The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1881-07-16

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life all but the memory of hope and
beauty.
The short winter twilight was over,
and night had fallen. Railway lights
are not brilliant, but they cast deep
shadows. And here in the shadows we
were rolling along, freight OF human
ity liable at any moment to be collided
with, or run off the track, or telescoped.
The lack of faith in railroad safety no
doubt makes the sharers of common
danger trust each other. But my friend
and / were held by more than that
usual bond. The bundle of dry-goods
pressed heavier and heavier upon me,
and of course upon her. We were GER
tainly en- rapport with each other. NO
magnetic pass could have bound us so
firmly as did that pile of dry-goods.
And as she slept on the confiding sleep
of the just, l too began to fall into the
night side of nature, if that, as pre-
sumo, means magnetic sleep. My senses
and perceptions, however, acquired new
activity; and though my body was OPP
pressed, my mental faculties wildly
danced in the freedom of supernatural
vividness. l heard voices in converse
ton. One 1 recognized as that of my
fellow-passenger, though more full and
sweet, yet still subdued, than in the few
words she had spoken to me. There
were expressions of affection in a tone
which she would not address to stran-
ger. They were made to some happy
Charley. And my name is not Charles,
but Arthur. The dimly-lighted car had
faded away out of my vision, and instead
saw a coy room. 1t was not, to be
sure, much better lighted than the car;
but everybody knows that when third
person is one too many, light is super
fuous. Yet there was light enough for
nimble fingers to be piled, near the
lamp, if Charley would let them alone,
and the pattern they were weaving was
identical with that around my neigh
boris neck. My own place in the room
| could not fix. l seemed to be there,
and yet not there. That was not, was
the evident presumption of Charley
and Minnie. Minnie was what he called
her. need not say that she was Wis
ion of maidenly beauty, such as knew
my travelling companion, restored and
rejuvenated, would be.
There was no harm in what they said
to each other, and none in their caresses.
But could readily understand that the
words were not for other ears, or the
acts for other eyes than their own. l
tried to speak, but could not. tried to
HIM, but it was of no use. I tried to
move, but being in a state of double
limbo, magnetic and materialistic
(clothing-shop materially, that effort
was fruitless. Under a consciousness of
not very agreeable detention, heard
the old, old story, and witnessed, what
no grown man needs to witness, the re-
hearsal of how wooing may be wooed,
and a maid foregone conclusion) may
be won. 1t is to be presumed when one
has passed the years of adolescence and
bread-and-butter experience has been
gained in that direction. There is no
more need of secondhand repetition
than there is of the stale scraps of an old
feast.
The light in the room flashed up, and
l heard door slam, and step, and the
railway car and the room seemed mix
ed, and the conductors regulation cap
appeared to change to a woman's. But
whether he were she, or she were he, l
could not tell. just then Minnie's voice
said, as she lifted up her work, "See,
mother, how fast | am getting along
with my tatting" Then plainly dis
cerned Minnie's mother, with light in
her hand. The railway officials form
and face had vanished like dissolving
view, though it must have been he who
slammed the door, conductor fashion.
1t was his step heard, and his lantern
which refreshed the light; and yet he
had given way to Minnie's mother,
whose face wore a half-suppressed
frown. 1t fitted upon her like custom
airy habit. Charley looked red, and
Minnie just little abashed, and the old
lady pointed significantly to the dial of
the clock in the corner. 1t was a
family piece, with ship at the top,
which moved with the pendulum,
laboring forever, as if in a head beat
sea. l congratulated myself that Char
ley and Minnie had made better prog
ress than that plunging ship, which
pitched bows under at every even clock
tick, and lifted itself at every odd one.
My fellow-passenger gave me push,
gentle but effectual. 8" do believe we
were both asleep" she said, "and
have had such dream! Your heavy
breathing" (anybody but q lady would
have said SnorIng) awakened me-"
did not tell her that l had been
pitching with that ship; nor did | ask
her to tell me her dream. Being en-
rapport, l knew all about it. As one
often does when, fancying he is awake,
he tries to recall his dreams, I fell off
again, car and parlor getting inter-
mixed till nothing was left of either of
them.
was at the seaside. Charley and
Minnie were on the pier. Where stood
| can not say; but nobody seemed to
mind me. Minnie wore tidy Jacket
(beg her pardon-corselet), which
looked as my travelling companions did
when that old braid was new. Some
how that nautical clock came into the
vision again; but the ship launched
itself from the clock case into the sea,
and Charley appeared on board, wav-
ing his hat, while Minnie, on shore,
waved her handkerchief. Her mother
led her away sobbing. The msther's
grabbed style of consolation so angered
me that would have interfered if |
could. But a smell of indigo seemed to
stifle me, and found my nose buried
in that horrible bundle of hlue iackats