Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1879-11-27
ON TIVE NIGHT ExPREsss

ON THE NIGHT EXPREsss
} ssd allfhings, atnight tourney .I6l
the most tedious said Clarence
Hatfield, as he let himself fall heayi-
ly into the stiff, uncomfortable seat.
Of the railway ear, with its faded
velvet cushions, and its back at ex-
actly the wrong angle for aught sp-
preaching the luxury of a nap. II
say, Clifton, do you think we might
smoker
"Well, 1 rather imagine nots'
said L. with a motion Of my head 10
ward the other passengers. "TEere
appear to be ladies ON board''
Hatfield shrugged his shoulders.
"Such ladies!"
"Well," laughed 1, "they don't
appear to be particularly stylish I'M
manner of costume, but, neverthe-
less, my dear fellow, the divinity of
their sex hedges them around like a
WALL" aM g Il
divinity of their humbug;"
shortly interrupted Hatfield. ''As if
these addressed dowdles, with ba-
bies, and hand boxes, could possibly
belong to the same world with
Beatrice HaleP'
To this made no reply. 1t did
not seem to me exactly appropriate
to lug the sacred name of Beatrice
Hale into q discussion in place like
this. Yet what could L do, except
to feel my cheeks flush and the roots
of my hair tinglel For / was un-
mistakably in love with Bee Hale,
and so was Clarenc3 Hatfield.
If were to waste quarts of inf
and reams of paper in trying to de-
scribe her manifold charms and ex-
cellencies TO the reader, it would not
do any good. Such things have
been tried before, and failed. Let
him or her, imagine the fairest bruu-
cite the sun ever shone on, and you
may come somewhere near the mark {.
Suffice it to say that she was as beau
t'ful-as dream, and that Hatfield
and | were both salyes AZ her feet.
Winch of us did she like-best2 All,
that was the DIGESTION! 1t was some
thing like tie children's old game of
see-saw; "Up l go, down you come. ="
Sometimes fancied had the ghost
of a chance sometimes was con-
vinced that Hatfield was altogether
the preferred, and that l had better
emigrate to Australia at once.
"Hello!" cried Hatfield. breaking
unceremoniously in upon the thread
OF my musings, 'there goes the whis-
tie. We shall be off directly. Thank
goodness for that"
And he put up his feet on the op-
posite seat, and prepared for as COM
| Portable four hours ride as possible
Clarence Hatfield and |, be it un-
derstoed were employees in the ex-
tensive business of Messrs. jenkins,
Jumperton & Co, auctioneers, and
had been down in the country, ''put-
ting up sale of swamp lots cut
into streets and squares, according
to the most approved metropolitan
methods of dong such things.
1t had been dismal business
November is not an inspiring month
at the best, and q three days fog had
conspired against the success ol
"Mount Nora Park" as--Jenkins,
Jumperton & Co., had christened the
new speculation. Act We aatl done
reasonably well, and were now thank
ful enough to get back to New York
As the train gave its starting lungt
the door flew open, and in came .
tall old lady, in a prodigious blacL
bonnet and fur cloak, surrounded
by perfect cherdnr de .ti1ese of SOUR,
rel cages, leather bags, brown paper
parcels, and sandwich boxes. .Shs
was followed closely by young lady
dressed in black, and closely yeiled
and paused hesitatingly IN front o.
our seat. ~-r
Young man, said she, in low
voice as gruf as chat OF a man, ''is
this seat engaged?''
"Yes, said Hatfield, sit is
"For your fett?"
''No matter what for" supercilli
ously replied the head clerk of Jen
kins, Jtlmperton IS Co. 'Pleas.
pass on, old lady. You'll find seat.
enough beyond" .aH.Hl7
| But this was a stretching of tn,
truth. There were no seats beyond
as the old lady could easily perceive
unless she chose to sit directly oppo
site red-hot coal fire or upon one 0
those corner arrangements close 'tt
the door, which arc equivalent to M
seat all.
AS the old lady hesitated, ant
changed her heavy carpet bagfrorn on,
wearied arm to the other l though
of my own good Aunt Polly at home
and rose at ONCE 50
"pray ma am, take this seat" sale
! l. ''And let me put yoar-pareels VI
in the rack for you" g
Clifton, wtiat fool you aret
said Hatfield, in an impatient sottt
voice. gs s'Why eouldn't you have sa
still and minded your own business p
@s"H is my own business" I an
swered, brusquely, ''to see that ever,
? lady is made as comfortable as it i
in the nature of things to be. Nov
the squirrel-cage, ma'am-it'll g
very colnfortab!eeander tfser seat,e.
think" 80 AS-S
! Hatfield uttered contemptuou
grunt, but never offered to trust hi
feet OFT the opposite cushions, al
though the younger weman stood II
the aisle, uncomfortably swayin.
backward and forward with, the mo
ton of the train, until a woman be
yond, observing the state of affair
drew a sleeping child into her La
and beckoned The other 10 take tll
place thus vacated.
By this time my old lady had es
tablished herself to her entire salts
faction, and opened her sandwie
ex.tl1JiIs "oIl Elii}@'ES l4'
l''Muph + obliged to yoH, youn
I man; it's easy to see that you've
mother of your own at home, an