The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1875-05-20
NY Two Pearls.

| '>''N'
Chicago"
'Secton ?n said the conductor, with a
rising infection. "Ought to have tele-
graphed, sir Only one berth left, and
that's q mere accident. Here it is. No.
9. Gentleman who engaged it missed
connections at Syracuse
Congratulating myself on my good fort
une, speedily crept into No. ga lower
BERTRAND fell fast asleep. When | open
cd my ewes the gray dawn Of an October
morning-theO October of lSGs-was steal
ing in through the curtained window.
| lay for some minutes in a altdream.
listening to the multitudinous noises of
the train, with scarcely a thought of where
| was. Then, as the light grew stronger,
raised myself upon my elbow and looked
about me. only to fall back Il moment after
with a start of surprise that was almost
dismay.
Right before my eyes hung white.
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, white, shapely
hand, as | have said, q hand unmarried or
glortied-choose 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 well-kpit and
| sinewy; and, halt-buried in the fine linen
of the shirt sleeve caught the sparkle
of diamond.
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 ard
what kind of a face would assert with it,
till there was a stir overhead and it van
ished Then | made my toilet as | best
might and went out on the platform for a
breath of tresher air.
When, after the lapse of half an hour,
leisurely strolled back to my place again.
all ycstiges Of the night We're removed
and q gentleman in plain gray travelling
suit occupied one seat in the compartment
allotted to me. lie held newspaper in
the hand recognized it at once.
lie lifted his eyes long enough to salute
me with courteous bow as | took the OPP
| opened my paper also; but the attempt
to engross myself with its contents was Il
vain one My eyes and my thoughts con-
tinually wandered to my ris-o-ris.
describe him? Not an easy matter
Neither is it easy to account for the tas-
cination that he wore rs an invisible man.
tie | might tell you that he was tall and
slight; that his complexion was clear and
dark that his black, crisp locks curled
closely round Il well-shaped head; that his
eyes were large and liquid; that his mus
tache was light and graceful penciling
upon the firm, thin lip; and that his i'm
perial was above reproach. But, having
told you this, | should expect you to say
with a glance of inetfable meaning, that
you could find his counterpart in any bar
ber's shop on Broadway or, if not there,
in your sisters French dancing-master.
You think so? Perhaps it is not strange.
You see cannot put into words the in
divduality Of the man-thc certain IN
detinable something that at once set him
apart from the crowd. and made him not
able
lie dropped his paper presently, and
turned to me with some remark upon cur
rent events, made with a slight foreign
accent Thus we fell into conversation.
g Breakfast is served whenever you
please. gentlemen" said the porter pass
ing through the car.
My companion bowed smiling.
''As we are to be section-mateS for a
day ortwo," he said, sit is we'll we should
know each other. Shall | do myself the
honor to present you with my card ?"
"lIippolyte L'Estrange, Strasbourg," |
read from the little white parallelogram.
SO had not been mistaken in supposng
him to be a Frenchman. | may rs well
tell you, here, what he read from the card
| gave him in return: edward Ripon,
New York.
We breaktasted together, at his request
| found my ''chance acquaintance to be
Il most intelligent and cultivated man, and
a great traveller. SO much of the world
had he seen. so wide was his knowledge
of men and things that to my compara-
tive ineNperience it seemed little less than
marvellous. He was years older than my
self was Just twenty y-seven-or at least
he seemed SO. A Frcnchman is older than
an American of the same age. always.
But allowing for all that, Nj. L'Estrange
was doubtless eight or ten years my senior.
He was at once reticent and communica-
tive-reticent in all that was purely per-
sonal and related to his inner self; COM
municatiye as to his plans and projects.
| soon discovered that he was on his way
to San Francisco-sO so much farther off then
than now.
''But what Il circuitous route!n | eX-
claimed. "You are going round Robin
Hoods barn"
"Robin Hoods barn ?" he repeated,
with a half-laugh. his eyes lighting Us he
caught my meaning ''But, my friend. |
had but Just come from Panama. was
tired of the ship, the sea, the monotony.
so 60 this way"
..Overland the whole distance ?' | asked
ooh, no! Look here, shall have the
honor to show you." and he drew folded
map from his breast-pocket 81 leave you
here at Calumet''-noting the point with
his pencil-''you see? There | take the
lightning train for Cairo; thence by ex
press this way"-pointing to Memphis and
Jackson---'sd to New Orleans. That
is right, eh ?"
"Yes; but you will have to 60 to Vera
Cruz: How about steamer across the
gulf?"
"Ah there ] 90 round your Robin
Hoods barn ~ he said, laughing "See .
90 across to Havana, and thence to Vera
Cruz"
"And them" my eye followed his
pencil.
"Then | 60 by diligence to the city of
Mexico, where | take the saddle for Man
camilla There, if the good fates befriend
me, | catch a steamer ahead of the one
that left New York when did. SO, lose
no time; | see your great country; and
escape the dull, monotonous sea, OF which
have had too much already"
The hours flew on silver wings. All
day long we hoated on a tide OF talk,
sometimes sparkling with wit and humor;
sometimes taking a deeper tone as we
touched upon themes that gave vet, to ., each, th
other. 1t seemed to me that there was
little worth knowing that my companion
did not know; little worth seeing that he
had not seen; little worth thinking that