The Opelousas courier., 1894-10-27
A TRIP TO EUROPE.
The Extraordinary Run of Luck Of
a Reporter.

She was not only a duchess, but she
looked like one, of the best Du Mau-
rier type. She was lovely, tall and
graceful, with the light OF. youth and
health in her eyes.
Some cabin passengers from Illinois
said that all sorts of material was
worked up into duchesses, and it did
not mean that she was anything in
particular before her marriage-maybe
a barmaid or a gayety girl-with a hg-
ure and a walk like that.
This led to search in Debrett, which
a Philadelphia youngster was taking
over as part of his baggage, and Illi-
nois went down before a line of Scot
fish earls which began with a CORY
forayer and ended with a rosy-cheeked
daughter.
As his grace was an invalid, his wife
was much in evidence, taking exercise
on deck, with a long, swinging stride
which was the envy Of all the other
women on the ship. During the first
day she was very friendly to her fellow
voyagers, but some impertinent ques-
tons vexed her, and she became glacial.
Johnny McQuiston declares that he
felt like kissing the shiny brass plate
on the after stairway which intro
duced him to that armful of lowell
ness. There was a nice rolling sea on,
and some breeze, and Johnny had gone
to seek a heavy coat and was deck
ward bound when her grace, in de-
scending, slipped on the brass and
went bang into Johnny's arms. It was
no joke to prevent that tall young
woman from grief. and Johnny
gasped and clinched his teeth hard as
he held manfully to the railing with
left arm and Rugged his real life duch-
ess with his right.
She thanked him prettily for his aid
and nodded affably when she came on
deck and met him at the companion
way door, where he was waiting for
nothing in particular if 1T was not for
that nod. The roll continued to be-
friend him, for he had to help her to
her chair, and there, in order to con-
tinue some vague landsman's COM
ments on the voyage, he sat down be-
side her, and in this way the acquaint-
anc began.
1t was the manner Johnny sang
hymns, however, which cemented the
acquaintance, and even opened the
door to friendship. He used to think
of the farmhouse and his mother when
he sang abide with Me-" and the
other familiar music, and it came out
in the look in his eyes and his earnest
manner-and besides, his voice was as
clear and sweet as his mothers mem
ory. He had a dashing way of sing
ing the new comic opera hits or music
hall ballads, but a dignity settled upon
him when he sang a hymn that affect
ed the duchess even more than it did
other people. For a young woman of
society, she was unusually religious,
and the blood Of the champions John
Knox tingled within her now and then.
"You forget all about me when you
are singing sacred songs" said the
duchess, a%pprovingly. "And like it."
she added, looking at him frankly with
great gray eyes
Il am generally thinking of my
mother-and she is not with me any
more" replied Johnny, sturdily.
"You could sing yourself into fame,
I dare say" she said, graciously.
II did sing myself into a trip to
Europe" he says, laughing and flush
ing.
I'm concerts?" and she seemed q tri-
fe dismayed.
.Oh, mol" he answered. "Shau we
faLo a tf1rn hofora 1911 4aI1
you about it as we walk" and they
left the audience in the ladies' cabin
to gossip about the Irritation In prog.
ress between "that stuck-up
with a title and that singer fellow"
as the man from Illinois put 1t.
ST don't know If I told you I was q
newspaper man." began Johnny.
sOh, q pressman!' said she. Salisbu-
~ used to be one, You know, and lots
of u best q write leaders and
well, / don't write leaders," ex
Johnny. 81 write the things,
you call them, that the leaders are
often based on. Well, one day I was
sent to write up Mortimer's new
house. He's about the biggest man
we have on Wall street now, and he
had just done up . palace. He was at
and showed me about civilly,
for he was proud Of planning
most of the place himself. Finally
we came to the MUSHROOM, and
there vas a splendid piano open. I
don't know how it came about, but /
sat down and rambled along with the
air of sWatchman, tell us of the night
Can you sing thatY says Mr.. Morti-
mer. / sang it, and for half an hour
he kept me there singing one old hymn
another. I could see he was in
deep thought about something, but he
didn't explain. As / was going away
he said: You won't put the hymn
into your article, will you?'
and he nodded a~pprovingly when he
said it was only q side issue. That
was two months ago. About . week
I met him on the street. and he
and shook hands. Our big
men, as q rule, don't do that unless
they want something put in or kept
put OF the paper, and / wondered what
was up. He talked about my article,
and said something nice, and then
abruptly: Have you any
money saved?' OF course / was
startled, but ! said ! had about six
hundred dollars and some stock worth
about q Thousand more. 60 get it and
bring it to my Office in halt an hour
said he. and of he went / did as /
was told, and he gave me q receipt,
Ind all he said was: Come here Mon
lay week. There were very lively
lays In the stock market after
that, and ! wondered il my money