Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1875-04-30
MY TWO PEARLS.
BY JULIA C. r. DORR.

Lightning express, gentlemen! All
aboardr' shouted 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.
8. Gentleman who engaged it missed
connection at Syracuse. :"
Congratulating myself on my good for
tune, speedily crept into No. ga lower
berth-and fell fast asleep. When l
opened my eyes the gray dawn of an Oc-
tober morning-the October of 1S69-was
stealing in through the curtained window
| lay 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 a start of surprise that was al
most dismay
shapely hand, with dark seal-ring upon
the third finger. 1t took me a minute or
two to collect my scattered senses enough
to discover that it belonged to the occu-
pant of the upper berth, dropped careless
ly from his quarters to my own in the
heavy abandonment of sleep.
| lay 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 we'll cared for. The wrist
was not large, but well-knit and sinewy
and half-buried in the fine linen of the
shirt-sleeve l 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.
| watched it, vaguely wondering what
manner of man its owner might be, and
what kind of face would assort with it,
till there was a stir overhead, and it 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 to my place again
all vestiges of the night before were re.
moved, and gentleman in plain gray
traveling-suit occupied one seat in the
compartment allotted to me. He held q
newspaper in the hand. recognized it al
once.
He lifted his eyes long enough to salute
me with courteous bow as l took the op
posite seat, and then resumed his reading
I opened my paper also; but the attempt
to engross myself with its contents was q
vain one My eyes and my thoughts
continually wandered to my ofsdois,
Describe him? Not an easy matter
Neither is it easy to account for the fasci
4,
l might tell you that he was tai
clear and dark that his black
crisp locks curled closely round well
shaped head that his eyes were large and
liquid; that his mustache was light and
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 ineffablC
meaning that you could find his counter
part in any barber's shop on Broadway
or, If not there, in your sisters French
dancing-master.
You think so? Perhaps it is not strange
You see l cannot put into words the indi
viduality of the man-the certain indefin
able something that at once set him apar
from the crowd and made him notable.
He dropped his paper presently anC
| turned TO me with some remark upon cur
rent events, made with slight foreign
accent. Thus we fell into conversation.
Breakfast served whenever you please
gentlemen" said the porter, passing
through the car
My companion bowed, smiling.
As we are to be section mates for
day or two," he said, "it is we'll W,
should know each other. Shall l do my
self the honor 10 present you with m,
card ?"
" Hippolyte 'Estrange, Strasbourg,"
read from the little white parallelogram
So had not been mistaken in supposinj
him TO be Frenchman. / may as wei
tell you here what he read from the card
gave him in return; Edward Ripon
New York"
We breakfasted together at his request
found my "chance acquaintance" TO b.
most intelligent and cultivated man anC
a great traveller. So much of the worlt
had he seen, so vide was hi
knowledge Of mon and things
that TO my comparative inexperienc,
| IL seemed little less than marvellous. III,
was years older than myself was jus
twenty-seven-Or at least he seemed so
A Frenchman is older than an American
of the same age, always. But, allowing
for all that, M. L'Estrange was doubles
eight or ten years my senior He was a
once reticent and communicative
in all that was purely personal and relate'
to his inner self; communicative as TO hi
plans and projects. / soon discovers
that he was on his way to San Francisc
so much farther off then than now
But what circuitous routew l eX