The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1872-03-07

ployers cash-box III pt rtmantau, eh
Old boy going up north to marry
old girl on the sly, eh2 Bagman,
and ashamed Of it, perhaps, eh, you
old passenger? BAIL Bagman aa
good as anybody else Never be
ashamed-look at me | Menot blush
at myself. What you say I am, eh :
You not guess? Duchess? No!
Countess2 No! Lady of large pro
perty--wife of Glasgow merchant?
Devil bit Missionary woman
Mol Tight-rope dancer? Mol Stew
ardess on Wess Indiaman, spending
pay? Yes-thats it Come home
six months. Find big American
ship waterlogged-cargo notions
nobody on board but pussey cat,
you rummy old passenger--boarded
her-Hullo What's that2"
I did not know what it Was, but
there was a sudden snap, and our
carriage gradually slackened speed
and eventually stopped. | put my
head out of the window. The coup
ling had broken, and our carriage
and the guards van had been sepa-
rated from the rest of the train.
The driver knew nothing about it,
and there we were, half way between
Stafford and Rugby at II P. M, on
very cold April night.
"Great Heavens !" said /, in the
very greatest alarm, "the coupling
has broken and we are left behind
by the train. We shall be smashed
by the next down train !"
"Not u bit, you old strange one !"
replied she, without even looking
out of the window. "Guard at end
of train if we broke off, he broke
of, too"
The guard had, in point Of fact,
rushed forward waving his lantern
in the faint hope Of being able to
attract the attention of the driver,
but in vain. So he returned very
excited, but very sulky.
"What in the world are we to do 2"
asked l.
"Get out of this-you and your
old woman-while run back to
Bembridge to telegraph. Come,
out you co.
"But where are we to go? 1t is
raining hard, and we shall be
soaked"
"There's a light yonder across
the common. You'd better trot
over there, you and your old woman,
and knock 'em up. I don't know
the country just here" And of he
went like lightning.
ellis advice very good, my ole
man" said my companion. 81 take
your arm and we trot. Come, rum
chap
There was no help for it. I sue
cumbed, and we had squashy walk
over o painless and fuzzy common
half mile in diameter. My COM
panion had q knack of tumbling
down in a sitting attitude at the
faintest provocation and if l lifted
her up once, l lifted her up twenty
times. Twenty times sixteen stone
is exactly two tons-which repre-
sents the weight I lifted off Benz.
bridge Common that night. Il
have since had reason to believe
that her actual weight is fifteen stone
three, but I say sixteen stone, be-
cause | take into consideration the
moisture with which her clothes
were saturated.
At length, after twenty minutes
difficult walking. we reached the
light that had attracted our atten-
ton. 1t proceeded from the win
dow of very small cottage. We
knocked, and eventually the door
was opened to us. In the mean.
time, my companion, who had in
formed me that her name was Dolly
Fortescue, sang negro songs in q
deep contralto.
"Wot is it?" said the cottager.
"There has been an accident on
the line, and we want shelter"
"Wotll you give?"
"a guinea" said Miss Fortescue,
"This rum old card give a guinea.
"Well, you can lie in the stable.
My cottage is chock-full."
He took o lantern and showed me
into the "stable," which was hut
with one stall and o loose box in
which was a very untidy donkey.
1 at once declined to share this sta
BILE with Dolly, preferring to risk a
night in the rain. I stated my in
tention.
"Old boy is quite right. He's a
rummy old passenger, but he's quite
right. Come along, queer old man
we walks somewheres else."
"Now, lookee here" said the man,
"wot's your game, you two? Wot
are yer hup to? Is this here q lark ?
Where's my guinea? Give us old o
my guinea afore you goes. None
Of this with ME you know! Give us
old O. my guinea, comel"
cold man." raid Dolly to me.
"pull out employers cash-box and
give guinea like birds"
"Wot's this here about CASH
boxes?" said the man. "Come,
out with that guinea We hears a
good deal about it, but We don't see
none of it. Come. let's see some OF
it. Be man." .,
II shall give you nothing, SAID :!
I. "YOu are an insolent scoundrei.
"Wotl" said the man-"wots
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