Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1874-01-17
Bound 20 be I'm Time:

The early morning train from Dan
bury leaves at half-past six. This is a
very seasonable hour in the summer,
when people are stirring, birds caroling
their melodies, and the incense from
the newly-awakened flowers filling the
air and inspiring the senses. But in
the winter time, with animal and vege-
table life dead, the air raw and chilly,
the matches mislaid, and a gloomy
darkness wrapping the face of the
earth, as if with pail, half-past six A.
NJ. is a very unreasonable and disagree
able hour, and the man who has occa-
sion to leave home on that train may
easily be pardoned the uneasiness I'M
ayoidable the day before. Our legal
friend, Prince, received information on
Friday which made it necessary that he
should be in New York before Satur-
day noon. He contemplated the early
start with some misgiving, and deter
mined to make the best preparation for
it by getting to bed early. Some peo-
pie would not have thought of this, and
remained up until their usual hour,
and either oversight themselves, or
have awakened unrefreshed and de-
pressed. Mr.. Prince went to bed at
nine 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 Wig
orously into his back, while Mrs.
Princes hands and Mrs. Princes voice
were otherwise engaged in his inter
,ests. Mr.. Prince jumped up at once,
and inquired the time, which Mrs.
Prince was not able to inform him ex-
actly, 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, examin-
ing his watch, found that it was ten
minutes past twelve.
"By crackey !" said Mr.. Prince, and
Immediately returned to bed, and, en-
casing his head beneath the clothes,
preserved a moody silence in answer to
Mrs. Princes inquiries. 1t finally
dawned on that excellent 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 weighed
down with the impression that he was
to miss the train in spite of all he could
do to avert the calamity. He carefully
reviewed his past life, arraigning him
self as student, lawyer, citizen,
and husband, to see if there was any
thing in his record-an act, word, or
a thought, which, by the finest in.
genuity, could be distorted into a
crime for which this losing the train
might be considered a fitting judg-
ment. But in vain he went over the
past for such provecation, and finally
assigning the cause to dispensation of
fate none of us can avert, he, too, fell
asleep.
When he awoke again he found Mrs.
Princes toes at his back, and Mrs.
Princes hands on his shoulders, and
Mrs. Princes voice in his ear, and a
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 witha show of interest,
and, drawing on his clothes, again con-
suited his watch with an air of des-
peratien, and ascertained that it was
just two o'clock. He didn't say " By
crackey !" this time. But it is nc
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, lot of clothes
in the other, and with q 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 dc
that again, or her officiousness might
cost her pain. The next time he aroused
himself It was four o'clock. This
was little earlier than was absolutely
necessary; but, for fear of missing the
train, he remained up. First carefully
dressing himself, he kindled the fire il
h the kitchen, and thought of the ex
cellent breakfast he was to carry will
him, while Mrs. Prince lay and slept
At half-past seven she awoke of he
own accord, and, finding the broad
daylight streaming into the window
: jumped up with sincere regret tina
Prince had gone withouta warm break
fast, and pictured to herself, during
the toilet, the aching void he would
carry with him through the streets o
the metropolis. Then she thought O
his vexation, and the tears came int
her eyes. And then she went into tn
kitchen, and was struck motionless a
the sight before her. For there wa
3 Prince with carpet bag tightly clutcheC
in one hand, and roll of legal docu
ments in the other, sitting bolt uprigh
in chair-fast asleep. Astonished an,
confused by this spectacle, and hardl,
! knowing what she was doing, Mrs
, Prince got the woman in the other par
of the house to arouse Mr.. Prince
I while she stole over to her mother t.
| 500 ahout som ethino