Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1873-04-03
A PERIIsOUS RIDE.

/ I was going home "for good In school.
girl phrase. 1t had always been Q prom
ise made BY my father that. on attaining
the mature age of seventeen, I should
leave school, and become the mistress OF
! his house. And although the date 6xed
had always appeared TO me dreadfully dis
tant. the intervening time had at last worn
itself away. and the delightful prospect Of
returning home bad become ..sobcr GER
tainty of waking bliss." ~,
cannot say that vas cory to leave
Burgminstcr. where I had been at school
for seven long years. Not that Miss VIM
ter was worse. think. thar other school,
mistresses; but still, school is school, and
the prcsen, style ofluxurious girls schools
bad not then been invented. Young Ia
dies Of the present day. who are placed at
some expensive school where they are ac.
eusiomed 10 hot meat dishes or fish on the
breakfast table. with all sorts Of bread aud
mullins. and their choice between tea, cof-
fee and chocolate. would have turned up
their pretty noses at the plain tea and
bread and. butter OF Miss Winters break
fast-tablc. En- rerdnehe. we were better
taught. l think. and instead Of the modern
educational system Of attending concerts
aud shallow lectures from pretentious
professors" We had solid work to do If
we did not exactly realize Wcrdsworth's S
ideal world Of " plain living and high
thinking" we had. at all events, plain
living and hard work
But all this was now to cease-or al
most ALL My dear father declared that he
could no longer do without me for n com
panion and while he was at chambers
for he was a hard-working barrister-I
was to 60 on by easy stages with the more
ornamental parts of my education. under
the guidance Of some reliable teachers; es-
pecialiy with water color painting, in which
art my father greatly desired me to become
proficient. A charming prospect I
thought it; and the vision Of the dear old
house in Old Burlington street. with my
father waiting to welcome me. filled my
eyes with tears rs stood on the platform
Of the Burgmins,er station. waiting for
the train which was TO convey me to all
these delights
Miss Winter never would allow any of
her girls to start upon a railway journey
without herself placing them in the car
riagc which she thought most free from
moral and physical danger; and she took
care now 10 place me in an empty com.
partment about the middle of tho train.
with a strict injunction to the guard to al
low no one else-she did not choose to
say mo gen,leman"-to enter it. As this
bchest was always enforced by the aIdi.
tion Of half crown. the good woman felt
no misgiving as to its being attended to,
having entire faith in the potency Of me-
tallic attractions. But in this assumption
she failed to remember that there were 9TH
er haf-crowns besides her own, and that
the acceptance by the guard of her own
douccur in 60 way prevented that func-
tionary from availing himself Of similar
attention from some Subsequent donor.
was glad enough to see the old town
quickly become dissolving view as we
sped rapidly toward the city: and as |
threw myself back in the carriage of Miss
Winters choice. | began to conjure up the
dreamland of happiness which lay out
stretched before me. Seventeen years
old. with health and a suficiency of mon
ey; father who loved me dearly, and who
was the most charming and intelligent of
companions. and around whose cosey round
dinner-table constantly assembled men en-
inent in literature and art; what a de-
! liehtful prospect il seemed. after good Miss
Winter and Fraulcin Braun-,hat mate
rialistic and bccr-loving daughter of the
Fatherlsnd--supplementcd by the average
prosaic. silly schoolgirls amongst whom
| had lived so long. They would have
called my dear fathers associates sfcgies. >
and would have infinitely preferred the
hnw.haw. or perhaps hee-haw, ofthe gid
ed youth who we:e his great abominatiou
and whom he had taught me to appreci.
ate more justly.
was still buried in my dream when the
train stopped ut the Carford station; and
whilst my own particular guard was ad-
mitting q party Of ladies into another car
riage the Carford station-master opened
the door Of my compartment. aud a mid .
dle-aged. gentlemanly looking man GO,
into the carriage. bearing 4 small black
travcliug-b bag in his hand.
1t had always been ny habit from child.
hood to speculate upon the nature of the
strangers, travelling companions aud 9th.
ers with whom I chanccd to be thrown into
contacr; and I was soon deeply immersed
in my favorite custom. Ny fellow travel.
er appeared to be rather a handsome man,
Of perhaps forty. wht a magnificent black
beard. and grave. dark. thoughtful eye
Of peculiar expressiod. Soon after seat.
ing himself he took tiny volume from
the breast-pockes Of his coat, and was soou
! absorbed in its contents. What was he |
Not clergyman in muf,i. I thought; hs
hacked the cheerful. holiday making -and
enjoying kind Of look which generally
eharacscrises the priesthood in travelling
A barrister would hardly be 50 far from
his york d midday during term. time; and
yet ke seemed to belong rather to one o
the professions eourtcouslv called ..lesrn