Wilmington daily commercial., 1873-05-10
SWIFTER THAN A WEAVER'S
SHUTTLE.
CHAPTER 1.-GRrEN BEFORE THE SUN.
BY JUDITH coNsIDINE.


This way, sir Plenty of room ere, sir I!
Smokn' carriage full, and open flies the door
OF tirst-class compartment in the $40 Birming-
ham express, IS that punctual and admirable
train groans and jerks itself to stsnd-still by
the up Oxford platform;one fine September eve-
ming.
There is only ono person to be seen in this
compartment, and she is 30 very small person
that perhaps you might not see her at all, were
it not for her scarlet shawl, and broad-brimmed
steeple-crowned felt hat with the bit of pea
cocks feather stuck i'll the brim, cleaning gold
and purple, and dark green in the steady sum
shine. Figaro beguiles her solitude, but at the
sound of the porter's voice, she Hooks up with
large, grave eyes, no-colored as sea-water, and
out at tho venient "Sir -
At what she eau zee OF him rather, namely,
broad, Hat black gray back, and long black
gray arm working to and fro, apparently in con-
nection with waistcoat pocket.
Suddenly the arm darts viciousy against the
porters corduroy shoulder, as he steps out Of the
carriage, having hosted good sized travelling
bag INTO the netting, and satisfied himself as to
the WORKING condition Of the window and the
porter being fat, easy-going little man. laughs
fat little laugh, and then the back turns itself
about and therei is a meeting of hands and a mum
bic Of something like THANK you, sir" and now
the small person is looking down at the "G. w
H. decorating the carpet-somebody great and
heutral-tlnted, and keen, with tightly
gray rug IN one hand, and a paper-bound book
III the other-such strong, lean white hands
gets between her and the porter and the rum
nng, vociferating, crazy creatures on the plat
iorm-between her and the work-a-day world as
it WERE
Now, in these representative, over-wrought
days, the unprotected female traveller is apt to
fancy that to stare hard at man for more than
half adozen consecutive seconds is an error OF
Judgment likely to lead to awkward mistakes,
such as the development of latent insanity on
the part OF the stared-at, or the exhibition of
Ieonious instincts Of varied enormity where
fore, having perceived that the intruder ON her
privacy ia considerably larger in volume than the
majority OF his fellow-creAtures, our small per-
sou picks up her Figdro-it has slid off her black
SIX knee-not too new silk or too substantial,
and immers5s herself in the consideration of the
~ you dream Of, sheet OF likeness with beau
tlful intentness.
But the yelling of one pair OF grave, sea-water
colored eyes does in n0wiSe preclude the use,
ahd good use, too, of another pair of bright
much-seeing brown ones and the great gray
man looks hard at the small person in the scar
1911 shawl and black felt wide-awake as he takes
On ms nat and slows it away in the netting be-
side his bag
This is what he secs. A little pale face, such
little face, with little straight nose, and Q
httle thin, red mouth, and q curious grave look
ABOUT 1t like shadow, and soft, babyish flakes of
~ naA le hair-short haircut. straight, like an
lFcllpped boys, all around the pretty head, and
tucked behind two pink little ears, and on the
Top OF this the great felt hat.
Is not unlike any thing in the way Of woman.
t nood, glrlhood the great gray man has ever be-
ore seen in his life, and he is thirty years old II
he is day. Yes and thirty years of energy
ald moving about, and getting acquainted with
lois OF places and lots of people, or l am very
much mistaken the only thing he fancies
he has ever seen at ali like It is an old
uansDorough picture somewhere-South Ken
ssihgton Musuem most likey-this settling down
ne and his long gray legs, in the seat next to
the window, not her window-an old Gansbor-
oueh picture OF weird, outlandish child with a
pun over It's shoulder, or lamb by its side, any
now with just such hat on its head, and just
a. his wrath.
len minutes to six
She liz not strange to the city Of domes and
spires, or she would be craning her neck out of
tslo window, and gaping and hailing cAds to tell
ner where Magdalen is, and tho Barges, and the
Dodleian, and the High" and the Martyrs Me-
1noIlai, and Tom Quad, and all the rest of the
usnal old Typographical, and chronological, and
archaeological ngmarole one has heard ever since
one was born.
No, she is not a stranger. and Figaro must
nave picked up some to be so particularly inter
es'ihg Ha of at last, off at last, goodly city
vi vi aomes and spires. Ia ia duns and dus. Some-
now the academic groves don't seem quite the
Fame to critical, hard-headed manhood, as to
ardent, soft drained youth. 1t is well to soc
what pleased, satisfied, inspired once, if only to
,neasure the great space of trodden years faring
WiAt thought and deed. But-and the great
stay man smiies at his own thought, 30 that
strong, even, white teeth CLEAN out between his
ullnioustached lips, and the small person secs the
s1niile and the strong, beautiful teeth, and the
heeil, dark, clever face and quails To be boxed
Nj, up IA space not exceeding ten feet by seven,
WIN WIN an escaped lunatic over six feet high for
oner an hour and a half (this express runs
s.ralght to Paddington, without stopping) is tru-
somewhat awful prospect.
MO what is he going to read Bret Harte? Come,
We may weep over our Sniff once more. No
nan nan can be very mad who has the sense to do
mat 80 they journey ON between the REDEEM
e hedges, blackberry speckeled, by the dull
Steeh meadows fringed with undulating sha-
lows studded here and there with grand calm
w ,r, upllfted massively against the tender sky
~, nisn uusky depths Of leaves and then suddenly
ne farodies are tossed side, and sleek dark head
SUES out OF the window, and comes in again, and
81 pleasant, confident yoice-the voice of one
VINO knows good from bad, and likes it best,
says This is quite the best view of Oxford"
me grave eyes listen eyes can listen just as
st ulg dogs left front paw can watch. "You
She gets up, not very prolonged perform