The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1878-06-22
By-L aW No. z.

| have only two comprehensive one
good-natured looking, middle-aged gen
ID tleman with a mild, benevolent express
y sion, strangely at variance with the
nervous restlessness of his eyes; the other
A grim, taciturn man, who has been alb
B sorbed in his paper ever since the train
left Edinburgh en- route for the south.
They had got in together, and were evil
Y IDENTIFY travelling companions. Rather a
queerly assorted couple; for from their
/ dress and general appearance there could
be no doubt but that their stations in life
were widely apart. What could they
be? Master and servant? Evidently
not; for the humber of the two seemed
to have control of all their travelling ar
Il rangements. A detective and his pris-
ener? | think not; for the one looks too
much at ease to have a troubled con-
science; and the other, though evidently
in command, treats his companion with
more Difference than is compatible with
u the conscious power of a captor.
My speculations on this point have
filled up gap in the journey. Having
read all the war kilograms in the morn
ing paper, which | know | will find
contradicted in the evening editions
when | reach London; and having
watched the telegraph wires gliding up
and down beside the carriage window,
anon suddenly disappearing into space,
only to reappear as suddenly to continue
their monotonous up and down motion,
| am beginning to weary of this, and if
neither of my companions volunteer a
Il remark, / must do something to force a
conversation.
We are past Dunbar by this time, and
are fast approaching Berwick. l have
been vainly trying TO catch the restless
eyes of my apparently more companion
able companion. He is now closing
them, and evidently settling down for
quiet nap. My more taciturn friend
has never taken his attention off his pa
per- he must either be very slow
reader, or having exhausted the news, he
must have fallen ON the advertisements.
| offer him my paper. He takes it with
a bow, giving me his own in exchange
The Banffshire Gazette. No news to be
got out of that after having exhausted
the Scotsman. | am soon reduced to the
births, marriages and deaths. Much
interest to know that the wife of Hugh
Macdonald, stone mason, has presented
him with a son; also to hear that Mrs.
Mcqueen is dead; and the nursery
rhyme | sometimes hear my wife repeat
ing to our boys occurs to me, and L men,
tally inquire, How did she die?" The
announcement does not, however, enlight-
en- me on that point, though it is easy to
guess, seeing that it contains the further
information that she departed this life at
one hundred and one years of age, and is
deeply regretted. The latter assertion |
fear is only convention fib, for / find
in a paragraph announcing her death as
local centenarian, that she had great
possessions, which have fallen to her
nearest surviving relative, great-grand-
nephew.
My friend opposite is fairly off to
sleep. Quite clear that he has nothing
on his conscience. The other is as deep
In the Scotsman as he was erewhile in his
own paper. | can't stand this any long
er. Talk | must. The Banffshire Ga
zette is published in the country town
bearing the same name; so | see my to
an opening.
"You come from Banff, l presume
You must have been travelling all night
No wonder our friend here is worn out. +"
We have come from Banff," replied
my friend, with no trace of the churl in
his voice or manner that his appearance
would lead me to expect. GIVE have
come from Banff; but we have not tray
eled all night. Our governor makes it a
point never to over-fatigue any of his
patients. It's part of his system; so we
broke our journey at Edinburgh"
His patientsl / would as soon have
suspected my opposite neighbor of being
criminal as an invalid.
Indeed" | say. "Might / inquire
what is his complaintw
My taciturn friend touches his head in
mysterious way, and / am just in time
to stop low whistle indicative of sur
prise, and to turn it into another " In
Decd
What particular form does his
ahem-compl plant take?'
| am beginning to hope he is not vio-
lent.
Generosity"
Generosity"
eyes, sir. You see ne gets all sorts of
schemes into his head for the relief of
suffering of all kinds; and his friends.
fearing he might make ducks and brakes
OF his money, have put him under the
care OF our governor"
" Is he wealthy?'
Very"
Are his friends quite disinterested ?'
Well, | don't know. But at any rate
they are quite right. He might fall into
the hands of unprincipIed people. who
would help cut his schemes to further
their own"
i" What is his latest plan?''
"Well, sir, his last idea was, that am
bilious people who have failed in their
aims-such as authors whose books were
roughly handled by the critics, artists
whose works did not meet with the APP
probation they expected, actors whose
genius was not universally recognized,
and suchlike-were a great bore to so
ciety, and in their turn were inclined to
shun the world; so he proposed building
a retreat where all such could retire to
seclusion-a kind of Agapemone, sou
see, SIT"
If he had found scanty population
for his rural settlement, it would never
theless not be for the lack of such peo-
pie"
Just SO, sir"
"Do you consider his hopeless case?"
Il fear so, sir. He is one of the quiet
sort, you see. More violent cases are