Morning journal and courier., 1880-02-17
Price Four Cents.
lFor the JOURNAL AND CoUR1ER.1 A Rainy Day RetrosDectK0,,

| ANN@ stock of house amusements had grown stale and monotonous. Even the exciting pastime peculiar to rainy days, of rumaging drawers and looking over ones trunk of old letters. had failed to soothe our restless spirit, and standing by the window, we surveyed the situation all over again. There were the same leaden clouds, the monotonous drip of the rain, the muddy pools of water in the street and the remnant of last kite season floating msjestically from the tall chestnut tree, and even the same forlorn looking hen. under the current bushes, which had failed to find the opening in the garden fence. ssVa- riety is the spice of life,'' and this monotony was unendurable; so procuring our waterproof | and umbrella, we sallied forth to see what the | outside world were doing. Did you ever no. tlce how conducive rainy day call is to so- clabllity and confidence? You can get nearer your friends heart in an hours call on rainy day within the precincts of the family sitting room than in half dozen ordinary calls made under different circumstances. But calling is not our mission to-day. We are only to take quiet study of human na- ture as found in street car, and hailing one of these public benefits, we enter and seat ourself in a comfortable corner. Our first object of interest is a solemn individual who has just entered, after keeping the car waiting some little time, while he very leisurely walks toward it, never needing the conductors
 
 rain-drops from his coat slowly, elances sol emnly around at each occupant of the ear seats himself, holding the dripping umbrella out at arms length with look of disgust. and remarks to meek looking man at his side, 'Did you ever see such miserable weath CT as this and not sign of it's clearing of, either" Then lowering his voice and shak- ing his head gravely he continues, 'sThere will be dreadful disasters resulting from this storm-dreadful disasters" And he looks out at the rain with an expression as if he already beheld the raging sailors clinging to the wreck of a dismantled ship. He rouses himself at last, sinks back into the corner and proceeds to drown all care and sorrow in the perusal of the daily newspaper. 'Hullo there Is this Noah's ark p calls out a cheery voice, and the speak yet in motion, laughs good naturedly at a friends salutation and replies, Splendid crop growing weather the rain is just what we needed it will do lots of good. Guess the storm is about over, though. It looks brighter" And he rubs his hands briskly and glances reassuringly about. The melan- choly man in the corner lowers his newspaper. gIves an expressive look at the fast falling rain and another at the speaker, but says never word.
 Here come some school girls chattering like so many magpies. There's a confused min
 
 this student and the other fellow" intersperg- ed with exclamations and girlish lauah- ter. We look upon them with great be- nightly, for we were there once ourself Op- posite is handsome stranger with large ex- pressive eyes and 8 pale face with tings of sadness in it, such as might belong to a poet artist, and fac simile of the hero which all modern writers put in their story books We are interrupted just here by friend who whispers in our ear, That's MT. So and So op- posite, and you wouldn't believe it by his looks, but he gets drunk as fiddler and treats his wife shamefully." Our air castle which we had built up around the stranger suddenly collapses, and poet, artist and hero fall in a confused mass together. There's an anxious looking female over in the corner who has just signalled for the car to stop, and the cause of her anxiety is plainly discernibls. In unlucky moment she had ventured out without an umbrella, under the vain delusion that the storm was over. She hastens to the door, gives look of dismay at the fast falling rain and another at the ruff1zd gown, but there's no help for It, and she makes frantic rush down street with more haste than digni- sessors of umbrellas lean back in our seats feeling at peace with ourselves and all the world. Then we listen to con- versation. The lady by our side was saying to another by way of apology for being out such stormy day, ''I really felt as if must
 
 two Sundays because would not spoil the effect of my new suit by wearing an old hat with it, and my husband said at the tab'e this morning, For the Lords sake I hope you'll get that hat by another Sunday, for Eve had hat for breakfast, hat for dinner and hat for supper for the last month, and I'd like 8 change of diet" And the lady continued, with an injured air, My husband never can understand the amount of time and ingenuity it takes for a lady to look we'll" We glanced
 
 profusely decorated with elegant and costly rings, and said mentally, ''We'll wager con siderable there's one point he can understand thoroughly, and that is the amount of money it takes to do it with" Just now we were at tracted by sad-faced figure in the corner. We had not noticed her before, but as she leaned forward to watch the funeral process sion we were just passing, there was so much sympathy expressed in the large, brown eyes that 1t needed not the band of rusty crape upon the bonnet to show that her heart had known like sor- TOW. Then her eyes assumed far away ex- pression, and we knew her thoughts were be- yond the rain and clouds up to that land where there are neither signs nor tears. Uncon- sciously we fell into reverie deep and long we thought of our own loved ones who had crossed the river so long ago, and of the bat ties of life which they had fought so bravely. Then the burden of our own life rose before us and we wondered why so many bitter doubts and cares fall to the lot of some, while others seem to gather only the sweets of life, and then like sweet messenger of peace came the familiar lines
 s.Be still, sad heart and repiping,
 Behind the clouds the sun is still shining;
 Thy fate is the common fate of all,
 Into each life som rain must fall,
 Some days be dark and dreary."
 Our destination is reached. The car has stopped and so has the rain. The clouds have broken away, showing the silver Things and gleaming bits of sunshine, and over all the beautiful rainbow of promise
 DOROTHY DoIJBTFJJI