The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1875-04-29
MY TWO PEARLS.
BY JULIA C. Il. DORR.

lightning express, SentIcUntu! All
aboard'' shouted a voice in the station at
Rochester at eleven O'Clock at night.
l stepped on board the train, choosing
palace and restaurant car, through to
Chicago"
"Section?'' said the conductor, with a
rising infection "Ought to have tele-
| graphed, sir. Only one berth left, and
that's mere accident. Here it is. No
3. Gentleman who engaged it missed
connection at Syracuse"
! Congratulating myself on my good for
| tune, l speedily crept into No. ga lower
berth--and fell fast asleep. When
opened my eyes the gray dawn of an Oc-
tober morning-the October of 1S6S-was
stealing in through the curtained window.
| | Law for some minutes in half-dream,
| listening to the multitudinous noises of
! the train, with scarcely thought of where
| was Then, as the light grew stronger
| raised myself upon my elbow and looked
about me, only to fall back a moment
after with start of surprise that was al
most dismay.
Right before my eyes hung a white,
shapely hand, with dark seal-rlng upon
/ the tilird finger. It took q minute or
two to collect my scattered senses enough
| to discover that it belonged to the occu.
pant of the upper berth, dropped careless
| " from his quarters to my own in the
heavy abandonment of sleep.
| | Law and looked at it-a white, shapely
hand as | have said-a hand unmarried or
observation-disclosures the word for yourself
by the seams and calluses of manual
labor The fingers were long and taper, the
nails oval and well cared for. The wrist
was not large, but we'll knit and sinewy
and half buried in the fine linen of the
shirt-sleeve | caught the sparkle of dia-
mond.
The hand had strange fascination for
me, half-uncanny though it looked IN the
weird, struggling light of early morning.
l watched it, vaguely wondering what
manner of man its owner might be, and
what kind of face would assort with 1t,
till there was stir overhead, and 1T van
ished. Then l made my toilet as | best
might, and went out ON the platform for a
breath of fresher air.
When, after the lapse of half an hour,
leisurely strolled back 10 my place again,
all vestiges of the night before were re-
moved, and a gentleman in a plain gray
traveling-suit occupied one seat in the
compartment allotted to me. He held d
newspaper in the hand. / recognized it al
once.
He lifted his eyes long enough to salute
me with a courteous bow as | took the op
posite seat, and then resumed his reading
| opened my paper also; but the attempt
to engross myself with its contents was d
vain one My eyes and my thoughts
continually wandered to my uis-a ris.
Describe him? Not an easy matter
Neither is it easy to account for the fasci
nation that he wore as an invisible mantle
| might tell you that he was tai
and Sights. that his complexion Wa:
clear and dark; that his black
crisp locks curled closely round well
shaped head; that his eyes were large ant
liquid; that his mustache was light ant
graceful penciling upon the firm, thin lip
and that his imperial was above reproach
/, But, having told you this, / should expec
, you to say with glance of ineffabl
|, meaning that you could find his counter
part in any BARRIERS shop on Broadway
/, or, if not there, in your sisters Frencl
, dancing master.
; You think so? Perhaps it is not strange
You see cannot put into words the indi
, viduality of the man-the certain indefin
I able something that at once set him apar
q from the crowd and made him notable.
He dropped his paper presently AM
! turned to me with some remark upon cur
rent events, made with a slight foreigl
q accent. Thus we fell into conversation.
a " Breakfast served whenever you please
n gentlemen said the porter, passin
4 through the car.
Ny companion bowed, smiling.
q As we are to be section mates for
: day or two" he said, lit is well w
: should know each other. Shall dc. my
self the honor to present you with m
i card ~
6 Hippolyte L'Estrange, STasbourg,"
Il read from the little white parallelogran
. So had not been mistaken in supposin
him to be Frenchman. may as we
r tell you here what he read from the card
h gave him in return: Edward Ripor
# New York
: We breakfasted together at his reques
: | found my "chance acquaintance" TO b
6 a most intelligent and cultivated man an
. great traveller. So much of the worl
q had he seen, so wide was hi
+ knowledge of men and thing
= that to my comparative inexperiene
. il seemed little less than marvellous. II
. was years older than myself was jus
|. twenty -seven-or at least he seemed 81
!, 4 Frenchman is older than an America
. of the same age, always. But, allowin
for all that, ". L'Estrange was doubles
eight or ten years my senior. He WAS ;
B. once reticent and communicatiye-retice
a in all that was purely personal and relate
t. to. his inner self; communicative as to h
o plans and projects. l soon discovere
e that he was on his way to San Francisc
J. $50 much farther off then than now
t Blu, what circuitous routetn e
Ie claimed. You are going round Rob-
e Hoods barn.
D. Robin Hoods barn. 81 he repeate'
Of with halflaugh, his eyes lighting as
d caught my meaning But my friend,
n had but just come from Panama WI
h tired of the ship, the sea, the monoton.
d I so go this way"
L 1" Overland the whole distance."
to asked.
le "Oh, no. Look here, shall have Il
ty honor 10 show you,' and he drew
d folded map from his breast pocket. :
lie leave you here at Calumet'-noting d
point with his pencil-"you see' The