The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1875-07-08
LITERARY
MY TWO PEARLS.

..Lirhtning express, gentlemen ALI
aboard,'' shouted voice IN the station at
Rochester at eleven o'clock at night.
stepped on board the train choosing
ralacc and restaurant car, through to Chi
cago. -,
..Section?' said the conductor, with
rising infection ''Ought to nave tele-
vrapIed. sir Only one birth left, and
that's mere accident. Here 1t IS. NO. ..
Gentleman who engaged 1t missed connec-
ton at Syracuse
Concentrating myself on my coed for
tune speedily crept into No. "a lower
birth. and fell fast asleep When | opened
my eyes the gray dawn OF an October
mornine-the October of lSoo-was steal
ing through the curtained window.
I Law for some minutes in half dream,
listening to the multitudinous voices of the
train, with scarcely thought of where |
was. Then, as the light grew stronger,
raised myself upon my elbow AID looked
about me. only to fail back moment after
with start of surprise that was almost dis
may.
Right before my eyes hung white,
shapeI " 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 occupant
of the upper birth, dropped careessly from
his quarters to my own, in the heavy aban-
donment of sleep.
| lay and looked at it-a white, shapely
hand as | have saba hand unmarried or
unglorifed choose the word for yourself
nv the seams and callouses 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, ard sinewy; and, half
buried in the fine linen of the shirt-sleeve,
caught the sparkle of diamond.
Tae hand ssrange fascination for me-
half upcanny though it looked in the wierd
struggling light of early morning..
watched it, vaguely wondering what man
ner of man its owner might be, and what
kind of a face would assert with it, till there
was stir overhead and it vanished. Their
| made my toilet as best might, and wen
out on the platform for breath of freshel
air.
When. after the lapse of half an hour,
leisurly strolled back to my place again, al
yestiges of the night were removed, and I
gentleman in a plain gray travelling SUI
occupied one suit in the compartment al
lotted TO me. He held a newspaper in III
hand. l recognized it at once
He lifted his eyes long enough to salut
me with a courteous bow as | took the OPP
nestle seat, and then resumed his reading
opened my paper also; but the attempt L
engross myself with its contents was a vai
one. My eyes and my thoughts continual.
wandered to my cis a cis.
Describe him? Not an easy matter. Nsi
Their is it easy to account for the fascinatio
that he wore an invisible mantle. nigh
tell YOU that he was tall and slight; that hi
complexion was clear and dark; that hi
dark. crisp looks curled closely round
well shaped head; !that his eyes were larg
and LIQUID; that his mustache was ligt
and graceful penciling upon the firm, thl
lin, and that his imperial was above RI
proach But, having told You this. shout
expect you to say, with a look OF lneffab
meaning, that you could find his counter
part in any barber shop on Broadway; O
If not there, in your sisters French dam
ing master
You think so. Perhaps it is not strang
You see cannot put into words the IND
viduality of the mantle certain inde6n'
BILE something that at once sets him apa
from the crowd, and made him notable.
He dropped his paper presently, al
turned to me with some remark upon Gu
-.
Thus We fell into conversation.
breakfast served whenever you pleas
eentlemen," said the porter, passing throu!
the car.
NV companion bowed, smiling.
las we are to be section mates for d
ar Two" he said. lit is we'll We shor
know each other. Shall l do myself
louor to present you with my ca,ds''
..Hippolyte L'Estrauge, Strasbourg.
read from the little white parallelogra
So had not been mistaken in supposl
him to be Frenchman. Imay as well
xou here, what he read from the car
ave him in return: Edward Ripon, n
York
We breakfastea together. at his request
found my chance acquaintance to De
intelligent and cultivated man. and q
traveller. So much of the world haa
seen, so wide was his knowledge OF
and things. that to my comparative II
perieuce ii seemed little less than mar
aus. He was older than myself was
twenty -seven-or at least he seemed So
Freuchman is older than an American
the same age always. But. allowing TO
that. NJ. l. Es,range was doubtless eng
ten yeas my senior. He was At once
cent and communicative-reticent in all
was purely personal and related to his
rer self: communicative rs to his plans
projects. soon discovered that he vi