Year: 1874

BY ELSA MANSFIELD.


Do you intend, Alice, to take that
sacheI and Iunch-basket and ird-cage
and plant and waterproof cloak-so
many things-along with you into your
car seat ?"


&c Yes, sir, I must. "


why must you, Alice It is not
cold to-day, and there is no danger of
its raining. You will not need your
cloak, and you probably viii not unstrap
it. Can't you put it into your trunk, or
manage somehow to take fewer bundles
into your seat with you ?''


No, Uncle John, I cannot. Ny
trunk is crammed so full now that I fear
the lock will burst"


" Well, Alice, if you must take so
many packages with you, [ want TO sug-
gest to YOU to be careful how you dis
pose of them. Don't attempt to occupy
two seats when you-have paid for only
one, if some one else wants the other"


''That will depend greatly, Uncle
John, upon who tits that wants seat with
ms" replied Miss Alice, with naughty
toss of her head. ffI certainly shall
not put my things under my feet nor
load my lap uncomfortably to accom-
modate some ordinary looking man or
fussy old woman. One-half of the men
nowadays would just as lief oblige a
young lady to do it as not. They are
not gallant at all they ought to be
ashamed of themselves. L have heard
Woman-good women they were, too
say that the seat beside them was en- e
gagged, when they had got their things
placed and didn't wish to remove them,
or because they didn't like the looks of
the person who wanted the seat, when
knew that they had no friend that vas
coming in to take the place. l didn't
blame them at all, Uncle John. l
shouldn't hesitate to say the same my
self under the same circumstances. Tt
wouldn't be telling an untruth. If all
of these packages were on 1t, 1t would
be taken, wouldn't 1T ?"


Pshaw pshaw Alice. Is that you
advocating such stuff as that p exelalm-
ed her uncle, in surprise and indigna-
tion. '' I, too, have seen women and
girls, and occasionally man, who acted
upon that principle; but I had serious
doubts of their goodness. I never
dreamed before, Alice, that you were so
selfish and unprincipled as to think of
doing such thing. If man ought to
feel ashamed to take a seat for which he
has honestly paid, how ought a young
lady to feel who would not scruple to
practice gross deception for the sake of
retaining, for her own convenience,
seat to which she has no claim what
ever? If I were willing to do such q
thing, my respect for myself would be
about as little as it would be if l wished
to steal from passenger as much money
as he had paid for his car-fare. 1t viii
be fully half an hour, Alice, before Mike
gets here with the carriage. While we
are waiting, will tell you little incl
dent that transpired in the car when
your Aunt Ruth and I went to Rich
mond last fall. We had a seat at the
rear end of the car. The first seat in
front of us was occupied by. a young
lady-just about your age, Alice, judg-
ing from her looks, She was richly
dressed and I think would be called a
handsome girl but there was some
thing both IN her look and manner that
was not pleasing to me, even before 1
had heard her speak, or hardly seen her
move. If any one had asked me what
[ disliked in her, it would have been
difficult for me to tell; yet there was an
intangible something about her which
gave me the impression that she had no
idea that the golden rule Whatsoever
We would that others should do to you
do you even so to them intended
for such as she. She probably thought,
Alice, that that divine Injunction was
given for common people ordinary
looking men and fussy old women.


'' Your Aunt Ruth said that she be-
I lieved that about all Summerville were
! going somewhere that morning, the cars
were so rapidly filed. It is always
/ amusing to me to observe the difference
in the dispositions and manners of the
people who are seated while others are
passing through looking for unoccupied
/ seats. I know of no better place IN
4 which TO study human nature than in
! the cars. I think that I have seen
more curious phases of it while ridin
/ In them than I ever saw in any other
/ place. 1 observed the young lady IN
/ front of me thst morning with more in
terest than I did any other person, be-
cause wanted to ascertain whether L
was correct CT not in the opini1n which
1 had so hastily formed of her.


Zone of the last passengers who
came IN wasa e-haired, tottering old
man. He looked to the right and left
/ OF him for q vacant seat, as he passed
/ down the aisle, leaning on his staff.
/ glanced ahead; but could see no place
| where he could get a seat except with
the young lady of whom / have been
/ telling yoH, hoped that some young
/ man would give up his seat to the poor
! old gentleman and find one for himself
/ IN another car; for was sure the young
/ lady would not make room for him, II
/ she could avoid it. She had about as
many packages as you intend to take
with you, Alice, and she had arranged


them ali along on the seat beside her


with such nieety that it gave them a
/ peculiarly tOuch-me-not appearance. ]


thought Of asking her If she had
] noticed that dacrenit old man who wa