The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1876-10-10
MY FELLoW-PAssENcgR
BY PETER AGATE.

| BY PETER AGAIEs
| 1t is hard to confess; but can remem-
Der when there was not a line Of railway
| in the world. We went humping about
| in stagecoaches on leather springs, nine
| inside, and three or four outside, with
| four or SIX horses, and thought ten miles
an hour something wonderful.
Yet days ride inside SUCH coach,
through fine country, and with pleas
ant company, was not the worst evil of
| this mortal life; and have thought
sometimes, when numbering along u
| Western railway, fifteen miles an hour,
in a close, unventilated Car, filled with
filthy, tobacco-cneWlng tellow-cittzens,
that would cheerlully go back to the
coach-and-tOur.
Did you ever ride on the outside, with
a nice girl beside you, whom it was
necessary to take good care Of, some
pleasant morning, say up the ConnectI-
cut valley? lhaYe-and there are few
things in this sublunafy existence more
eXhiIarating! We 90 through the couh-
try in these, our fast days, with light
tning-trains and sleeping-cars-but do
| we traYelE
There is another mode of travel we
antediluVians used 10 think pIeasant; iL
| WAS slow, and mas become obsolete; but
what could be nicer than TO glide all day
through constant changing panorama
of beautiful scenery, on canal-packeL?
The present generation knows nothing
| about 1t.
There was the long, slender, elegant
packet, with its row OF windows on each
Side, where you could lounge, play
whist, read, talk, or sleep. At the
| breakfast, dinner, or supper hours, the
| tables were set, and it was wonderlu
what excellent repasts came out Of the
| little cupDoard-like Kitchens. In tine
weather we could walk on the long and
narrow deck, or sit on the trunks and
ENJOY the scenery. The canal winds
along the banks of small rivers, aud
| through the villages which have sprung
up beside it. There was time when
| thousands Of passengers were conveyed
| from Albany to Buffalo, through the
Erie canal, in gayly-palnted packet
boats, eacn drawn by three or four
handsome horses, at the rate of one nun
dred and twenty miles in twenty-tour
hours-not very rapid, but. pleasant, and
tOlerably sale.
[ landed on the dock at Buffalo,
from that loud, old, high-press
steamer Constitution, Captain Apple
lbee: and taking my carpet-bag i'll my
hand, to the disgust of runners, porters,
and Jehus, made my unassisted way to
the old City Hotel, and The canal basin,
wuere lay one of the Red Bird line OF
packets, with steam up-horses har-
Messed, | mean-and boys mounted,
ready to start at the minute, and make
nnections with all the stage lines
along the canal.
ASH came near the boat. l overlook a
llady who had the same destination.
Startled, perhaps, by my quick footsteps,
in part OF the town where lady did
not like to walk unattended, she struck
her foot against something on the tow
nath, stumbled, and would have fallen
into the canal, had l not sprang forward
and caught her. She was frightened,
hut thanked me heartily-and allowed
me to assist her upon the boat.
What tritles govern our lives; and
even decide the destiny OF nations. A
nebble on the walk was my Introduction
10 one OF the lovelest and most brilliant
of women, We mad not been on the
racket an hour before | knew that she
had been on u visit 70 some relatives IN
buffalo, and was summoned home to
tR ,chesLer by the sickness OF her mo ther.
And it was less than that time before
Iher dark eyes, her voice of passionate
music, her lorm of singular grace, and
her charming ingenuousness had thrown
| a spell around me, which seemed to
gliding packet-boat was grander than all
nayies; that canal-Which has been pro-
taneIy called ditch-was more TO me
than rivers, seas and oceans: diminutiVe
beside it seemed AtlanLics, Paclfics, aud
broad Indian seas. Here was the CEN
ter of the universe, that swept around
US. and all the rest was oil little worth
compared to the breathing loYeliness
that stood beside me.
How l recall the day-a rich, lovely
summer day, famed by cooling zephyrs
from the great lakes and Niagara! The
sun was half vailed by fieecy clouds.
| We went upon the deck, where she
seemed u queen to whom my heart paid
an infinite homage, but with whom | be-
came every moment more confused, con-
strained, and incapable OF manilestin
the feelings which had sprung SO sud-
denly into their intensest activity.
| We stood there OH the deck-strangers.
An nour before l had never seen her,
unless in my, dreams, or in some former
state of beng, OF Which we seem at
| times to have vague gllmpses. But it
seemed TO me as if L had known and
loved her thousand years. But all
this long acquaintance did not hinder
me from being as bashful and confused
as ever lover was in the presence Of his
mistress. Still, | made q desperate
effort to keep up conversation.
| "rhis is my day OF good tortune," said
la never to- be-lOrgotten day, when
had the happiness OF meeting YOU
| "And romantically rescuIng me from
being drowned in the raging canal" said
she, with benevolent effJrt to help me
out OF my embarrassment.
30 grand eanalV l cried, gathering