Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1873-03-14
Tales aud Skftehes.
For the Keanebec Journal.
4 TEMPERANCE LECTURE.

~ ho. ~ Lie tiie SaudeSt OF the year.
For now, at last. / was going TO take my
long talked OF rest. Going to see once
more the dear sister. whom marriage had
parted from me two long years before.
And soon my eyes were to be reioiced by
beholding the fat beauties of that won
uerinl new baby, the like Of which earth
! had not.
! surely il was a happy old maid. that took
her big bundle, little bundle. band-box and
pag into the cars, that warm October AFTER
noon. For rarity, every one looked smil-
ing and pleasant; there were so many va
cant seats, that the ladies did not spread
themselves with that
IAis rock ,S shall hy, from Its firm base a. soon
! expression. and the gentlemen did not
! nary themselves in newspapers, and
ifown over the top Nothing Of the sort,
so comfortably seated myself and instead
Of taking Harper Ito kill time asI had
intended, just devoted myself to reading
the faces and characters of my compan-
ions. All. YOU may be sure that was
| sport
There was that fat molherlv looking
! IRISH woman across the way, and scattered
all about her an innumerable host of small
children, fowzy. tumbled, and dirty
faced. but she loved them not a whit the
less for that, not she. Didn't danbs OF mo-
iasses candy make the ''childers. faces all
the sweetct TO kiss? You would have
thought so Ia have seen her. genuine
Inddv, from th. crown of her blue and
purple bonnet TO The sole OF her splay foot,
but she was none The less :, loving wife
and mother. Her broad, red face fairly
beamed as she told the little brats, st'was
their daddy sure they was going tor to
see, and an Elegant man he was iniirely:
the likes of him they had never seen.'
Well. the Irish woman WASH, the queer-
est person in the cars by any means.
There was a little. bald-headed, shiny
faced man. Just behind me, whose small
red eyes seemed magnets, which irresisti-
! bly, drew all cinders unto. or rather into
them. Every cinder flying seemed, by
some subtle influence to make straight for
that unfortunate mans eyes. And such
time as he did make over them Such
multitude Of half inaudbie little swears.
such rs ''by GORE" or by George that
he swore to himself.
And when he pulled FIRST one and then
the other ilabby eyelid, far down on his
check, and then blew his nose with a loud
rcvcrberatinG roar, ii was too funny, and
fear smiled audibly. Queer as the lii
tie man with eyes was he could not be
compared to the little woman sitting half
/ way down the cars. the most renaIkabl
! little woman Your eyes ever beheld,
! though the woman herself properlv
dressed and washed would have been in
uocent looking enough, but the rather
pretty. tired face WAS double plated with
'bloom OF Youth aud brilian, flush
: born Of the rouge bottle glowed on her
checks. Her hair, yellow, flossy, and
pretty, hung straight over her forehead,
and behind was piled high in braits and
curls. Strange 10 say she had black ewes,
wisttul. sad and tired looking, like her
face. But the way that woman was
dressed, She ought to have been arresteda
Her gay striped shawl was constantly
slipping from her shoulders, and showing
IL vast oxpanse OF white polished skin, for
she Wore one OF those reprehensible
Pompadcurs, and her neck and throat
which ought to have been covered l,y
dress waist and flannel, was protected
only by Il locket and chain. Her dress,
cant describe it, ii was made out OF faith,
ruilled, guess. One does not see much
faith nowadays, and one did not see
much OF that Woman> dress hat wasn't
rIulleS. was ribbon anl lace. Fhen. too.
the poor thing had the Grccian bend, the
most horrible Of bu.ties, the headache,
and the heartachc knew.
Then IL usual there was il bridal party.
but such II strange one, the like OF which
had ncSrr seen. The bride, large
handsome eiTl from the country, with
honest, brown eyes. and splendid teeth,
sat behind an eninent!y blidisl white
lace veil, continually munchin. wedding
cake.
hait envicd that girl, old maid and
man hater that am, but it was one of
my long ago childhood's brightest dreams
10 be b bride that | might cat my iill OF
! wedding cake.
Wei did not envy the poor girl long
lor saw what she did not, that her hus-
band WAS more than half ashamed Of his
pretty wife IN her ,astelc>s dress, Il dis
trcssing blue and lavlnder combination
rather shrinking from her loud and
good na,ured speech. She loved him
evidently and S"ne day there would he
.ov her Il sad awakening. Her sister was
with her. Older, palmer, and more lady
like. And. strange appendage 10 hri-
dai party, Il lldeous little Hnrsery girl.
and wee mail baby. the hgidegrooli's 8
child. lie WA, \ delicate waXen faced
chrruh, with big appealing blue eyes thai
seemed to follow his fathers every move
memt Did the sighted love OF that child's
dead mother. wonder, look through these
eyes with helpless sorrow, the bitter
iagouy of the forgotten dead, who saw her
place soon filled?
Well the cars sped on. Padly's
wife and brat, We're nearing him, little
mans ewes were surieited with cinders,
the pretty black eyed blonde was Sleep
ing, and the bride, laughing loudly at
some remark of her wincing spouse.
Crash. bang an uneanhIy shrek, such
as Apollyan might have given as he went
into the Valley of the Shadow Of DEATH
short quick pants, like a soulless creature
in mortal agony, blindness, whistling
dizzy darkness, oblivion. Blessed ohliy.
ion' thrice blessed unconciousness Why
tiid ever wake?
1t was hard sight my eyes looked on, -
shattered train, q shapeless engine. planks
boards, broken glass and debris every
where. by my side lay Paddys wife her
honest Irish face blanched, yes, blanched