Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1874-01-30
How Prince tot ;he Early Train.


The early morning train from Danbury,
,.-,,,.- at half rast ia. This is a very sea-
..,..,lle hour In the summer, when people
arr. stirring. birds raroiling their melodies,
End the incense from the newly awakened
4 ,xe-S fiiine the air and inspiring the
-,,,-.-. Bat in the winter time, with ami
NAL and vegetable life dead, the air raw
and chilly. the matches miSlaid. and
..l.l,ny darkness wrapping the face Of the
,-irth. as if with pail, half past six q. N
is a very unseas,nable and diSa -reeable hour,
and the man who las occasion to leave home
,a that train NAV easily be parionei the
ui,eaeineSs unavoidable the day before Our
',.,..l friend. Prince, received information
Friday which made il necessary that he
-b,uli be in New York before Saturday noon.
He contemplated the early start with some
nis-iying. and determined TO make the best
PREPARATION for it by getting to bed early
some people would no. have thought OF this.
aad remained mp until their usual hour, and
.yer-,lept themselves. or have awakened I'M
refreshed or depressed. Mr.. Prince went u
bed at 9 O'Clock, and got to sleep about halt
past eleven When he aw0ke 1t was at the
earnest solicitation of Mr.. Princes toes,
Ahich were digging vigorously INTO hls back
while Mrs. Prince hands and Mrs. Princes
voice were otherwise engaged in his inter
est. Mr. Prince Jumped up at once, and
INQUIRED the time, which Mrs Prince was
no. able to inform him exactly, but was
quite confident by the general feeling and
looks that it was hard on TO ear 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 crackev,' said Mr.. Prince
and Immediately returned to bed, and enca--
ing his head beneath the clothes, preserved
i moody silence in answer 10 Mrs. Prince
inquiries. Ii finally dawned on that excel
lent lady that the hour was too early, and
she soon went to sleep. But the was no i'm
mediate sleep for her husband. He felt
gloomy and dissatisfied, and seemed weigh
ed down with the impression that he was to
mis- the train in spite Of all Re could do 10
avert the calamity. He carefully reviewed
MS past life. arralgning himself as a student.
a lawyer. a citizen, and husband, to see if
there was anywhere in his record an act,
word. or a thought, which by the finest in
genuitv could be distorted into crime for
which this losing the train might be con-
SiGered a fitting Judgment. Bat he went over
the past for such a proyocation. and finally
assigning the cause to a 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 Mr.. Princes hands on
his shoulders, and Mrs Prince voice in his
ear, and a vivid impression on his mind that
ba l,l hot rtf a-rfa "a
sound before he could get out Of bed. Bat
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 ascertainei that it
was Just two O'Clock He didn't say by
Crackey :" this time. But it i no matter
what he said. lie skipped back to the bed
room without any loss of time, and appeared
before Mrs Prince with lamp in one hand.
and lot of clothes in the other. and with =
good deal of fire IN his eve. But he blew
out the light in silence. and then getting
hack into bed. gloomily urged her not to do
that again or her oficiousneSs might cost her
pain. The next time he aroused himself, II
was four o'clock. This was 4 little earlier
than was absolutely necessary. but for fear
of missing the train, he remained up. Frs;
carefully dressing himself, he kindled the
fire in the kitchen, and thought Of the excel
lent breakfast he was to carry with him,
while Mrs. Prince lay and slept. At half
past seven she awokc Of her own accord. and
fnding the broad day light streaming into
the window, jumped up with sincere regret
that Prince had gone. without a warm break
East, and pictured to herself during the toilet,
the aching void he would carry with him
through the streets Of the metropolis. Then
she Thought of his vexation, and the tears
came into her eyes. And then She went in
30 the kitchen. and was struck motionles, at
she sight before her. For there was Prince
with carpet bag clutched tightly in one
hand, ard roll Of legal documents in the
other, setting bolt upright in chair-fast
asleep. Astonished and confused by this
spectacle. and hardly knowing what She W Is
doing, Mrs. Prince got the woman in the
other part of the house to arouse Mr.. Prin re.
while she stole over to her mothers To ser
about something.