The post. [volume] (Middleburg, Snyder County, Pa.) 1864-1883, 1875-05-06
~ q lect Tale.
AQuIET BEDFeLLOW.
BY JUDGE CLARK.

| don think tho trains on tho Ba
Transport and Hinnomdale railroad
over dit make connection at Skimp.
town. Some said the secret was that
old Tideiist, the president of the
road, conspired with himself as keep.
or of the Scantprog House. to add 10
the revenues of the latter by stopping
travellers on the highway.
Be that rs it may, made it q rule,
when had occasion to go by that
line, to make allowance for several
hours detention at Skimptown.- -
Hence | was not surprised one night,
on reaching that impassable point, at
hearing the conductor call out
"Ten minutes late mo up train
till four in the morning ~
Old Tidefst's ugly eyes, that look
ed like a pair of faded dogwood BIOS
SONS, they showed 40 much OF their
bleary whites. twinklcd with pleasure
~ he witnessed the rush Of ofgrumbling
passengers, each anxious to secure
the least wretched of tho Scantprog s
wretched quarters.
Must double you up TO night,
gents. said old lite. "Down train
missed connection, too 30, you see,
we're pretty crowded
And the old sinner went on taking
in money with both hands, and turn
ing over his hapless guests to be
slowed away, two and two, like the
unclean beasts in the Bible.
Can put you with nice elderly
gent-single room with double bed. ;"
said Tite, rs l crowded forward and
laid down the required sum. You're
lucky, too-only vacancy left-restll II
have to rough it on the floor. FL.
derly gent came on down train. Put
young gent with him, but lucky for
you, young gent got up after an
hour or 80, and left by private con.
veyance.
With n grunt, not exactly OF salts
faction, I followed q ragged boy and
IN inch OF candle to an apartment at
the door Of which the boy tapped.
No answer coming, my conductor
opened the door aud left me to enter.
me the bit of candle by way
of iicery Of seisin,
The elderly gent" lay at the back
Of the bed, with his face to tho wall,
evidently sound asleep. Not wish
ing to disturb him, I hurried off my
blew out the light aud lay
down quietly.
/ had never been partial to bod.
fellows, Two.thirds of those with
whom it had been my fortune to sus.
tain that relation either snored or
kicked. The "elderly gent did
He lay as still as mouse /;
and / thanked my stars and old Tite
for the luck was in.
And here I may as we'll inform the
reader that | was on my way to be
1t will enable him to ap
preciate how much obliged I felt to
the old gentleman for not disturbing
my reflections. ] went over to my.
self the marriage service--recalled
what tho minister would have to say,
and my own and Margie's parts re-
spectively. How / chuckled over
tho place where the word 'obey"
comes in, and thought how pouting
ly the little vixen would say il.
After several false starts, I fell
asleep at last, just sound enough to
be in that bappiest OF earthly states
that of dreamy half,consciousness.
A plague on the diabolical voice
that recalled me to waking, yawning
"Passengers for the four o'clock
train !"
Il started like q guilty thing upon
a fearful summons. Ones first i'm
preston, under such circumstances,
always is, that he is ten minutes too
late his second, that unless he
makes haste, he will be.
/ would have called my bedfellow,
but | knew he was to 60 by the
down train, which didn't leave till an
hour later. And il would have been
sin TO torment him before his time.
He still lay with his face TO the wall,
as quiet a. when had taken my
place beeitl0 him. Appsreutly be bad