The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1881-07-12
The Conductors Story.

get into the car you have to guess what
good company you shall find there.
You buy much that is not rendered in
the BILL" | have found this remark
eminently true on several occasions,
particularly when my life long friend
Ruth bears me company
Ruth is the most unconventional of
women. She travels, as she does every
thing else, with whole souled earnest.
ness, and finds bread where most could
gather only stones Thus, recently
being in the rear end of long train, she
preferred standing on the platform aud
drinking In at one draught the magniti-
cent valley through which we seemed
flying, than by tantalizing sips, as one
has to from behind a narrow ear win
dow. 1 followed her. 1 always do.
And, holding ON to the narrow railing,
we felt somewhat like two comets
whirling through space. Soon the door
behind us banged, and a gentleman in
the midsummer of life, with a face as
elassically beautiful as Edwin Booths,
and waist of Falstaflian dimensions,
Joined us. He beamed on us almost
literally. From the dimple in his fair,
soft chin, to the ring of brown, silky
hair which lay upon his broad, smooth
forehead, the expression scintillated
with intelligent good nature. Withal
there was such retrospective back
ground to the sunny brightness that,
after few commonplaces, Ruth, the
daring, honest, impudent creature, said,
meanwhile looking up into his face
Tith smile so honest and kindly that
lie would have been Berserker not to
have reflected it:
=" Sir, permit me to remark that you
are physical incongruity"
Not so bad as that, madam, hope.
1 am merely a conductor, as by this
time you have discovered, and a pretty
we'll balanced one independent of my
avoirdupois."
"Dut your thoughtful face, sir, that is
what perplexes me. 1t should belong
to body but onetbird the weight of
yours" suggested Ruth, the wise disci-
pie of Lavater.
My face is all right" he replied,
stroking his cheeks and chin with an
air of marvellous self complacency. at
stopped growing ten year ago, but it is
here" touhching the region of his
with the tip of his front fore
finger, "that contentment and my rare
good luck show themselves. Once L
was as thin as Peter Shemmel's shadow,
paused, looking into Ruth's
clear, gray eyes as if he would sound her
souls depth-"I am strongly tempted
to tell you my bit of romance, for there
is long stretch ahead, and you look
like one of the kind to enjoy touch of
nature. Isn't it so ?''
The conductor had struck the very
keynote of our needs. We were pining
for verita5le California story, told in
an unconventional way, outside the
well-read romances of Bret Harte and
the Argonaut; to be told, too, under
such peculiar circumstances would be
an added spice, and thus we besought
him to Immediately yield to temptation.
"I am an old stager," he said, "at
least as far back as the spring of 80.
With blanket strapped upon my back,
fifty cents in my pocket and the biggest
stock of hope and untried energy that
ever made II lads heart as light as
balloon, I tramped along here in my
search for the gold dggings.' My
ambition was higher than those buttes
yonder by thousands of feet, and the top
was to be capped with solid gold,"
pointing as he spoke to the three singu-
lar and isolated peaks we were just then
passing, known as the Marysville
Buttes, whose volcanic heights looked
as inaccessible to us as their peaks SEEM
ed brown and barren"
1t appears to me" said Ruth, meas
uiing the almost precipitous sides of
those lofty and mysterious hills, 'that
when a man aspires to touch the sky he
would want a higher guerdon than mere
gold, not, however, that L hold the
metal in contempt"
{" 1 had madam, and that was the
whole matter. l was desperately in
love-that was a solemn fact expressed
in as few words as possible-and 1
believe that she loved me, but the top of
Mount Shaster was not more unattaina-
bic to me than Jennie. Her father, an
old Philadelphia druggist, had money,
and L had none. He was proud as
Lucifer, and as ambitious for his daugh-
ter as he was proud. felt that could
move a mountain, if I could find a
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