The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1876-02-11
ALITERARY NIGHTMARE
From the February AtlantIcl

From the February Atlanticl
Will the reader please to cast
his eye over the following verse,
and see if he can discover any
thing harmful in them:
conductor, wnen you receive a fare,
Punch in the presence of the passenjare!
A blue trip slip for an eight-eent fare,
A bun trip slip for a six.cent fare,
A pink trip slip for three-eent fare,
Punch in the presence Of the passeDjare!
CHORUS.
Punch, brothers! unch with care!
Punch IN the presence of the passenjare."
1 came across these jingling
rhymes in a newspaper, a little
while ago, and read them a coup
lie of times. They took instant
and entire possession of me. All
through breakfast they went waltz
ing through my brain; and when,
at last, l rolled up my napkin, 1
could not tell whether l had eaten
anything or not. l had carefully
laid out my days work the day
before-a thrilling tragedy in the
novel which am writing. 1 went
to my den to begin my deed of
blood. 1 took up my pen, but all
1 could get it to say was "Punch
in the presence of the passenjare."
1 fought hard for an hour, but it
was use less. My head kept hum
ming, "a blue trip slip for an
eight.cent fare, q buff trip slip for
six cent fare" and so on and SO
on, without peace or respite. The
days work was ruined-I could
see that plainly enough. gave
up and drifted down town, and
presently discovered that my feet
were keeping time to that relent
less jingle. When 1 could stand
it no longer 1 altered my step
But it did no good; those rhymes
accommodated themselves to the
new step and went on harassine
me just as before. l returned
home, and suffered ali the after
noon, suffered all through an un
concious and unrefreshing dinner
suffered and cried, and jingled al
through the evening; went to BEE
and rolled, tossed, and jlngleC
right along the same as eyer, go
up at midnight frantic, and trieC
to read; but there was nothin!
visible upon the whirling page ex
cept E'Punch! punch in the pres
ence of the passenjare." By sun
rise l was out OF my mind, an,
every body marveled and was dis
tressed at the idiotic burden ofm
ravings.-"Punch! oh, punch
punch in the presence of the pas
seniarew
Two days later, on Saturda
morning, 1 arose, a totterin
wreck, and went forth to fulfill a
engagement with a valued FRIEND
the Rev. Mr., to walk t
the Talcott Tower, ten miles dli
tant. He stared at me, but aske
, no questions. We started. M
f talked, talked, talked-as
his wont. / said nothing; l hear
. nothing. Attic end of mile NJ
said:
"Mark, are you sick? I new
saw a man look Sc haggard an
worn and absent-minded. Sa
something, do"
Drearily, without enthusiasm,
said: "Punch, brothers, pune
, with care! Punch in the presen'
of the passenjarer
My friend eyed me blank
looked perplexed then said:
b Il do not think get your DIRT
I, Mark, there does not seem to
9 any relevancy in what you haN
9 said, certainly nothing sad; ar
: yet-may be it was the way yc
said the words-I never heal
( anything that sounded so pathe
q ic. What ls''-
n But l heard no more. I W:
d already far away with my pitiles
l. heart-breaking 'blue trip slip f
u an eight-cent fare, buff trip 81
!. for q six-cent fare. pink trip 81
. for three cent fare, punch in t.
m presence OF Tue paSSenJare.
o not know what occurred duriI
the other nine miles. HoWevC
all of sudden Mr. laid
l. hand on my shoulder and shoute
st "Oh, wake up! wake up! dol
~ sleep all day! Here We are at t
y Tower, man! 1 have talked mys,
X deaf and dumb and blind, a.
M never got response. Just 10
% at this magnificent autumn Ian
y scape! Look at it! look at it Fes
) your eyes on It! You have trav
); ed; you have seen boosted Ian
scapes elsewhere. Come now, {
= liver an honest opinion. WI
do you say to this?"
in l sighed YEARLY, and murmr
an ed:
e. "a buff trip slip for a s
'cent fare, pink trip slip TO