The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1874-08-13
JUST WHAT SHE DESERVED.
BY ELSA MANSFIELD.

"Do you intend, Alice, to take that
sachel and lunch basket and | rd.cage
and plant and waterproof cloak-sc
many things-along with you into youl
car seat ?'
Yes, sir, ! must
"Why must you, Alice? 1t is moi
cold to-day, and there is no danger OF
it's raining. You will not need youi
cloak, and you probably will not unstrar
it. Can't You put it into your trunk, o,
manage somehow to take fewer bundles
into your seat with you ?"
ono, Uncle John, | cannot. My
trunk is crammed so full now that / fear
the lock will burst. "
"Well, Alice, if you must take 50
mauy packages with y0u, ! want to sug-
gest to you to be careful how you dis
pose Of them. Don't attempt to occupy
two seats when you have paid for only
one, if some one else wants the other.
"That will depend greatly, Uncle
John, upon whoitis that wants a seat with
mt" replied Miss Alice, with naughty
toss of her head 81 certainly shall
not put my things under my feet nor
load my lap uncomfortably to accom-
molate somo ordinary looking man or
fusSy old woman. Onc-half of the men
nowadays would Just as lief oblige Il
young lady to do 1t as not. They are
no. gallant at all; they ought to be
ashamed of themselves. | have heard
woman-good women they were, too
say that the seat beside them was en-
gagged, when they had got their things
placed and didn't wish to remove them,
or because they didn't like the looks of
the person who wanted the seat, when
| knew that they had no friend that was
coming in to take the place. | didn't
blame them at all, Uncle John. |
shouldn't hesitate to say the same my
self under the same circumstances. 1t
wouldn't be telling an untruth. If all
of these packages were on it, it woHld
be taken, wouldn't it ?'
Pshaw pshaw Alice. Is that you
advocating such stuff as that ?" exclam-
ed her uncle, in surprise and indigna-
ton. 81, too, have seen women and
girls, and occasionally man, who acted
upon that principle; but | had serious
doubts of their goodness. | never
dreamed before, Alice, that You were so
selfish and unprincipled as to think of
doing such thing. If a man ought to
feel ashamed to take a seat for which he
has honestly paid, how ought n young
lady to feel who would not scruple to
practice gross deception for the sake of
retaining, for her own convenience, a
seat to which she has no claim what
ever? If | were willing to do such O
thing, my respect for myself would be
about as little as it would be if | wished
to steal from passenger as much money
as he had paid for his car.fare. 1t will
be fully half AZ hour, Alice, before Mike
gets here with the carriage. While we
are waiting, | will tell you little incl
dent that transpired in the Car when
your Aunt Ruth and i went to Rich
mond last fall. We had seat at the
rear end OF the car. The first seat in
front of us was occupied by a young
lady-iust about your age, Alice, judg-
ing from her looks. She was richly
dressed and think would be called a
handsome girl but there was some.
thing both in her look and manner that
was not pleasing to me, even before
had heard her speak, or hardly seen her
move. If any one had asked me what
/ disliked in her, it would have been
difficult for me to tell; yet there was an
intangible something about her which
gave me the impression that she had no
idea that the golden rule Whatsoever
We would that others should do to you
do you even so to them'-was intended
for such as she. She probably thought,
Alice, that that divine injunction was
given for common people ordinary
looking men and fussy old women.
"Your Aunt Ruth said that she be.
lieved that about all Summerville were
going somewhere that morning, the cars
we're so rapidly filled. 1t is always
amusing to me to observe the difference
in the dispositions and manners OF the
people who are seated while others are
passing through looking for unoccupied
seats. | know of no better place in
which to study human nature than in
the cars. | think that | have seen
more curious phases of it while ridin
in them than / ever saw in any other
place. I observed the young lady in
front of me thct morning with more in
terest than did any other person, be
cause wanted to ascertain whether i
was correct ur not in the opinion which
I had 30 hastily formed of her.
"One of the last passengers who
came in was white. haired, tottering old
man. He looked to the right and left
of him for a vacant seat, as he passed
down the aisle, lesning on his staff. i