The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1874-02-07
TOO LATE.

The early morning train from Danbury,
leaves at half past six. This is very sea
sonaule hour in the summer, when people
are stirring, birds carolling their melodies,
and the incense from the newly awakened
flowers filling the air and inspiring the
senses. But in the winter time, with ami
nal and vegetable life dead, the air raw
and chilly, and matches mislaid, and a
gloomy darkness wrapping the face of the
earth, as if with pail, 6! o'clock AM, is
a very unreasonable and disagresable hour,
and the man who has occasion to leave
home on that train may easily be pardoned
the uneasiness unavoidable the day before.
Our legal friend, Prince, received informa-
ton Friday which made it necessary that
he should he in New York before Saturday
noon. He contemplated the early start
with some msgiving, and determined to
make the best preparation for it by get
ting to bed early. Some people would not
have thought of this, and remained up
until their usual hour, and either over
slept themselves or have awakened unre-
freshed or depressed. Mr.. Prince went to
bed at 9 o'clock, and got to sleep about
half-past eleven. When he awoke it was
at the earnest solicitation of Mrs. Princes
toes, which were digging vigorously into
his back, while Mrs. Princes hands and
Mrs. Princes voice were otherwise ell
-, l., i,,tn. d.,
up at once, and inquired the time, which
Mrs. Prince was not able to inform him
exactly, but was quite confident by the
general feeling and looks that it was hard
on to car time. Mr. Prince snatched up
his clothes at this, and flew into the sitting
room, and straightway got into his clothes,
and then examining his watch, found that
it was ten minutes past twelve. "By
crackey,' said Mr.. Prince, and immed-
ately returned to bed, and encasing his
head beneath the clothes, preserved a
moody silence in answer to Mrs. Princes
enquiries. 1t finally dawned on that excel
lent lady that the hour was too early, and
she soon went to sleep. But there was no
immediate sleep for her husband. He felt
gloomy and dissatisfied, and seemed weigh
cd down with the impression that he was
to miss the train in spite of all he could do
to avert the calamity. He carefully re-
viewed his past life, arraigning himself as
a student. lawyer, a citizen, and a hus-
band, to see if there was anywhere in his
record an act, word, or thought, which
by the finest ingenuity could be distorted
into crime for which this losing the train
might be considered fitting Judgment.
But in vain he went over the past for such
provocation, and finally assigning the
cause to a dispensation of fate none of US
can avert, he, too, fell asleep. When he
his back, and Mrs. Princes hands on his
shoulders, and Mrs. Princes voice in his
ear, and vivid impression on his mind
that the train had gone, or that the whistle
would sound before he could get out of
bed. But he arose and hurried into the
sitting room with show of interest, and
drawing On his clothes, again consulted
his watch with an air Of desperation, and
ascertained that it was just two o'clock.
He didn't say ''by crackey ~ this time.
But it is no matter what he said. He
skipped back to the bedroom without any
loss of time, and appeared before Mrs.
Prince with lamp in one hand, and a lot
Of clothes in the other, and with a good
deal of fire IN his eye. But he blew out
the light in silence, and then getting back
into bed, gloomily urged her not to do that
again or her otficiousness might cost her
pain. The next time he aroused himself.
1t was four o'clock. This was a little
earlier than was necessary, but for fear of
missing the train, he remained up. First
carefully dressing himself, he kindled the
fire in the kitchen, and thought of the
excellent breakfast he was to carry with
him, while Mrs. Prince lay and slept. At
half. past seven she awoke of her own ac-
cord, and finding the broad day light
streaming into the window, jumped up
with sincere regret that Prince had gone
I WlJlOuU IL Ndl11 UIedh-dst, plClulCu W
herself during the toilet, the aching void
he would carry with him through the
streets of the metropolis. Then she
thought of his vexatien, and the tears
came into her eyes. And then she went
into the kitchen, and was struck motion
less at the sight before her. For there
was Prince with carpet bag clutched
tightly in one hand, and roll of legal
documents in the other, setting bolt up
right in a chair-fast asleep. Astonished
and confused by the spectacle, and hardly
knowing what she was doing, Mrs. Prince
got the woman in the other part of the
house to arouse Mr.. Prince, while she stole
over to her mothers to see about some
thing. Meas