Litchfield enquirer., 1875-06-24
From the Atlantic Monthly.l
 BROKE JAIL.

The directors of the Dan and Beersheba Railway Company, you remember, treated themselves and their friends, last summer, to an excursion over so much of thelr road as was then in running order. Of course a good many newspaper men were taken along as historiographers of the trip. When I remember ali the able and fervent articles, celebrating the present and pros pective glories of the Dan and Beersheba Railway and its imperial land-grant, that were inspired by that free ride, l cannot but think that the excursion, great success as 1t was in all respects, was greatest Ill the way of expensive advertising. You remember that the more enterprlslng ex- cursionists, including, of course, the news paper men, took a construction train and went far beyo ond the then stopping place for passenger-cars, to witness the opera tions of new steam trach-laying machine
 The machine was superIntended by the patentee, a stout gentleman of about for ty-five, dressed in a cool business suit of pearl gray. His clean-shaved face was somewhat brown and hobby, and was an unmistakably Hibernian face of the good humored variety. Its most noticeable peculiarity was that the lips seemed to be pushed little forward by the front teeth.
 
 rare perspicuity explained the principles and naodus opefandi of the machine. His eyes rested upon me and mine upon hlm as he talked. Mutual recognition dawned and grew brighter Tn our minds and eyes, until he abruptly closed his explanation and walked away. As he went. he cast back at me look and nod of his head which plainly meant, fSay nothing, and follow me-" I followed until we had gone out of ear-shot of the others. He then. turned and said.-
 You know me. don't vou?"
 'Yes; you are Mick Mullen
 ''You haven't come here to do me an i'll turn, 1 hope"
 Certainly not"
 'Then for Gods sake don't say Mick Mullen again! Let Mick Mullen and all his works rest you know what was and you see what am. If a whisper of what you know should get abroad here, I'd just put pistol to my ear and blow my brains out"
 s'My dear fellow, you have nothing to fear from me. You ought to have taken that for granted"
 ''Sure, 1 ought. But isn't it provoking? Only two days ago I shaved off my beard, and here I am twigged already"
 "Does your beard disguise you so eff fectually? ,"
 '.Black hair and whiskers ard mustach- es work wonders on sandy complexion, especially if a fellow has a mouth full of big front teeth. When have my beard flowing free and black as ravens wing. the devil himself wouldn't know me, inti- mate as he was with Mick Mullen the time we know of I'll get leave of absence to- morrow, and go into the hills and stay there till my beard is long enough to dye"
 ''Call me Jonathan Elder," continued he with great earnestness, while you're here and after you're gone. Think of me by that name. It is matter of life and death to me that Mick Mullen shall not come to light"
 After some further talk we reioined the crowd around the machine. where my friend resumed his explanations, and where I called him Mir. Elder, as often as a suit able opportunity occurred, except once, when, as by slip of the tongue, ad- dressed him as Jonathan.
 Having mastered the mystery of laying railway track by steam, our party returned as We came. Ames, of the Dusenbury gars on a dumping-car,-
 1udb OA 1uoCAIACCAs OL Wudt- ever he is, seems to be an old acquaint- ance of yours."
 ''Yes." said I, ''he is an uncommonly ingenious fellow. He once did a very nice job for me. It seems he has had his name changed since knew him. He was on nettles to-day for fear I should call him by his old name and put him in for an awkward explanation. So he took me aside to introduce himself as Jonathan Elder, Esq"
 What I told Ames vas literally true. Yet in spirit and substance 1t was lie, a we'll constructed, artistic lie, hope; such lie, fiatter myself, as no mere tyro can tell.
 propose to be more candid and explic- it with the reader than was with Ames, in telling the story of my first acquaint- ance with Mick Mullen, otherwise Jona- than Elder, Esq. And yet shall take such liberties with the literal facts of the case as shall seem to me to be necessary, to prevent mischievous discoveries.
 IT