The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1881-07-16
"When is the next train DOWN." l

"When is the next train DOWN."
asked.
In about three hours"
"And that means past midnight, anu
the railroad Office light is out already
Where is the hotel?"
"Hotel at Wampum Station there Is
none. But if you will come home with
me, mother, l am sure, will give you
shelter"
81 do not like to intrude-"
&C If it were your own act and lnten-
ton, it would be an intrusion. But 1t Is
not. You can not stay out of doors IN
the cold and the snow; and l owe you
something for your considerate polite-
ness.n
Politeness-well, there was something
in that, as the numbness of my limbs
from the weight of the bundle, testified
And as to my respectful consideration,
she must have meant my silence. So l
continued considerate, took her parcel,
and we trudged out into the night, she
leading, and neither of us saying
word.
Ushered into the house, was fairly
taken all aback. There was the ident-
cal clock in the corner, and the same
old ship laboring against a dead-beaI,
sea. My fellow passenger had turned
on the stove draughts, the room warmed
up, and l sat down in the chair she
offered me. She had lighted lamp
with neat paper spill, and gone for her
mother. The pretty receiver which
held the paper lighters would have
caught my eve at any time. 1t was the
center of bouquet of tropical vegetable
snowy plumes and native autumn leaves
and grasses-such trifie as speaks the
model woman and housekeeper. But
the thing had greater wonder for me.
1t was precisely like what had seen in
my-trance, shall l call it? l put my
hands on my knees to find that bundle,
and could hardly understand why it was
not there still, for the weight
was there; and 1 curiously as;
sociated it with all the articles
in the room, as they came out, one by
one, like aquaintances of a time gone by.
/ could even perceive that they were
older than when | saw them before, or
seemed to see them. In spite of care
or, perhaps, in consequence of it-they
had gather the marks of age. They had
been brushed and and rubbed into pre-.
mature decay, though the effort was ev-
ident to keep them as they were forever,
lpinched my ear to ascertain whether
I was in the body, and [ stretched out
my legs to the stove to make sure that
awful bundle of dry-goods was
not still cramping my limbs
Just then l saw it resting
upright against the wall, where l myself
had placed it. 1t was sailors clothing
and seemed to take the shape of man.
with Charley's head on it. This was toe
much. sprang to the spot, and discov-
cred that on the wall above the parce
hung a ife-sized photograph of the fea-
lures of that very Charley whom l had
seen in this room when | was dreaming
in the.railway car. "Fudge!" Isnorted
and rubbed my eyes and thrashed my
limbs, to work myself, if possible, out o.
my mystifcation.
1t was not to be. l should not be
awakened from my cloudiness so readily
The door opened, and my fellow-travelel
returned, preceding her mother. And
that mother was the mother whom
had already seen. She had the same
dissatisfied look with which she dis
turbed the tete-a-tete of Charley an6
Minnie. But the lines in her face had
deepened, and the discomfort of time
had palpably worked into her features
| could have counted the years in the
indurated wrinkles which had stereo
fx-,NnI hon, fr.nrxp cipna 7 ho,. So
poor Charley from that room. YOU
will observe that l speak of the railway
experience as of an actual one of many
years ago. can not help it, and have
no other mode of expressing the idea as
it impressed my mind.
l bowed, in depreciation of all ill-hu
NOR, and turning to the daughter, said
"Minnie, will go away on the nexi
train. /"
"Minnie, indeed" the old lady broke
in-"Minnie indeed! You have grown
wonderfully familiar on a short &C
quaintance. My daughter told me that
she had never seen you before, and
can not tell whether she has brought
home tramp, or burglar, or forger
or what"
Poor Mnnie's face put on a look Of
wondering confusion. So, / suppose,
did mine. The old lady continued:
"And, Mary, you must have become
quite confidential in your ride, wher
this man-this OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES yor
by pet name never heard out of this
house,
1t was quandary, more for Minnie
than for me, and yet sufficiently mys
FERROUS even to myself. Just then
heard a railway whistle. Eager to es
cape, said, "There's my train, anc
I'll go at once.'
sit is the eleven o'clock up train, >
said Minnie; and her mothers brow
darkened, if possible, still more. "Youl
train down will not be here for an houl
YETI
What more might have been said o.
done in the fog we were all in-Minni,
even more perplexed than 1, and tn,
mother wrathful besides-will never b,
known. For there came knock at the
door, at which mother and daughter
started and stared aghast. Only brit
or death should cause summons like
that, at near midnight, in the village a
Wampum Station. The knock being
unanswered, there came tap upon the
Window trembling, nervous tap. The
mother reluctantly went to the door
Scarce had we heard her challenge, and
tho aound of tho holt yuithd rau,n ,uhar