San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1878-08-17
Incidents Of Travel.
A LITERARY CONVERSATION.

A LITRRARY CONVERSATION.
Coming down from Chicago listened
to couple OF women who were sitting
opposite me. They resented the inn
portunities OF the news-agent who want
cd to sell them books. The younger
woman of the two offered to lend her
companion book, and the companion
accepted thu offer, with qualifying
question rs To the name and character
of the work. The first. literary woman
drew the book out Of her yalise and
handed it over.
She took IT, looked at It with an APP
pp's;SsS llot 1EVS interest and eH'
"Qh yes. Old Curiosity Shop How
l do love tDickeusn' aog
"Do youP' Aer friend inquired. az
acter Of Little Bell In this book"
"She is SO lovabley said the second
literary womSh, l'sbut what monster
that other one7-what's his name-the
one with the wooden legp''
character. "Tke '6nly man in Dickens
with wooden deg that I know Of" she
said, "is named Wagner, who read for
the dustman, in I, Our Mutual Friend
"No, that wash t It," said the other
woman; sit was In old Curiosity Shop;'
it was a dwarf, with Q wooden leg-a
queer name-Phipipp Phillip 1t sounds
like that, but somehow that don't seem
to be il. =" .dDis3siaD ~
"How do you like that other odd
character, Dick-sD ick-now can't re-
call his name; it's in the same story, too.
Dick-DickIit begins with S."
&" Stockholm" qaeried the other, anx-
ious to help her. friend out.
"No, that isn't it, Swilliver, That's
it. Dick Swilliyer.n 4} ID a6 no
The other woman instantly recalled
! the character when she heard tho name,
and then expressed her admiration for
the character Of the "Marchihus" in the
same hook, and the faithful care she
took 0f this same Dick Swilliver.i
And then they talked all over. Dick
ens's works, and they discussed the hyp-
ocritipal stMrg eBinchbeck',e ID Martin
Chuzzlewit, and stSSaamuel Miller Mr.
PickYick's funny servant, and = Mr..
Buckle," the detective in "Bleak
House, - and 6ld1 Mr.. Pilkington, y the
lawyer, in the sames novel, and I" Lady
Paddock" and sighed themselves into
such a sorrowful condition over the un-
finished tale of edwin Druid,n that
they couldn't talk any more, but put
"Old Curiosity Shop" away and went to
sleep. !. fH ga ~ - Dtii '''
ri AN UNPROTECTED FEMALE.
How hot and dusty it Is. How dirty
and grimy every body Hooks. How cross
and unobliging and disgraceful every
body feels. The cars are crowded and
every body is wishing every body else
was out Of the way. The woman in
front Of me has dropped her shawl on
the floor. She is not young or hand
some, but she is woman. Her face
has harsh, forbidding expression, but
withal, I think I can see tender lines
about the mouth. II is face that has
seen trouble. Poor woman, perhaps
she has raised eleven children, And
now she has them all, with their hus-
bands and wives, to support. No WON
der she looks tired and worn and repel-
| liant. If she was young and pretty as
she was thirty years ago, dozen men
would spring forward to snatch her
shawl from the dusty floor and bow
themselves crooked handing it to her.
Now we look at it, and feel too dusty
even to tell her where it is. A CONNER
cial traveller walks down the aisle and
steps carefully over it. A woman goes
down the other way and thoughtlessly
steps on it. / feel ashamed Of myself
and pity the poor, homely woman. With
an effort rise from my seat, stoop to
pick up the neglected shawl. go
"Madam," say, and-oh If my
sons mother could !, see that smile,
"Madam, permit me; your shawl"
l stopped right there. For, as Ipick-
ed up the neglected shawl, out Of its
voluminous folds fell humping and rat
thing to the floor paper bag, badly
fractured, full of crackers, attn can,
some remnants of an ancient lunch, q
six-inch bologna, bit off at one end, and
bottle of milk, the latter uncorking
itself as it fell. The poor neglected
woman did not seem to be transported
with gratitude for my attention. She
snatched the shawl away from me and
said, with apparent vexation:
"There now, drat ye; looky at ye,
what you've done. Why can't ye mind
yer own business and leave other peo-
pies things alonep"
A ripple of subdued hilarity passed
through the car, and / resumed my
seat, fully resolved that If the most ex-
travagantly lovely and loving girl that
ever blessed this world of ugly men,
should come into that Car and her head
should fall off her shoulders and drop
into my lap, should kick it savagely
out of the window and snarl-
IL L.. .....,r lr,r..nr old tuoodanN