The Van Buren press., 1873-07-22
MI MISCELLANY.
The Talkative Stranger
" Can / sit with you ?"


''lrs, couldn't do better.
| was si,ting i'll a passenger coach, on
e Wisconsin railroad, one day, years ago,
when good-looking, pleasant spoken
man came a,oag, stopped at my seat,and
the above conversation took place, The
latter par, + it after had given him part
of mg seat.
Now ! ana regarded as q social man.
like u joke, a good bit; aud ! think 3
soar, morose mar who uses his tvnea5
only when obliged to, is bound TO lie OF
some terrible disease, and to go TO some
place OF red not punishment
On entering railroad car, | a,ways
look about tor a taisUt.y5 man, auj ther
g. as close to him rs possible, and drain
him dry, # the journey is long enough
And I want % state one thing mole
Left ar orphan before coulS realize tue
event Whlcn made me one, ( got kicked
h9rs and cuEtd there. aua rev up be
;asea folks, as they say, ! ought t.
have bad, SO the time Of which I write, q
pretty thorough ku0ajedge OF human
ns.uge. -0d have been enabled 10 read u
d mans lac. il ~ attended me c.jl
1.8 10. pride Hyss,. on being aver keen
-r extra fusrp, bat the knocking around
.m9uo sFans rs oughg to give one a
ee0 syQ2ilepce
WsIi tJs stranger an1 ! fell iu,o an
s.eF rfa,n al CInvsrsatien IS We rode or
together. and in ter mjnrtes | befaU 20
e--J lis company. He was climate
fellow, La-'v drsssoa and he wore e iue
os.sl aud = simor pure tian 4j ring. |
: :. s~T a A.aH 80 could talk so east
IS agd pls2sarl's. ! scmyd hat he had
aHt 70 open his mouth and the yards rell
gnt our
I had Travelled Il th. S.Ita, 50 had he
had tsarS taa loud Goa. D the Pacific ;
4a .Hca 8l. shout t / had been up in a
Ha. con. down IN q nine, been blown up
a .du ag and repaired again My
ueg .ytena had experienced all these
tb.rss. and ras waiting for something
nGN " .uru up Of a more startling na-
ture. We agreed on politics, neither had
any religion, and had never met such
railroad companion
Did you ever meet a man who, though
a stranger TO you ten minutes before,
could wrest from You secrets which you
had sworn to yourself not to reveal ? He
did not seem trying to quiz or draw me
out, but he asked me questions in such q
sly, roundabout way, that before ! knew
it was giving him my history.
was at that .ime just on the point of
being admitted 10 the bar Of W isconsln
as a studan! o.! Law d Law, of Brier-
vile.
Tho firm were old lawyers with lu-
crativc pa ctice, and it had been talked
owe. TIE '' Co Of the firm. A year be
fore ar a'' farmer named Preston, down
.au lilies from Grafton, had died,
-s. r,s s,sLlers had been put into the
hand. s j.aa Il Law for settlement.
prpstou lst ii .. rich. He had money
Ia the bank. railroad stocks, mortgages,
etc. and everything was settled up to
The satisfaction of the relict aud the faith
orless
About q year before his death, being
short for money aud not wishing to sell
ANYTHING a. a sacrifice, Preston had given
q taortgsge OF his farm fer three thous-
aDd dollars While the papers read " one
year from date" there was u verbal
aarcemcny that it should be iited OF any
day when Preston desired 4 month Al
Ter. when, having the moner, he desired
to clear OF the paper, ,he old money bags
holding it refused to disEorGc, wishing
to secure his interest for year
was on nay way to ascertain the date
Of expiration. A FIRE among cur Office
rspers lad destroyed she memoranda
.na I must go down and get the date
from 0ld Scrip, who lives south OF Graf
,an about Eve miles The stranger had
pumped all this ont Of rae n ten minutes
a8a get nsycr encc s0sPcc'-a that ne
receiving information
atu uoa positive -assd, "bFs
rn y-slr sure The time is tae 18th
p eir, would uc Tuesday
N.5 t.sl your folks vii send down
The more. gad discharge The mortgage
I. course re inquired.
" on. ros, / should most likely hrng
down, replied, and II never occur
rgu Ju ne how inprUdent | was.
lie turned she convorsatIDn into oIhet
casnncis and c,H ner once 9,lempt 10
.urlg ne further. We got TO Grafton ~
half gsst ten a"a io nv surprise 40 ah-
qsuHnsc teat .l was 20 stop IN tina town
on business ior Few days. hat aot
" koQ Ais asm- or vocation, while he
kn " everything about me
Wa went to the hotei, had dInhcr and
than | secured lively team and drove
OK. getting through with me business 80
that | was back to take the haII-pssttwo
express east. My friend was on the
porch Of the hotel ~ drove up, carry
Ing that same, honest, dgnifed face.
"Well, did you find sutr he inquired,
in his pleasant way.
1T is Oh the 18Th, as ! expected, !
replied.
We had lunch together, and when We
shook hands and parted, / had no more
idea Of seeing him again than ! nave OF
seeing you. In fact he told me that ne
should sail for England in week or ten
days, and should not retarn to America
AT parting, he gave me this card IL was
a modest piece Of pasteboard, and bore
the name of " George Raleigh, IN OLD
English scrip.
E,erythnc at the office went on as US
ual and the 18th came at length Law q
Law had arranged tor me 70 60 dswn
with the money, and looked upon it as
a, busines, of no special Importance
,W i.,v, vOu ara all right remark