The Republican journal., 1877-06-07
A Centennial Acquaintance.

EAnlDltlOn gates, 1t had settled into a
steady pour. People without umbrellas
rushed for shelter to the street cars which
We're waiting just outside the grounds ;
while a few more energetic ones walked
three OF four squares to the Chestnut and
Walnut street station, to make sure of
seats. They looked torlorn enough, wait
ing there in the driving rain; 50 forlorn,
that man wearing a certain silver badge
took pity on them, and walking brskly
up to a group of women who had their
arms full of purchases, politely asked,
''Would you like to have NICE private
boarding house, ladies 2" and was met
with a bewildered stare.
At length the expected car approached,
received its human freight, and moved
slowly cityWard. Tired heads dropped on
friendly or unfriendly shoulders, as the
case might be; weary men went to sleep
and nooded one stout individual coolly
seated himself in his tired wife's lap, the
latter explaining to her neighbors that
her good man had the rheumatics voIu-
bic DutchWCmen nurseu their babies,
and spruce young men, small boys, we'll
dressed ''ladies of color" and pale wo-
men with dishevelled locks, filled up all
the standing room. Through this mass
of humanity laboriously moved the con-
ductor, courteous and gentle, though oc-
casionally flashing out into a satircal or
impatient remark at the uncommon stu
pldlty of some stranger. And truly the
Philadelphia car conductor must be
made Of sterner stuff than common men,
or they would have lost their senses in
the six months confusion of the Centen-
nial. Scores of OverWOrked horses de
parted this life precipitately; but the
ng-Sutfering conductors live, to tell the
tale to their descendants.
The various expressions, ranging from
joyful expectancy to stern determination,
which had characterized the faces of these
passengers in the untried morning, had
vanished; IN their stead, patient forbear
ance, all occasional look OF disgust, and
Il general air of martyrdom prevailed.
There was, however, one exception; this
was a young woman who seemed too
much amused and interested in the small
trials and queer mistakes of her fellow
travellers to think Of herself; as she look
ed about the car her bright eyes now
sparkled with fun, and now filled with
pity. Instead of the usual catalogues and
Tribune guide, this young woman carried
a small note book, eNquisitely bound in
Russia leather: into tins little book she
pceped once in a while, and nervously
fingered the pencil suspended from her
watch chain, as If tempted to .iOt down
some OF the remarks she overheard. Sud
denly she dived into her oversl1irt pocket
for her purse; but in the act, her hand
came in contact with something warm,
living; it must be-yes, it was another
hand, a mans hand, a pickpocket's hand
The young woman did not scream or faint;
she gave a little start, turned pale, then
red, and bravely seized the intruding
hand, resolved to hold it firmly till the
conductor arrived; then the wretch should
be exposed. Meantime a woman at the
other end of the car was making u great
ado about her purse which was lost; it
had been stolen, stolen in that very car,
she vehemently declared and the con
ductor tried to pacify her in vain. Our
young lady felt Il sudden thrill of delight,
such as a sklltul detective may feel when
he has the clue to some battling mystery
in his hand; she had caught the thief!
No doubt the poor woman's, and dozen
other purses, were in his pocket at that
very moment; SO besides having her re-
venge, she would be a public benefactor
The eXultant thought gave her new cour-
age; and when the hand trembled, on she
imagined that it struggled a little in
hers, she pressed her tinger-nails into the
guilty flesh, as a gentle admonition.
Then she looked at the person who own
ed the thieving hand; strange to say, his
face was neither coarse nor ordinary the
profile was handsome, the complexion
fresh, the ends of the light mustache had
rather an ariStocratic curl the bearing
was manly.
Appearances can't deceive me-
thought the acute damsel, Il little puzzled
to detect a slight twitching of the mus
cles about his mouth was the impudent
fellow smiling? Quite flushed, and breath
less with excitement, the lady cried, ''cOn-
ductor, this man has his hand in my
pocketw
Beg pardon" said the Young man,
quickly, turning to look at his fair accus-
er, ''but it's you who have your hand in
My pocket
His tone was respectful, but its sup
pressed merrlment was too evident. The
tables were turned, and aghast at the
discovery that her hand had indeed been
in the coat pocket of a stranger all the
while, the beWildered maiden tried to hide
her confusion and bushes by hunting for
her ticket. A shout of laughter arose in
the car; even the conductor lost his
gravity forgetting their discomforts, the
amused passengers stared curiously at
the little group. The young man now
looked rather sorry for the pretty maid
ems distress.
"Pray don't let this little affair disturb
you," he said in a low voice; sit was a
very natural-"a sudden spasm appeared
to seize him, and he stopped abruptly
The young lady drew her mantle about
her shoulders, and arose.
''lt was a very unfortunate mistake"
she said, in a voice that trembled a lit
tie; 81 beg your pardon, sir"
The next moment the conductor had
handed her out Of the car, and the young
man was straining his eyes from the win
dow. She stood, as if a little puzzled, on
the wet pavement, the rain pouring down
upon her silk hat. A wild idea seized the
young man; he would rush after her and
offer his umbrella; but rejecting that he
should only be repulsed, he wisely kept
his seat. "3Oth street," he said to him
self; 'can she live so far out, or did she
only change cars to get rid of me and
this staring crowd ?" The latter suppos-
ton seemed the most probable and pom
derng over his strange adventure, the
young man rode several squares out of
his way, and had to walk back through
the rain to his hotel
Early the next morning, the door of a
well known counting hOuSe on Walnut
street swung open in that staid, methodi-
cal way which characterizes both the
business and fashionable portions of the
Quaker City, and admitted stranger.
"Why, how are you, ROBE" cried a
gentleman who had just entered, and
was taking off his OvercOat.
"When did you come? Where are you
staying?"
"Been here a couple of days." replied
Robert Eustis, returning the cordial grasp
of his old classmate. "Stopping at the
Girard A fellow can't do the Centennial