Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1888-03-09

ROAD ten years dsO' iOu "iO"
Giles Hayward any more than |
am"
"Pm sorry to dispute you," says
Parks, politely, "but | have the
means right here to prove it,"
And he dragged ont Haywards
valise, with "Giles Hayward"
stamped on it in big letters. My
valise had my own name on it, so
| gave it a push with my foot and
sent 1t under the next seat.
81 don't know how yOu may have
got onto that satchel,' says the
conductor, kinder puzzled, after
he'd looked at the papers and
things.
"We may have stolen it," says
Parks, sarcastically.
"Stranger things have happen
ed," says the conductor, coolly,
but as long as l can't prove it l
suppose you'll ride for nothing for
all of me-"
And he went on.
When he was gone Parks said (:
"We'll be wanting some more
proofs of onr identity, Pm afraid.
Can't we make sOmeW
He hunted through his pockets
and found a letter from his wife,
written with a lead pencil. She'd
signed her name at the end, "Your
affectionate wife, Lizzie Parks. >
He rubbed out the "Parks" and
wrote "Hayway" instead. He
hadn't more than got it done when
back came the conductor.
"Have you any other papers be-
sides what are in that satchel that
would prove who you were"
81 may haye," said Parks.
He fumbled in his pockets awhile
and finally brought out his wite's
letter.
The conductor took that letter
and he read it through twice and
he didn't know what to make of it.
He saw we had him, and he just
dropped the letter and lit ont with
out another word. But he was
about the maddest man. Ofcourse
he knew Parks wasn't Hay ward,
however much he might prove that
he was.
After the conductor had gone
and we'd just begun to breathe free
ly, a man in front, who'd been lis
tening to what was going on, turns
around and says to me:
"Excuse me, sir; but did | un
derstaud that your name was Wells,
Hezekiah Wells, Of Branch county,
Michigan! ~
81 guess that's about what you
understood" said /.
81 want to know" says he
"Well, Pm mighty glad to meet
YOU. used to know the Wellses
in Syracuse, York state. Knew
yonr folks as we'll as | did my own.
l don't suppose you recall me. My
names Bangs, Orville Bangs, one
OF Squire Bangs sons"
| pretended to recollect him.
though of course l never heard OF
the Bangses. He was a windy fel.
low, and talked so loud everybody
in the car heard him and was lis
tening.
"No, couldn't expect you to re
member much about me-" he went
on. "You went out to Michigan
about the time our folks moved tC
Michigan. But knew the rest o.
your family like book. l used tC
be sweet on your sister Maria, USED
to take her to singing school,
Land! how she could sing! She
was a mighty fine looking girl il
those days. She married, didn'
she ~
eyes," says I, "she's married anC
she's well and happy now"
"Well and happy ~ exclaims he
"Why, man alive | thought slit
died : | know she did, for they sen
me a paper containing an account
of the funeral"
"Why, yes, Maria died." say
Parks, looking hard at me. NoI
know she did, Wells"
ooh, yes, of course she did" say
|. ayes, Maria's dead. She's gone
poor thing7D And | tried to loo
sad over it.
"What IN thunder do you mea
by saying she was well and hal
py - demanded Bangs, suspicious
ly.
"She's better off than If she wa
here,7 says I solemnly. owed a
be better Off"
W am not so sure of that" say
he, laughing. "But, perhaps tia
is the way you look at It."
About that time Parks and
changed our seat on account Of th
draught, aad when we got ava
from that fellow we had a goo
laugh oyer it. For days after th'
Parks would have spells of askin
me how Maria was.
We didn't meet any more Ol
friends. We went to New OrIeaT
and looked around awhile, the
went up into Georgia.
The Georgia people are right co
dial folks. The conductor locke
quite impressed when we let {
who we we're and pretty soon
cama haoir and qaid.