Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1894-12-20

those who have enjoyed the blessed ex-
perience of home and the associations
of united family circle; a season
when memory opens her portfolio and
points out to us the pictures of the long
ago from which time has taken all dis
cordant colors and mellowed them into
beautiful harmonies; an hour when
mems hearts are more tender and sym
pathetic and more easily prompted by
benevolence.
The travel was comparatively light
on the through express, for most of the
commercial runners" had managed to
finish up their work and were already
rejoicing in the comforts of home. Of
course there are others than drummers
who travel, but the drummer is the
staff of life to the passenger service
and hotel enterprise, so | mention him
first. There were but four commercial
men that / recognized as such on this
special train, and as usual they were
making the best of the occasion with
story and joke and merry conversation.
Having reversed one of the seats with
out permission or aid of the conductor,
a button hook saving all such cere-
mony, four of them sat facing each
other, forming jovial group-more
noticeable, perhaps, on account of the
gloom which seemed to envelop the
other passengers.
There were about twenty-five pill
grims occupying the car, comprising the
usual varieties of character to be found
under the circumstances. The train
boy had passed and repassed through
the train all the afternoon, laden either
with his burden of well-worn paper
covered novels, or his basket of
posthumous ripened fruit, but his stock
had not appeared to diminish any in
spite of his industry. BY the weary
and discouraged expression of his coun-
tenance it was evident that trade was
not very lively. The train boy in this
case, as in most cases, was man in
years, but still short enough in stature
to be called boy without absurdity;
one of those unhealthy aSA weal1-loolS-
ing mortals who are uninteresting to
anyone except their own near kin.
The train boy seated himself in an un-
occupied corner next to the group of
drummers, and taking from his pocket
a meager handful of small coins began
to count them over. He seemed to de-
rive little comfort from this occupa-
ton, for he soon replaced the money in
his pocket with an audible sigh.
l began to feel languid compassion
for the fellow-not, confess, the sort
to do me any creditor my pity was
not entirely free from feeling of con-
tempt, spurious pity, barren of any
result; sort of speculative pity, lead
ing me out into meditations on the
diversities and proportionate RESPONSE
bilities of humanity. The wretched
fellow made me feel uncomfortable.
What right had the authorities to tor
ment the travelling public by introduce
ing such factor into their service? A
train boy is always nuisance at his
best, with his impudent and constant
annoyance, his utter lack Of delicacy,
his trespass on time and patience,
his presumption and intrusion on our
privacy. And by what law of equity
should have my sensibilities panied in
fretful sympathy for supposititious
misery? l couldn't help it. What could
1 possibly do for the fellow even
though l were to make an effort?
The half-smothered sigh of the train
boy seemed to attract the attention of
one of the commercial travellers; either
that or the lugubrious expression on
his face; for the traveller Immediately
accosted him in a way peculiar to
knights of the road in addressing an
employee, with whom all drummers and
railway men assume a familiar ac-
quaintance
Hey, J;mmiel brace up What's the
matter with you? You look like you'd
had an invitation to your own tuner
al"
His name might or might not have
been Jimmie; IL It was 1t was only CO..
incidence, for the drummer probably
had no more idea than had by what
name the train boy was ehristened.
However, it served the purpose and the
remark was answered by siclkly effort
of a smile.
Business slow2" continued the in
ysrrogatog'