Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1897-06-25
copyright, 1897, BY tho Author

Or If the slain think he is slain
They know not well the subtle ways
keep and pass and turn again
Emerson.
1t was the unreproducible slid "r' as
he said this was his "fy- list" visit to
England that told me he was a New
Yorker from New York, and when in
the course Of our long, lazy journey
westward from Waterloo he enlarged
upon the beauties of his city, 1, profess
ing ignorance, said no word He had,
Imazed and delighted at the mans
Civility, given the London porter a
shilling for carrying his bag nearly 90
yards. He had thoroughly investigated
the first class lavatory compartments
which the London and Southwestern
sometimes supply without extra charge,
and now, half awed, half contemptuous,
but wholly interested, he looked out
upon the ordered English landscape
wrapped in its Sunday peace, while
watched the wonder grow upon his
face. Why were the cars so short and
stlIted? Why had every other freight car
tarpaulin drawn over it? What wages
would an engineer get now? Where was
the swarming population Of England he
had read so much about? What was the
rank Of all those men ON tricycles along
the roads? What was the idea Of the
brass and iron tipped shinney sticks that
were lying in tanned canvas bags on
Wimbledon platform? When were we
due at Plymouth?
l told him all I knew, and very much
that did not He was going to Plym-
outh to assist in consultation upon a
fellow countryman who had retired to
place called the Hoe-was that up
town or down town?-to recover from
nervous dyspepsia. Yes, he himself was
a doctor by profession, and how any one
In England could retain any nervous
disorder passed his comprehension. New
er had he dreamed of an atmosphere SO
soothing. Even the deep rumble Of Lon
uon traffic was monastical by compari-
son Of some cities he could name, and
the country-why, it was a paradise.
A continuance Of it, he confessed, would
drive him mad, but for a few months it
was the most sumptuous rest cure in
his knowledge
"I'll come over every year after this,
he said in burst Of delight as we ran
between two 10 foot hedges of pink and
white may. ITS seeing all the things
I've ever read about. OF course it doesn't
strike you that way. presume you be-
long here? What a finished land it isl
It's arrived. Must have been born this
way. Now, where l used to live, at
Portchester- Hello, what's up?"
The train stopped in blaze of sun
shine at Framlynghame Admiral, which
is made up entirely of the name board,
two platforms and an overhead bridge
without even the usual siding. l had
never known the slowest of locals to stop
here before, but on Sunday all things
are possible. One could hear the drone
Of conversation along the carriages and
scarcely less loud, the drone of the
bumblebees in the wallfowers mp the
bank. My companion thrust his head
through the window and shifted luxuri-
ously
"Where are we now?" said he.
SIN Wiltshire" said 1.
"Ah! A man ought to be able to
write novels with his left hand in a
country like this. Well, we'll And so
this is Tess country. feel just as if 1
were in book. Say, the conduc-the
guard has something on his mind.
What's he getting att"
The splendid badged and belted guard
was striding up the platform at the reg
ulation official pace, and in the regula-
ton official voice was saying to each
door:
HAS any gentleman here bottle of
medicine? A gentleman has taken bot
tie of n-laudanum-by mistake. "
Between each five PAGES he looked at
an official telegram in his hand, refresh
ed his memory and said his say. The
dreamy look on my companion s face
he had gone far away with Tess-passed
with the speed of snap shutter. After
the manner of his countrymen, he had
risen to the situation, jerked his bag
down from the overhead rail, opened it,
and heard the click of bottles.
Find out where the man u.s." he
said briefly. "I've got something here
that will fix him if he can swallow
still
"Swiftly 1 fed up the line Of car
riages in the wake of the guard. There
was clamor in rear compartment-th
VOICE. VI Oub DGllOMluR w no AOO OuOj eAAN
the feet of one who kicked. With the
tail of my eye saw the New York doc
tor Fastening thither, bearing in his
hand blue and trimming glass from
the lavatory compartment. The guard 1
found scratching his head unofficially
by the engine, and murmuring, "Well,
I put a bottle of medicine off at Andover
Pm sure l did. "
Better say it again, any 'ow," SAID
the driver. "Orders is orders. Say it
again"
Once more the guard paced back, l,
anxious to attract his attention, trot-
ting at his heels.
"In a minute, in a minute, sir, " he
said, waving an arm capable of start
ing all the traffic on the London and
Southwestern railway at wave. HAS
any gentleman here got bottle of med
Joiner A gentleman has taken bottle
Of ison-laudanum-by mistake.
"Where's the manp" l gasped.
"Woking. 'Ere's my orders. " He
showed me the telegram, on which were
the words to be said. " e must have
left lis bottle in the train an took an
other by mistake 'E's been wirin from
Working awful, an now come to think
- - H. naar1x, s,,ra mt a bottle Of