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

man-the certain indehnable some
thing that at once set him apar
from the crowd, and made hin
notable.
He dropped his paper presently
and turned to me with some re
mark upon current events, made
with a slight foreign accent. Thu
we fell into conversation.
"Breakfast is served whenever
you please, gentlemen" said th'
porter, passing through the car.
My companion bowed, smiling.
GAS we are to he section mates
for day or two, he said sit is wei
we should know each other. Shal
l do myself the honor to present
you with my card p
"IIippolyte L'Estrangc. Stras
bourg," / read from the little white
parelleloera n. SO had not beer
mistaken in supposing him to be ;
Frenchman. / may as well tell you
here, what he read from the card
gave him in return: edward
Ripon, New York"
We breakfasted together, at bis
request. / found my "cbance ac-
quaintance" to be a most intelligent
and cultivated man, and a great
traveller. So much of the world
had he seen, so wide was his know
ledge of men and things, that to
my comparative inexperience it
seemed little less than marvellous.
He was years older than myself
was just twenty-seven-or at least
he seemed so. A Frenchman is old
er than an American of the same
age, always. But, allowing for all
that, NJ. L'Estrange was donbt-
less eight or ten years my senior.
He was at once reticent and COM
municative-reticent in all that
was purely personal and related to
his inner self; communicative as
to his plans and projects ! soon
discovered that he was on his way
to San Francisco-so much farther
off then than now.
"But what a circuitous route y
l exclaimed. "You are going
round Robin Hoods barn."
"Robin Hoods barn r. he repeat
ed with a high-laugh, his eyes
lighting as he caught my meaning.
"But, my friend, l had but just
come from Panama. was tired OF
the ship, the sea, the monotony, SO
/ go this way"
"Overland, the whole distance ??
| asked.
"Oh, no! Look here. I shall
have the honor to show you," and
he drew a folded paper from his
breast pocket. 81 leave you here
at Calumet'-noting the point with
his pencil-"You see (! There I take
the lightning train for Carlo
thence by express this way" point
ing to Memphis and Jackson
"that is right, ell 2"
Eyes; but you will have to &C
to Vera Cruz. How about steam.
er across the gulf!"
"Ah +! there ] go round your
Robin Hoods barn ~ he said
laughing. "Sec! go across &c
Havana, and thence to Vera Cruz.
"And them" my eyes followed
his pencil.
"Then 60 by diligence to the
city of Mexico, where / take the
saddle for Manzanilla. There, i
the good fates befriend me, / catcl
a steamer ahead of the one tha
left New York when l did. So
lose no time; / see your grea
country; and | escape the dull
monotonous sea, of which / hav,
had too much already"
The hours flew on silver wings
All day long we floated on a It'd,
of talk, sometimes sparkling will
wit and humor; sometimes takin.
on deeper tone as we touched up
on themes that gave to each, brief
passing glimpses of the soul o
the other. 1t seemed to me tha
there was little worth knowing
that my companion did not know
little worth seeing that he had no
seen; little worth thinking that h,
had not thought.
Yet learned little of his per
sonal history, save that he ha
spent much time in South Americ