Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-02-19

Then he got his check, and rushed off to
! get his seat: but another bright idea
| struck him, and he rushed back and
| checked his valise. So now he had moth
/ inc left to carry but a cage OF birds and a
| flower plant. By the time he had got
| fairly seated he discovered that he
| had no pocket handkerchief; and
| he rushed out to get one from his trunk,
| if possible He found his trunk on
| truck. with twenty or thirty others on top
! of it. but the baggage-men, with unparal-
| led kindness, snaked 1t out Tor him. Just
as Frank had got its contents pretty much
| all spread out upon the floor, the men told
| him to hurry Or they would all be too
late. He threw things IN rather pro-
| miscuousIy. and rushed for the train
AGAIN keenirr an eve on his trunk, how
| ever. which he saw sail into the baggage
car lust as the train began to move.
| He had not more than got himself COM
| fortablv settled in his seat again, when he
| began to have misgivings as to his entire
! prudence. after all, in trusting that cash
| box out of his hands; and after assuring
! himself that he had his two checks safely
| lodged in his pocketbOOk, he resolved to
| avoid any DOssible risk of miSchance by
| looking ont for his trunk and making
| sure.that It was not put off by mistake at
a wrong station. All went smoothly
| enough till Baltimore was reached, but
there he got into peck Of trouble. In
the first place, when he looked in at the
baggage-car door for his trunk it was no
| longer visible. In the next place, about
| forty trunks were tumbled out on the plat
! form all at once, and among them he pres
emily discovered his own, as he would
| have sworn. He was just on the point of
making q disturbance about it, when he
! observed on one end of the trunk the let
tiers Oh L. B.' very black and distinct,
| and instantly drew in his horns. By this
| time the baggage had been whirled on to
| the trucks and was rolling away in
various directions, so that he could pur-
sue his critical observations no fur
| ther. But Frank was not accustomed to
| borrow trouble, and he went back
to his seat, rejecting that as he had trav-
eled the same road twenty times and
never lost a trunk yet, there was no sort
| of reason to apprehend that he was going
to lose one now. Nevertheless, he did not
relax his vigilance, but was out at every
station to observe the exchange of bag
| gage, as before.
| When at last the train reached Cumber-
land, and he caught sight from his car
window of Just the gayest, etc. On the
! lookout for him, his soul instantly scared
| above baggage, as you might suppose. He
made shift to remember his birds and his
| flower, it is true, and approached his lady
love appropriately fanked by those
romantic emblemS The first greeting
over, he descended from the clouds long
enough to give his checks to the driver of
the baggage express" and then went
cooling home with his sweetheart. Ar
rived at that enchanted abode, he was be-
guiled into taking tea there before going
to his own home, which was half a mile
farther on.
When he did get home at last, it was
dark; and there was so much talking to do
that he never thought of his trunk till
Bramley came in to get his box.
"My baggage came up, did't it?" said
Frank to his mother, just a little anx-
ously.
Eyes, dear, and l had the man carry it
up to your rOom.'
cali right! I'Il give you your box in
about minute, Major" said Frank, start
ing up stairs.
ADO you mean to say you left that box
to be carried up by truckman?" asked
the Major, astonished.
ooh, it's in my trunk" replied Frank,
as if nothing could be more satisfactory.
"In your trunkl Well, by George,
Frank! money weighs lightly on your
mind, [ must say"
"Frank is to be married Monday morn
ing, you know" said Mrs. Wills with a
smile.
But Frank had gone on up stairs, and
escaped both these shots.
In about a minute he came down again,
a good deal faster than he had gone up.
His face was as white as this paper-just
about.
Mother, that Internal fool has left the
wrong trunk herer he cried. Didn't
you know that wasn't my trunk?"
mo, my boy, | did not; but wouldn't
| get into passion about it. You can find
the man, can't you, and have him correct
] his mistaken"
Frank and the Major started off on the
| quest without delay, you may be sure.
| The man was found in less than fifteen
minutes. All he knew about the matter
was that he passed Franks checks to the
| baggage-master, and took the baggage
that the latter gave him. and that was
| the only baggage he carried from the
! train.
"Must be some mistake about the
| checks" said he Better 90 to the bag
| gage-master. I've known such things to
| happen before nOw.''
Frank was beginning to feel hot and
cold by this time. But neither he nor the
| Major ventured TO say a word till they had
| found the station baggage-master. That
/ functiOnary went over his check-straps
! carefully, and found that his checks all
| matched
Must have got the wrong check at
! Washington 10 start WITH said he. "Bet-
! ter go back to Baltimore and get Keplinger
he's the General Baggage Agent-tO
! telegraph over the line for your trunk"
The Major and Frank stepped aside and
| considered the matter. They agreed that
it was best not TO intimate that the trunk
contained anything particularly valuable,
| and that on the whole they had better 90
back on the nine O'Clock train TO Balti-
more, ard see the baggage agent as early
| as possible on the next morning.
1t was a glum ride that, as you may
| guess, for both Of them.
Fortunately, the baggage agent proved
to be uncommonly polite for a railroad
man. 'In less than half an hour" he
said to Frank with most reassuring
smile, "Ill have every baggage master be
tween here and Chicago infull chase after
your trunk, and I'll venture 10 say you'll
get it in couple Of days"
He turned 70 bis desk and began writ
ing a dispatch.
How shall describe your trunk?" he
asked, turning 10 Frank
well. it's pretty large trunk and con
talns lot Of shirts and handkerchleiS