The Portland daily press., 1892-04-04
PUECH'S EXAMPLE.

than inch of open window. His chest,
he explained curtly, was susceptible"
AS we crawled westward through the
glaring country, the suns rays beat on
the carriage roof till / seemed to be
crushed under an anvil, counting the
strokes. I had dropped my book and
was staring istlessly out of the window.
At the other end Of the compartment
my fellow passenger had pulled down
all the blinds and hidden his face be-
hind The Western Morning News. He
was red faced, choleric little man of
about sixty, with salient stomach,
prodigious nose, to which he carried
snuff about once in two minutes, and
marked deformity Of the shoulders. For
comfort, and also perhaps to hide this
hump, he rested his back in the angle
by the window. He wore a black al
paca coat, high stock, white waistcoat
and trousers of shepherds plaid. On no
definite grounds, guessed him to be
lawyer and unmarried.
Just before entering the station at
Lostwithiel, our train passed between
the white gates Of level crossing. A
moment before I had caught sight Of the
s.George" dropping from the church
epire, and at the crossing l saw it was
regatta day in the little town. The road
was full of people and lined with sweet
standings, and by the near end Of the
bridge Punch and Judy show was just
closing a performance. The orchestra
had unloosed his drum and fallen to
mopping the back Of his neck with the
red handkerchief that had previously
bound the pan pipes to his chin. A
crowd hung around, and among it
noted several men and women in black,
hideous blots in the pervading sunshine.
The station platform was thronged as
we drew up, and it was clear at once
that all the carriages in the train would
be besieged without regard to class. By
some chance, however, we were dlsre-
garded and escape seemed likely till the
very last moment. The guards whistle
was between his lips, when 1 heard
shout, then one or two feminine screams
and party of seven or eight came tear
ing out Of the booking Office. Every one
of them was dressed in complete black.
They were, in fact, the people had seen
staring at the Punch and Judy show.
A moment later the door of our COM
partment opened and we We're invaded.
They tumbled in over my legs, painting,
laughing, exclaiming, calling to each
other to hurry-an old man, two youths,
four middle aged women and a little
girl about four years old. My choleric
fellow passenger leaped up, choking
with wrath, and shouted to the guard.
But the door was slammed on his indig-
nation, and we moved off. He sat back,
purple above his stock, rescued his
malacca walking stick from under the
coat tails of a subsiding youth, stuck it
upright between his knees and glared
around at the intruders. They werestill
possessed with excitement over their
narrow escape and unconscious of of
tense. One of the women dropped into
the corner seat and took the little girl
on her lap. The child's dusty boots
rubbed against the old gentleman's trou-
sers He shifted his position, grunted,
and took snuff furiously.
"That was nibby jibby," the old man
Of the party observed, while his eye wan
dered around for seat.
81 thought I should ha' died." said a
robust woman, with wart on her cheek
and yard of Grape hanging from her
bonnet. "Can't zee find nowhere to sit,
uncle?'
s.Reckon I must shift pom your lap,
Susannah." This was said with a
chuckle, and the woman Uttered.
"What new tangled game be this o the
Great Westerns. Arms to the seats,
declare. Well have to sit intimate, my
dears."
"'Tis first class" another woman an
nounced in an awed whisper. II saw 1t
'pon the door. You don't think they'll
fine us."
'''T all comes Of our stoppin to glare
at that Punch an judy" the old fellow
went on, after I had shown them how
to turn back the arm rests and they were
settled in something like comfort. "But
/ never could refrain from that antic-
tho | feels condemned, too, in way
an poor Thomas laid in earth no later
than IL this mornin. But in the midst
of life we are in death"
II don't remember a more successful
buryin," said the woman with the wart.
",rhat was part luck, you see-it bein
regatta day an the fun O. the fair not
properly begun. saw lot at the
cemetery l didn't know by face, an l
reckon they was mostly excursionists
that caught sight of funeral an fol-
lowed it, to ELI up the time"
"Well, it all added"
"Oh, aye; Thomas was beautifully
inferred
The heat in the carriage by this tirae
was hardly more overpowering than the
smell of Grape, broadcloth and camphor
The youth who had wedged himself
next to me carried large packet of
s'fairing," which he had bought at one
Of the sweet stalls. He began to insert
it into his side pocket, and in his strug-
giles drove an elbow sharply into my
aibs. shifted my position little.
"Tom's wife wol:1d ha' felt it source
o. pride, had she lived
But I ceased to listen; for in moving
r. IL