Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1895-06-15
A BAG OF MYSTERY.
IT UPSET THE EQUILIBRIUM OF A CAR
LOAD OF BROOKLYNITES.

ESHo VI Ii'So'>@ w -o'
The Peace of Mind Which the Resident of
Brooklyn Puts on With His Sunday
Clothes Greatly Disturbed by the Strange
Young Mans Actions.
There was an odd little episode in
Brooklyn trolley car Of the Flatbush line
ON recent Sunday afternoon, which
gave rise to an amusing comedy of con-
f1ict between the natural curiosity of
ton to restrain it.
The Flatbush and Flatlands line runs
away out into the region of cornfields,
truck farms and forests, lately gathered
into Brooklyn's municipal area. When
the car started from the end of the route
it had aboard one passenger, pleasant
faced young man who carried large
leather handbag. He was we'll dressed,
but his clothes were covered with dust
and his shoes with mud, suggesting that
he had been roaming across lots in the
rural wards. AS the car approached and
passed Prospect park it filled up with
Sunday strollers.
The young man sat beside the stove,
with his bag on his knees. After awhile
he opened the bag trife, shook it
gently and peered attentively inside.
Then he put his hand in and seemed to
be gently stirring up its contents. The
passengers sitting directly opposite to
him became interested in his doings,
but he didn't look up. After shaking
the bag from side to side for little
while he bent over and became interest
ed in some mysterious business which
for the rest of the trip absorbed his en-
tire attention and also that of his fellow
passengers.
He reached down into the bag with
his right hand, lifted out something
carefully in the hollow of his palm,
weighed it carefully, held it to his ear,
shook it, held it to his ear again and
then decisively reached around and put
it into his overcoat pocket Then he
reached into the bag again and went
through the same motions, except that
this time he placed the something care
fully in one corner of the bag. First one
and then another of the passengers be-
came interested in the young man and
his performance until very soon every
one was peering closely, some almost
painfully, over at him and his bag. But
he never looked up. By and by the con-
ductor came in and walked nervously
the length of the car several times, peer
ing into the young mans bag as he
Ont fbo hor n,,1D n
trifle, and he could see nothing of its
contents. He went outside and discussed
the matter with a man who stood on
the platform.
The young man, intensely absorbed
in his performances and seemingly al
together oblivious of the intense inter
est of the other passengers in him, kept
steadily on, lifting out invisible some
things, weighing them, listening to
them, shaking them and sorting them
over. Once in awhile he lifted out bits
of twigs and leaves and threw them ON
the floor. The passengers eyed them
over attentively, but could mako moth
ing out of them. Soon they began whis-
pering one to another about the mystic
rious doings of the young man, and the
women moved nervously around, and
one or two men looked as though they
were determined to ask the young man
for an explanation if he looked up. But
he didn't look up. Once in awhile a
passenger got out and tried hard to peer
into the bag as he passed it, but useless
ly. The situation was painful and was
also intensely comical to one passenger
who was almost as much interested in
watching the ill concealed curiosity and
strained nervousness of the passengers as
in trying to fathom the mystery of the
young mans performance. Probably if
it had been any other day than Sunday
some one would have plucked up cour-
age to ask a simple although maybe i'm
pertinent question and SO relieve the
general strain. But the restraint i'm
posed by Sunday clothes held every one
back.
Finally when the car was entering
Fulton street, the young man suddenly
looked out of the window, closed the
bag with nap and hurried out of the
car. There was movement on the part
of the other passengers, partly of alarm
at the escape of the young man with
the mystery unsolved and partly perhaps
of relief at the end of the suspense. One
man made quick jump after the mys-
FERROUS young man and caught him for
a few seconds as he was about to leave
the Car.
"What've y got? Whatever doing?"
he asked, regardless of all proprieties.
=
then smiled and said:
"Oh, cocoons, ohrysalides, moths, you
know. I've been gathering them out in
the country, and sell them to the nat
uralists. Then he jumped off the Car.
The impulsive, inquisitive man re-
turned to his seat, and the remaining
passengers were eagerly waiting for
him. He explained that the young man
was naturalist or naturalist S collector.
He evidently made business of going
around the country hunting over the
fences and bushes for the chrysalides. or
pupa, of moths and butterflies. Some
of these are attached to fence pickets,
but perhaps the greater number are
found on leave or twig. They look like
balls of silk usually, but often are cover
ed with dust, dead leaves and such mat
ter. The collector simply gathered ev-
erything into his bag and then sorted
them out later. Some of the cocoons are
empty, and these he could tell some
times by their light weight, but more