The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1872-12-19
THE STORY-TELLER.
LITTLE BLUE EYES.

"Splendid, indeed"
"Crcps growing finely 2"
Yes-couldl.'t do better"
l was sitting in passenger coach, on
Wisconsin railroad, one day, years ago
when a good-looking, pleasant-spoken
man came along, stopped at my seat, and
the above conversation took place, the
latter part of it after / had given him
part of my seat.
Now, am regarded as a sociable maA
rike a joke, good hit; and 1 think a
sour, morose man, who uses his tongue
only when forced to, is bound to die OF
some terrible disease, and go to some
place OF red-hot punishment.
On entering q railroad car 1 always
lock about for talkative man. and then
get as close to him as possible and
drain him dry, if the Journey is long
enough.
And want to state one thing more
Left an orphan before could realize the
sad event which made me one, ] got
kicked here and cuffed there, and grew
up between folks" as they say. ought
to have had, at the time of which l
write, pretty thorough knowledge of
human nature, and have been enabled
to read evil i'll a mans face. if he intended
me evil. did not pride myself on being
over-keen or extra sharp. but the knock
ing around among strangers ought TO
have given any one good experience.
Well, the stranger and l fell into an
easy train of conversation as we rode
together, and in ten minutes began to
enjoy his company. He was we'll made
teil'w, finely dressed, and he wore fine
watch and a simon-pure diamond ring.
L never saw man who could talk SO
easy and pleasantly. 1t seemed that he
had but to open his mouth, and the
words fell right out.
had travelled in the South, so had he.
/ had heard the loud roar of the Pacific,
he knew all about it. l had been up in
balloon, down in mine, been blown
up, smashed up, and repaired again and
again, my new friend had experienced
all these things, and was wishing for
something of a more startling nature.
We agreed on politics, neither had any
religion, and l had never met such a
railroad companion.
Did you ever meet man, who, though
a stranger to you ten minutes before,
could wrest from you secrets which you
ANA o"Oih W yOuloCil iAoI W ASNCuA
Well, he was such a man. 1t was not
long before he commenced asking me
questions. He did not seem trying to
quiz or draw me out, but he asked me
questions i'll such sly, roundabout way,
that before knew it was giving him
my history.
Twas at that time just on the point of
being admitted to the bar of Wisconsin
as student of Law & Law, of Brief
vile. The firm were old lawyers with a
lucrative practice, and it had been talked
over that in about month / should be
the Co." of the firm. A year before
farmer named Preston, down about four
miles from Grafton, had died, and his
matters had been put into the hands o.
Law & Law for settlement. Preston had
died rich. He had money in bank, rail-
road stock, mortgages, etc, and every
thing was settled up to the satisfaction
of the reliot and the fatherless.
About year before his death, being
pinched for money, and not wishing to
sell anything at a sacrifice, Preston had
given mortgage on his tarn for three
thousand dollars. While the papers read
for one year from date" there was a
verbal agreement that it should be lifted
any day when Preston desired. A month
after, when, having the funds to clear off
the paper, the old money bags holding
it refused to discharge. wishing to secure
his interest for year.
was on my way to ascertain the date
of expiration. A fire among our Office
papers had destroyed the memoranda,
and 1 must go down and get the date
from old Scip, who lives south of Grafton
about five miles. The stranger had
pumped all this out of me in ten min
utes, and yet never once suspected that
he was receiving any information.
II am not positive" added, but
am pretty sure that the time is the thir-
teenth, which would be Tuesday next"
And then your folks will send down
the money and dischsrge the mortgage,
OF course I" he queried.
"Oh, yes, shall most likely bring it
down" l replied; and it never occurred
to me how imprudent l was.
He turned the conversation into other |
channels, and did not once attempt to |
pump me further. We got to Grafton at
1000, and to my great surprise he an
nounced that he was to stop in the town
On bssiness for few days. / had not
asked his name or avooation, while he
knew everything about me.