr." And he pointed with
his pen to a tall, 1orid, good looking young
man of about my own age, apparently,
who olled back upon the seat--my scat
very much at his ease.
"All right Clear the way, there Jump
up, sirr bawled codchec, and before I
hardly knew how it was, found myself
| pcrched aloft Oh the boy, and rattling and
reeling away over rough mountain road,
all thoughts, save that of preserving my
equilibrium and guarding my bones from
| danger, banished from my mind. Yet
more than once during this three hours
drive / no'ed, with resentful bitterness,
from my uneasy perch, the CHEEKY laugh of
! MIR. John Smith inside, and the glossy tips
of Mr.. John Smiths boots, as they were
thrust from the window in an attitude of
luxurious reposc.
Upon reaching the Lumsley Junction,
| the stage coach passengers dispersed, some
rushing frantically Off to the railroad de-
pot, while others more leisurely pursued
their way to the canal station house. | a
mong the latter, and as we were to pass the
night on the packet took care to secure to
myself a berth without delay by means of
a good bribe to the steward. In fact my
| bones. though young, and strong, felt sore
| ly in need of rest after their late violent
exercise.
Having seen my valisc deposited in
"Berth No. TO-" and feeling thereby secure
in possession, / betook myself to the deck
for smoke before turning in for the
night. Here fingered, dreamily watch
ing the clouds and the moonlt ripples, and
| thinking on my unknown inamorata, the
"dashing" Clementina, ndalso, ifthe truth
must be told, on that other vision, though
vaguely, until aroused by percciving that
| the last of the passengers was leaving the
| deck for the regions of rcpose below.
| Thither now also bctook myself, with a
comfortable assurance of snug berth in
waiting for me- and a quiet nights rest at
| least, such rest as is to be had on n canal
packet boat.
NV ewes. already half closed in drowsi-
ness. opened IA little at sight of berth No.
Is. That was-ves. surely that was a mans
figure comfortably stretched therein: that
was n mans snore salutinr my cars as
| drew nirh. and rayed. i'm indignant amaze.
unon tbo intruder and thou turncd in o.
anal irdiorotior to tbo troocborous sto,v-
a.1
..t ho,, ,or,1on .i,. =, c,ltorod t,ot discor-
oor,od of,icial ..i,ut it,s root, NOT NV G,uIt
r,,,.,io,Io,1,. ,,or,iorod tooroo, tho ho,s
u.at u,,t,o.o,or,i, nos rar ,tr roI,,, Sr,it,
-. n,t..,, na,'i., -, h.. adi~, ra,,.n,,t
r,,,.. ,,.,i,,,.
..Cor,,,I,,r, hrisi,I,. ,o,noodod ,ho indi-
,.i.,,,aI aIino.o1 u.>t. Io, sill, Ir
,,as ,Io ,.ar,. ,rords. and ,hot,s him If ho
lie. o,,.,, ,,a,,,, ,,,d ai,,,t o., ipno.
tor"
Tho+ ,,o, him indood o.r rov norcoiv-
od tho ,,nrit.IIo stol,yort norid auhrrr-
ho,rdod ,,o,,p,, ,,on y,ho had hoforo an
,,.o,,.;o,c1 nv, ,,Iaoo In tho sto,ro ooooi,
and ,yos now don,i,.iro mo of nv looiti.
,noto NIGHTS rost unwsooyor tIoro ,yo.
no helm for Reconnaissance would have
been useless. force even worse: and so.
with one look Of concentrated INDIGNATION
at my namcsake. | betook myself to a
wrctched den under one of the tablos-the
ONLY unoccupicd place. and there passed a
miserable night.
At eight in the morning we reached Per-
ryville, whence I was to take private con-
veyance to Fairview, the residence of my
prospective lathcr-in-law, some twelve or
fourteen miles distant. My first care was
now to collect my baggage, consisting of
trunk, valise and hat box. The former
and latter were easily found, but the va
lise had unaccountably disappeared. Half
an hour previous | had myself deposited
it safely, as | thought, upon bracket in
tbn cabin
"Buif leather valsc, brass mounungs,
marked John Smith, Jr.? repeated the
steward after me- "Why that's the very
article Hawkins took ashore along with the
gentleman overcoat and things
"What gentleman p
"Mr. Smith, sir-'John Smith, Jr'-hm
as Daniel gave your berth to last night. |
declare it's too bad, it is ~ added the stew
ard sympathetically. But" | heard him
continue, in a lower tone to the by-stand-
ISLANDERS, "such things can't be helped as
long as folks will go by such a name as
John Smith. Why, we've at least score
Of 'em of that name registered each month,
and pretty rumpus they sometimes has
along O. taking each others baggage and
being called upon to pay each others
bills!'
All my search for and inquiries iter my
missing valise and the absconding John
Smith were vain. No shadow of clue
could l obtain as to their probable or pos
sibc destination, and so in despair be-
took myself to hotel.
What was to be done? The Brownson
.fctc was to take place ON that evening, and
my dressing case, with its indispensable
nrticles-my new vest and collars, bought
expressly for the occasion, and various
other matters equally important, were con-
tained in the unfortunate valise, to say
nothing of letter from my father which