Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1874-04-01

w WCiS plChllIS5 away CIV IoilSLOo,
eating California grapes, and doing the
hundred listless things one always does
while merely waiting, " till the scream
of the approaching " transfer train y
sounded shrilly out, and we looked with
interest. at the passengers. Some of
them deserved our regards, others did
not; but, we watched them all, mental
ly summing up each particular case,
and utterly ignoring them thereafter,
or else resolving to win their friend
ship. .. -,
The first group comprised a man, his
little, inefficient, washed-out looking
wife, a strong minded nurse, and two
children, destined to be our torments.
Next came widow and her daughter !;
the daughter wore glasses and was a
goose the mother, only paying for a
single berth, grumbled and fretted
most impolitely when the other seat
and berth of the section was assigned
to tall, spirited-looking English girl,
with whose splendid eyes and queenly
ways I fell directly and deeply in love.
But dear friends, don't jump at con-
illusions, for she isn't my heroine of the
| beach.
Listening to the ill-bred matron, I
hardly noticed bevy of young girls
who had entered at the rear door, Or
two dreadfully bridish brides who had
likewise claimed their places. My Eng
lish beauty, utterly Disguised with her
uis-o-uis, asked for place in my section
during the day, and we became so de-
| lightfully confidential in ten minutes
that learned she was from Nova SEQ
| tia b; that this was the eleventh day Of
her journey, and that her destination
was Sacramento; while the merry faced,
handsome young manwhom she ordered
about with such supreme nonchalence
was her brother.
Meantime, we heard from the rear
sections peals of merry laughter ; the
aforesaid infants gave us peal on peal
of dreadful yells, and we took dlshon-
orable peeps in the tell-tale mirrors to
watch the spooning' of the brides.
Our handsome young man roamed up
and down, and finally, with a wickedly
miscellaneous face, came to his sister,
suggesting that she go and watch the
view from the end of the car. [ knew
his motive, so [ went too but he made
nothing that time, for his sister never
even glanced at the pretty girls we
passed. We looked from the platform a
few minutes our hero stood twisting his
moustache with vexation, till, growing
desperate, he remarked:
"Say, Madge ! That girl with the
dark eyes is stunning, isn't she? wish
you would make her acquaintance.
"Indeed! That's the view you adj
mired, was it? Well, sir, shall do
nothing of the kind. I have no vocation
for stunning girls. Come, Mrs. D.,
let's go backr p
Evidently used to such snubbing,
Tom-that wasn't his name, but we'll
play it was-made hooking salute,
and retorted, laughing
"Well, madame, Tn quite equal to
helping myself. You just wait till you
want to know some stunning fellow y
Madge only gave him a look of SUI
preme contempt and walked off, tossing
over her shoulder command to fetch
the hamper, for she was hungry, and
no supper could be had till we reached
Grand Island then turning to me, she
said with an exceedingly ancient air,
Positively, that boy is too ridiculous
He gets silly over these American girls
all the time; but I won't help himH'
" That boy!' repeated, with intense
amusement; for the delinquent stood
six feet high, and was evidently older
than his monitress, who lectured him In
the gravest fashion all the while we
were nibbling at the contents of that
never-to- be-forgotten hamper. 1t re-
minded me of the famous one which
Mr.. Wardle carried to the races, and [
think we enjoyed as much as Mr.. Pick
wick and his friends enjoyed their al
jresco lunch, though the sleepy fat boy
was not in attendance.
The usual funny scenes occurred
during the slowing away process at
night but the I" infants greeted the
morning with sundry bowls of misery
and fretfulness, which walked us all too
soon. It was drol enough to see the
way in which everybody peeped from
their sections to investigate the reason
why" and then, having viewed the sit
uation, each suddenly discovered all the
other curious heads, and disappeared.
The lamenting wall was from the lungs
of four ear-old boy this time. His
mother, arranging her toilet placidly,
paid no heed to his screams, and the
little imp danced with passion. Sud
denly Madge showed a vexed face
between her curtains, and her ringing
voice called out imperatively:
"Tom, for Heavens sake, get a slip
per and spank that child. He's quite
too old to cry like that, and his mother
doesn't seem to know enough to manage
him p Then she vanished.
Fancy the laugh It began in chorus
of stifed chuckles, but she had spoken
for us al, and hearty Endorsement
sounded from every berth, while the
amazed parent picked up her offspring,
slapped him soundly and looked around
with a &c Please-ma' am-what-else-shall
LIDO ?" face which was funnier than
Madge's prescription.
Our train was behind time, and break
fast only a dim prophesy, SO we beguiled
the hours as best we might, watching
for buffaloes that wouldn't appear, spy
ing several groups of the pretty, grace
full antelopes, passing swiftly through
widespread settlements of the funny
little prairie dogs, and opening our eyes
widely at the cactus which grew in such