Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1876-01-26
MY Two Pearls.

station at Rochester at III ocloch
at night.
l stepped on board the train
choosing palace and restaurant
car "through to Chicago"
"Section I" said the conductor
with a rising infection. "Ought
to have telegraphed, sir. Only
one berth left, and that's a mere
accident. Here it is. No Gen,
tleman who engaged it missed con
nection at Syracuse
Congratulating myself on my
good fortune, I speedily crept in
to No. ga lower berth-and fel
fast asleep. When l opened my
eyes the gray dawn of an October
morning-the October of 1868
was stealing in through the cur
tanned window.
lay for some minutes in a half
dream, listening to the multitudin-
Gus noises of the train, with scarce
ly a thought of where | was. Then,
as the light grew stronger, raised
myself upon my elbow and looked
about me, only to fall back a mo-
ment after with start of surprise
that was almost dismay.
Right before my eyes hung o
white, shapely hand, with a darl;
seal ring upon third finger. II
took me q minute or two to collect
my scattered senses enough to dis.
cover that it belonged to the occu.
pant of the upper berth, dropped
carelessly from his quarters to my
own, in the heavy abandonment o.
sleep.
lay and looked at it, white
shapely hand, as l have said, q hand
unmarried or Observation-Disclosures
the word for yourself--by the seam:
and caJlouses of manual labor
The fingers were long and tapcring
the nails oval and well cared for
The wrist was not large, but wei
knit and sinewy; and, half-buried
in the fine linen Of the shirt-sleeve
l caught the sparkle of diamond
The hand had a strange fascina
ton for me, half-uneanny thougl
it looked in the weird, struggling
light of early morning. watched
it, vaguely wondering what man
ner of man its owner might be
and what kind of q face would as
sort with it, till there was a stil
overhead and it vanished. Then
made my toilet as | best might ant
went ont on the platform for
breath Of fresh air.
When after the lapse of half al
hour, | leisurely strolled back t.
my place again, all vestiges of th'
night were removed and q gentle
man in a plain gray travelling sui
occupied one seat in the compart
ment allotted to me. He had
newspaper in his hand. I recog
nized it at once.
He lifted his eyes long enough
to salute me with a courteous bov
as l took the opposite seat, anC
then resumed his reading. Iopen
my paper also; but the attempt t,
engross myself with its content
was a vain one. My eyes and m,
thoughts continually wandered 4
my vis-a-vis.
Describe him! Not an eas,
matter. Neither is it easy to &C
count for the fascination that h
wore as an invisible mantle.
might tell you he was tall an
slight; that his complexion wa
clear and dark; that his blacl
crisp locks curled closely round
well shaped head; that his eye
were large and liquid that hi
moustache was a light and grac,
ful penciling upon the firm, thi
lip; and that his imperial was abov
reproach. But, having told yo
this, / should expect you to sa
with a glance Of ineffable meaning
that you could find his counterpart
, in any BARRIERS shop on Broadway
or, If not there, in your sister
French dancing master.
You think SO Perhaps il Is D,