Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1895-02-27
THREE BLACK BAGS.

AS l often say TO my WIG, Wnen sne
blames me for forgetting her little COM
missions, it's queer thing, is tho mind,
and great is the force Of habit. l never
forget to do anything I'm in the babit of
doing, but as Tilly usually attends to
che shopping herself I'm not in the hab-
it of calling at the butchers or the gro
GERS on my way home from business,
and, therefore-well, therefore, l don't
call three times out of five that she tells
me to.
Don't catch it? No, not overmuch
anyhow. For one thing, we haven't
been married very long, and Tilly agrees
that it's only reasonable l should have
time to learn to be more careful, and for
another, if it wasn't for the hold a
habit has on me, doubt whether we
should be married yet or at least we
shouldn't be living in our own house,
with the furniture all bought at large
discount for cash.
am clerk in the service of firm
Of colliery and quarry owners at Ling
ton, and every Saturday morningI go
out to Westerbery, a village some 80
miles off among the moors, to pay the
quarrymen there their wages.
It's ali awkward sort of journey. l
have to start by the first train in the
morning, which leaves Lington at 6,
change at Drask, our junction with the
main line, leave the main line again at
Thurley, some ten miles farther south,
and do the rest of the distance in the
brake van of a mineral train. The
money-nearly e1U0, mostly in silver
I always carry in a little leather bag,
one of those bags you see by scores every
day, which may contain anything from
a packet of sandwiches and a clean col
lar to a dynamite bomb, and it's my
habit when in the train to put my bag
in the rack facing me. rarely keep it
on the seat by my side, and don't like
to put it over my head.
If it has to go there because the oppo-
site rack is full, l am always uneasy
about it, fancying shall forget it when
I get out Inever have forgotten yet but
one Saturday in November, 1893, I did
something which might have been
worse. l took the wrong bag when l
left the train at Thurley.
1t happened in this way. On the Fri
day night | went out with Tilly to a
party, which broke up so late that had
only just time to change my clothes and
get sort of apology for breakfast be-
fore catching my train. Consequently 1
slept all the way from Lington to Drask,
and at Drask I stumbled, only half
awake, into the first third class COM
partment l came to.
Three of the corner seats were occu-
pied, and 1 took the fourth, though there
was no room ON the opposite rack for
my bag. couldn't put it on the seat at
my side either, because the man in the
other corner had his legs up, and I
didn't care to disturb him. ought of
course to have kept it on my knees, and
on any other morning l dare say /
should have done SO, but it was rather
heavy, and was very sleepy, SO just
slung it up over my head, settled myself
down and dropped off again almost be-
fore the train was clear of tho station.
l didn't wake until we stopped at
Thurley, and even then fancy should
have slept on if the two men at the far
end of the compartment had not want
ed to get out.
"What station is this?" I asked, sit
ting up and drawing my legs from
across the door to let them pass. cot
terford, suppose?''
''No, Thurley," said one, and up
jumped in hurry, took my bag. as I
thought, from the rack opposite me, and
got down on to the platform just as the
guard whistled the train away.
'You ran it bit fine that time, mis-
ter, remarked the man who had saved
me from being carried past my destina-
tion. 81 wonder if that other chap
meant going on? He was as fast asleep
as you. %
ooh, he's all right" said his COM
panion. "He's booked for London. I
heard him say so when he got in. Good
morning, governor. y
Good morning, replied, and then,
having thanked them for waking me, I
made for the siding, where my mineral
train was waiting for me.
''You look tired this morning, Mr..
Corner" said the brakeman as soon as
we started on our somewhat slow and
wearisome journey.
II look what l feel, Jim," said I.
"And am as sleepy as an owl. l never
went to bed last night
'"Then lie down and have a sleep
now, sir, suggested Jim. Here some
sacks and rug to cover you. II the
jolting don IT wake you, you may be sure
won't :"
The good natured fellow kept his
word, and as am one Of those happily
constituted individuals who can sleep
on or through anything felt much re-
freshed when we arrived at the quarries
after what Jim called "a roughish pas
sage' over the uneven surface of the
moorland line, which had been laid sole
ly to serve the needs of our quarries and
some neighboring iron mines.
After l had had wash and done full
justice to a second breakfast at the Min
ers' Arms, felt ready to face my morn
ing's work of making up the mems pay
sheets While was doing that the bag,
which fondly imagine to be mine, lay
on the table. before me, nor did any
doubt as to its identity trouble me until
l had finished my calculations and was
ready to embody the results of them i'll
sundry little heaps of gold and silver.
Then, as l felt in my pocket for my
keys, my memory began to entertain a
vague suspicion that that bag was some
how unfamiliar to it, am by 10 means
all observent man, and as l couldn t
have set down categorically the charao-
teristics which distinguished my bag
from others of like make and shape /
felt rather than thought that the one in
front of me did not possess those char
acteristics.
However, my key fitted the lock, and
as turned it my suspicious vanished,
but only to be replaced moment later
~ an astounding certainty.
Instead Of resting upon the familiar
brown paper packages of silver and lit
tie canvas bags Of gold, my eyes were
dazzled by many colored iridescence
which shone forth from the inside of that
bag as soon as opened it,
Diamonds, by Jingop' l cried as
-, l>oo11 o,,,o1ad