Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1881-12-10
LITTLE BLUE EYES;
Or, How She Helped Me ont of II
BY NJ. QUAD.

"Can 1 sit with you?'
Certainly, sir.
Nice weather"
"Splendid, indeed. "
"Crops growing finely ?"
eyes, couldn't do better"
/ was sitting in passenger coach, on
a Wisconsin railroad, one day, years
ago, when a good looking, pleasant
spoken man came along, stopped at my
seat, and the above conversation took
place, the latter part of it after had
given him part of my seat.
Now 1 am regarded as a social man.
1 like joke, a good bit and 1 think a
sour, morose man, who uses his tongue
only when obliged to, is bound to die
of some terrible disease, and go to some
place of red hot punishment.
On entering a railroad car ! always
look about for a talkative man, and
then get as close to him as possible, and
drain him dry, if the journey is long
enough.
And want to state one thing more.
Left an orphan before l could realize
the event which had made me one, /
got kicked here and cuffed there, and
"grew up between folks" as they say.
l ought to have had, at the time of
which 1 write, pretty thorough knowl-
edge of human nature, and have been
enabled to read in q mans face if he in
tended me evil. I did not pride myself
on being over keen or extra sharp, but
the knocking around among strangers
ought to give one good experience.
Well, the stranger and fell into an
easy train of conversation as we rode on
together, and in ten minutes began to
ENJOY his company. He was a well
made fellow, finely dressed, and he
wore a fine watch and q simon pure
diamond ring. never saw man who
could talk so easily and so pleasantly.
1t seemed that he had but to open his
mouth and the words fell right out.
l had travelled in the South so had he;
I had heard the loud roar of the Pacific,
he knew all about it. had been up in
a balloon, down in mine; been blown
up, smashed up, and repaired again; my
new friend had experienced all these
things; and was waiting for something
to turn up of more startling nature.
We agreed on politics, and had never
met such railroad companion.
Did you ever meet a man who, though
stranger to you ten minutes before,
could wrest from You secrets which
you'd sworn to yourself not to reveal
Well, he was just such man. 1t was not
long before he commenced asking me
questions. He did not seem to be try.
ing to draw me out, but he asked me
questions in such sly, roundabout
way, that before knew it was giving
him my history.
was Just at that time on the point o
being admitted to the bar of Wisconsin
as a student of Law Il Law, of Brierville
The firm were old lawyers, with :
lucrative practice, and it had been talked
over, that in about month I was Il
become the "Co." of the firm. A yea
before, and an old farmer named Preston
down about four miles from Grafton
had died, and his matters had been put
into the hands of Law & Law for settle
ment. Preston died rich. He hat
money in the bank, railroad stocks
mortgages, etc., and everything wa
settled up to the satisfaction of tn
relict and fatherless.:
About a year before his death, bein,
short for money and not wishing t,
sell anything at a sacrifice, Prestol
had given a mortgage on his farm TO
50, 900. While the papers read son
year from date" there was a verba
agreement that it should be lifted OF
any day when Preston desired. AmontI
after, when, having the money, h
desired to clear off the paper, the oil,
money. bags holding it refused to dis
gorge, wishing to secure his interes
| for year.
1 was on my way to ascertain the dat
of expiration. A fire among our ofiic
papers had destroyed the memoranda
and must go down and get the dat
from old Scrip, who lives south of Graz
ton about five miles. The stranger ha
pumped all this out of me in ten min
utes; and yet / never once suspects
that he was receiving information.
81 am not positive" 1 added, "but
am pretty sure the time is the 18th
which would be Tuesday"
"And then your folks will send dow
the money and discharge the mortgage
OF course" he inquired.
"Oh, yes. l should most likely bfmI
it down." replied, and it never oc
Cured to me how imprudent j was,