Wilmington journal., 1873-04-11
" LITTLE BLUE EYES,
Can 1 sit with you
Certainly, sir.
Nice weather.
"Splendid, indeed.

certainly, sir.
Nice weather"
"Splendid, indeed
Crops growing finely"
"Yes-couldn't do better"
| l was sitting in passenger coach,
| on Wisconsin railroad, one day
years ago, when q good-looking, pleas
ant-spoken man came along, stopped
! at my seat, and the above conversation
took place, the latter part of 1T after
had given him part of my seat.
Now, [ am regarded as a social man.
I like joke good hit, and [ think
a sour, morose man, who uses his
tongue only when forced to, is bound
to die of some terrible disease, and to
go to some place of red-hot punish
| ment.
On entering a railroad car always
look about for a talkative man, and
then I get as close to him as possible,
and drain him dry. if the journey is
long enough.
Aud [ want to state one thing more
Left an orphan before | could realize
the event which had made me one. I
got kicked out here and euffed there,
aid ''grew up between folks" as they
say. 1 ought to have had at the time
of which I write a pretty thorough
knowledge of human nature, and have
been enabled to read evil in man s
face, if he intended me evil. did
not pride myself on being over keen
or sharp, but the knocking around
among strangers ought to have given
any one good experience.
Well the stranger and 1 fell into an
easy strain of conversation as we rode
together, and i'll ten minutes [ began
to enjoy his company. He was we'll
made fellow, finely dressed, and he
wore Il fine watch and a simon-pure
diamond ring. ] never SAW man who
could talk So easy and pleaeantlv. Ii
seemed that he had but to open his
mouth and the words tell right out.
! had travelled in the South. so had
he. had heard the loud roar of the
Pacific. he knew all about it. [ had
been up in y balloon, down in mine,
blown mp, smashed up and repaired
again and again, my new friend had
experienced all these things and was
Wishing for something of ii more
startling nature. We agreed Oh poll
tics, neither had any religion. and
had never met such L railroad COM
pauio,i.
Did yGu over meet Il man, though u
stranger to rOG fen minutes before.
could wrest from vou secrets which
You had sworn to yourself not to re-
veal? Well, he was such man. Ii
was rot long before he commenced
asking, me- questions. tic did not seem
trying to quiz or draw NE ont, h11t he
asked Inc questions III such 4 sly,-
roundabout way. that before 7 knew it.
I was giving him my history.
was at that time nn the point uf
being admitted 10 the bar of Wisconsin
as student nf Law K Law, of Brief
Vile. The firm were old LAWYERS with
1t lucrative practice. and il had been
talked over rhat in about q month [
should be the Go. of the firm. A
year before, Il farmer :1ained Preston,
down about four miles from Grafton.
had died. ani his matters had hccn
put into the hands of Law X Law for
settlement. Preston had rund stock,
mortgages. etc. aud everything WIS
settled up to the satisfaction ~ the
rciict and the faii,erIcss
About yerr before his death, being
pinchcd for money, aud not Wishing tu
seit anything ut Il sacrifice, Prestaa had
given q mortgage tn his farm for three
Thousand dollars. While the papers
read " for one wear from date there
was Il Tcrba' agreement that 1t should
hn lifted any day when Prestau de
sired \ month after, when, huNine
the funds t" clear off the paper, the
old money-baSs holding it rofus:d to
secnr" his interest for a year.
l was on my way to ascertain the
date of expiration, 4 fire among or
office papers had destroyed the memo
randa, and l must go down and get the
date from old Scrip, who lives south of
Grafton about five miles. The stranger
pumped all this ont out of me i'll ten
and yet L never once suspect
ed that he WAS receiving any informa-
ton.
- am n"t positive. added, bnt
j am pretty Snre that the time is the
thirteenth. which would be Tuesday
next"
- And then your folks will send down
the money ali,i discharge the mortgage,
OF course he queried
= Oh, YES, | shall most likely bring
it down., | replied, aud it never Oc-
Cured to nae how imprudent | Ma.
lie turned the conversation into
other channels. and did not once at
tempt to pump ME further. We got
to Grafton ut 1850, and to my great
surprise he announced that he was to
stop in the town on business for a
few days. l had not asked his name
or vocation, while he knew everything
about me-
We went to the hotel, had. dinner,
and then / secured n livery team and
drove out, getting through with bust
ness, SO that L was back to take the
800 express east My friend was on
the porch of the hotel as drove mp,
carrying the same honast. ,tignitied
face.
We'll, ,ti:! you find ont - he in
qnirei III his pleasant way.
Yes it is Oil the thirteenth. as l
expected, replied
We had lunch together. and when
we shook hands aud parted. 7 had no
idea of ever meeting him again, than
l have of knowing you. In fact, he
told me that he should sail for England
within q week or ten days. and should
not return TO America. At parting he
gave ms his card 1t was ,, modest
of George Raleigh, liz old English
script.
Ever, .lsng III the office Went Oh as
usual. aud the thirteenth msme at
length. Law / Law had arranged for
me Ia go down with the money, anI ]
looked upon it as a haisne-> "f m sps-
cial Importance.
We know yn,i are all right. re
marked the senior partner, us l was
about Ia go: but I want t. give you It
w"rd Of warning nevertheless. Don't
take any strangers into your confidence
until yuu have passed ont the money,
and look out who sits next h, you.
1t was something new for him t"
caution me. and | could not but Won
dcr ut ii: but in the hustle of getting
aboard the train | forgot what he had
said. Ordinary prudence had induced
me to place the money, hicii Was all Ill
bank bills, au.l divided INTO three
packages. under lay shirt and uext my
skin, where the tlcft hand ut a pick
pocket could not reach it.
Interested in Il newspaper, time flew
by. as the train flew west, and at length
the hoarse voice of the brakeman warn