Year: 1873

One of the delights of boarding in
the country for the summer is the
pleasure a man derives from his
efforts to catch the early morning
train by which he must reach the
city and his business. When he gets
out Of bed he looks at his watch and
finds that he has plenty of time. so
he dresses leisurely, and sits down to
breakfast in calm and serene state
of mind. just as he cracks his first
egg he hears the up train. lie starts,
jerks out his watch, compares it with
the clock. and finds that it is eleven
minutes slow, and that he has only
four minutes left in which to get to
the depot. In a fearful hurry he
tries to scoop the egg out of the shell,
but it burns his fingers, the skin is
tough, and after fooling with it q
moment, it smashes into a hopeless
mess, and he gets his fingers smear





ed; he drops the whole concern in
disgust, grabs a roll, scalds his
tongue with a quick mouthful of
coffee then he stuffs the roll in his
mouth, while his wife hands him his
satchel and tells him she thinks she
hears the whistle. He plunges mad
ly around the room looking for his
umbrella; then kisses his wife as he
can with all that unswallowed bread
distending his cheeks, says goodbye
to the children in a lump, and makes
dash for the door. just as he gets
to the gate he finds that he has for
gotten his duster and he tears down
the walk in q frenzy. He doesn't
like to run through the village, be-
cause that would look undignifed,
but he walks furiously. He goes
faster and faster. Half way down
he does hear the whistle for certain.
He wants to run, but he knows that
he will start up that yellow dog there
by the sidewalk if he does. Then he
actually sees the train coming in at
the depot, and he feels that he must
make rush. lie does, The yellow
dog becomes excited and tears after
him. Six other dogs join in the
chase, and bark furiously, and frolic
around his legs. Small boys con-
tribute TO the excitement by whist
ling on their fingers, and the men at
work on the new meeting house
knock off to look at him and laugh.
He feels ridiculous, but he must
catch the train. He gets desperate
when he has to slacllen up until two
or three woman, who are on the side
walk discussing the servant girl
question and the price of butter,
scatter to let him pass. He arrives
within one hundred yards Of the de-
pot with duster flying in the wind,
coat-tails horizontal. and the yellow
dog nipping at his heels. just as the
train begins to move. He puts on
extra pressure, and resolves to make
the train or perish. sIe reaches it
as the last car is going past. He
seizes the hand-rail. is violently
jerked around once or twice, but
finally lands on the step on his knees
and is hauled in by the coat collar
by the breakman, hot, mad, dusty,
with his trousers torn across the
knees, shins bruised, and three ribs
of his umbrella broken. just as he
gets comfortably into the car, the
train stops, backs up on the siding
and lays there for half an hour while
the engineer fixes broken valve.
Then he is madder than ever and
determines that he will move in
town tomorrow, while he looks
out of the window and watches the
dogs that followed him, engaged in
a contest over a bone which the
yellow dog found on the platform Of
the station and he registers a silent
VOW to devote his first holiday to
hunting up that dog and Draining

him with club.-Mar 4dler.