Middletown transcript., 1876-06-03

al uouI stioiSuo oioues Us W. "S"s
jogging homeward. Then my freed
tongue found blessed speech again,
and the pent talk of many weary
hour began to gush and flow 1t flowed
on and on, joyously, jubilantly, until
the fountain was empty and dry. Az
I wrung my friends hand at parting,
| said:
Haven't we had royal good time ?
But now I remember, you haven't
said a word for two hours. Come,
come, out with something!'
The Rev. Mr.. turned lack
lustre eye upon me. drew deep sigh.
and said without animation, without ap-
parent consciousness: "Punch. brothers.
punch with care! Punch in the pres
euce of the passenjare!"
A pang shot through me as | said
to myself, "Poor fellow, poor fellow !!
he has got it, now"
did net see Mr.. - for two or
three days after that. Then, on Tues
day evening, he staggered into my
presence and sank dejectedly into a
seat He looked pale. worn; he was
wreck He lifted his faded eyes to
my face and said:
"Ah, Mark, it was ruinous invest
ment that I made in those heartless
rhymes. They have ridden me like a
nightmare. day and night, hour after
hour, to this very moment. Since
saw you, have suffered the torments
of the lost. Saturday evening I had a
sudden call, by telegraph, and took the
night train for Boston. The occasion
was the death of a valued old friend
who had requested that l should preach
his funeral sermon l took my seat in
the cars and set myself to flaming the
discourse. But l never got beyond the
opening paragraph: for then the train
started and the car wheels began their
'clack clack- -clack- -clack clack- -clack-
clack- -clack! = and right away those
odoius rhymes fitted themselves to that
accompaniment. For an hour l sat
there and set a syllable Of those rhymes
to every separate and distinct clsck the
car wheels made. Why, | was as tagged
out, then, as if | had been chopping
wood all day. My skull was splitting
with headache. 1t seemed to me that
l must 60 mad if sat there any longer:
SO l updressed and went to bed l
stretched myself out in my berth, and
well, you know what the result was.
The thing went right along, just the
same 'Clack- -clack. clack, blue trip
slip, clack- -clack- -clack, for an eig ght-cent
fare: clack- -clack- -clack, a bluff trip
slip, clack -clack- -clack, for six-cent
fare, and so on, and so on, and so on
punch. in the presence of the passen-
jarer' Sleep? Not single wink !!
was almost lunatic when l got to
Boston. Don't ask me about the fun
eral. did the best I could. but every
solemn individual sentence was meshed
and tangled and woven in and out with
Punch, brothers, punch with care,
punch in the presence of the passen-
jare.' And the most distressing thing
was that my deliuery dropped into the
undulating rhythm Of those pulsing
rhymes, and l could actually catch
absent minded people nodding time to
the swing of it with their stupid heads.
And, Mark, you may believe it or not,
but before l got through, the entire
assemblage were placidly bobbing their
heads in solemn unison. mourners, un-
dertaker and all. The moment l had
finished, I fed to the anteroom in
state bordering on frenzy Of course
it would be my luck to find sorrewing
and aged maiden aunt of the deceased
there, who had arrived from Spring
field too late to get into the church.
She began to sob, and said:
"'Oh, oh, be is gone, he is gone,
and didn't see him before he died.!
"'Yesr 1 said. he IS gone, be is
gone, be IS gone-oh, aoiU this suffer-
ing never cease!'
"'You, loved aim, then! Oh, you
too loved him 7
".LoYed him !! Loved aohot
"'Why. my poor George? my poor
nephew!'
'Oh-him! Yes-oh, yes, yes.
Certainly-certainly. Punch-punch-
Oh, this misery will kill meP
"'Bless you bless you sir, for these
sweet words |, too, suffer in this dear
loss. Were you present during his last
Yes! I-,chose last moments?
"'His. The dear departed's.'
"'Yes VIII, yes-yes-yes [ sup,
pose SO, think so, don't know! Oh,
,ertainly-I was there--I was there!
''Oh, what privilege, what pre-
;ious privilege, and his last words !!
What did he say?'
He said-he said-oh, my head,
ny head. my head He said-hc said
he never said 0nuthinp hut Pinch.