Year: 1877

. In the old, old days, when was in IN,


Senior year in Columbia College, had beer


home here for the Christmas HOLIDAYS. anc


was to start next morning for New York tc


resume my work.


" In those days a journey from the in


terror of the State to New York CITY was


speaking after the manner OF men, only a


less serious matter than death. Indeed


among the country people very much the


same preparation was made for each. as far
as putting all business affairs on a possible
rost-nortem footing went, with view OF


making a settlement easy in case any


thing happened as it was quite likely to


do. A summer journey was undertaken


only under the most urgent stress of bust


ness, as the time occupied and expense in.


Cured were things to be thought over and


talked over before being realized. OF


course we had steamboats,, such as thev


We're; but to the farmers in the retired


districts the idea OF going to York in a


steamboat was about as practical as it would


be to talk OF crossing the ocean in balloon


IN these later times. They much preferred
the safer and cheaper sloops and other sail
vessels which made regular trips between
Albany ana New ork for the accommoda-
ton of travellers.


Charlie r was my companion, and
nad been home with me for the HOLIDAYS.
a nice, clever chap enough, and to this day


my good friend, but as boy he was too ef
Terminate to be very popular among his
hardy classmates He had remarkably
small hands and feet, like girls. and. we
used to say, was quite as proud of them.
could never understand why Charley, with
his soft, womanish ways and manners.
should have taken to the Church but he
dld brave and effective work on the
western frontier, when it required as much
courage to be a missionary as to lead a for.
lorn hope.


We were obliged to go seven-and-twenty
miles by private conveyance to reach
Albany, from which place the stage started.
we arrived there about ten o'clock in the
evening, and enjoyed our night of freedom
at the then famous Congress Hall-en.
Joyed 1t almost too well, we thought next
morning, when we came down to the dimlv
ilgthed breakfast-room shvering and dis.
pirited.


1t was the custom for the stage to 60
round from house to house to collect mas.
sengers, the seats being secured in advance.
ike boxes at the opera; so when it drove
up to the hotel that dismal morning it was
hiled, with the exception Of the two places
which we had bespOken, one on the middle
seat, where the only support to the back
was swaylng leather strap, and the other
on the front. We could see dimly by the
drivers lantern that the two occupants of
the front seat were an elderly gentleman.
iooklng very cross, and evidently an in. |
valid, and a pretty, fresh looking young
girl, rolled up to the eyes in fur.lined |
mantle, and as we found out later the sick
mans daughter.


Charlie had the good luck to get in
first, and of course seized upon the seat bv |
the pretty girls side, and leaving me to |
share the back seat with an old lady who |
took snuff, and carried a carpet-bag on her
zap, poking me in the side with the brass |
rod that fastened it, when she did not |
crush 3 my feet by letting it slide to the
moor. With the daylight came a general
strengthening up, and putting of ourselves
INTO oetter shape, excepting the pretty
sFi, VINO was, from the first, distractinely
graceful and sweet. l glared iealousIv 81
Charlie, who was beaming with satisfaction
ana already trying to be attentive. in .
brotherly way, to his fair neighbor. sWas
she comfortabler Had she sufficient room
And was delighted to see that farther
clvllties were not encouraged by the daugb.
Ter, and that the father looked at my friend
over tne collar OF his camlet cloak in a wav
to snub much braver lad than Charlie


= " Well we jolted weary mile after weary
ml,e, with nothing to break in upon the
duilness OF the still white road. We would
toll heavily up hill, stop to breathe the
horses, and slip down the other side almost
as heavily, the wheels being held by the
stout brakes. Once in q while we would
whip up with great flourish and racket 10
the tavern, and if the hour suited. we
stopped for dinner or whatever meal was
due: Sometimes we accepted the drivers
advice to get out and stretch your legs
counsel that poor little Charlie would
gladly have realized in person.


IL was on our third days ride, while
taxing orlsk walk back and forth on the
road, that fell to talkiug moro freely with
the pretty girls father, and learned that
his name was Gardiner; that he was from