Year: 1871




1 could defy all the old coats in christen-
dom. Even being taken by my brother-in-
law for his coachman, which at the time
was the last straw for the poor camel's
back, now only excited merriment. l lit
Havana, took up paper and settled my
self for an hour or two of real bachelor
comfort. l glanced over the news saw
nothing to interest me. The fragrant weed
had delightfully."- soothing effect upon my
nerves and spirits, and while the curling
smoke floated over and around me, my pa
per fell to the floor and I fell into q half
dream and half reverie. / went back twen-
ty years and forward forty,--how long /
lived in that estate halfway dreamland
How easily /" Ike MARVEL must have writ
ten his "Reveries of a bachelor" Why,
1 could have beaten him both in quantity
and quality the only difficulty would have
been in making discerning public see it in
that light. 1 lit another cigar, like his it
would not go, and like him persisted that
it should, and when / had succeeded, it
sent me off again into the land of imagina-
ton, where my thoughts ran fancy wild,
but run which way, or what length, they
would fetch up against pair of fine hazel
eyes and lame little dog.


The morning after my misadventure had
my beard, which had been my pet and
pride for eight years, shaven close. wish
ed to lose my identity for the remainder of
my stay in Gotham, for 1 was ever hoping
to meet again the sweet compassionate face
that was so indelibly fixed in my memory,
and if good fortune should favor my wish,
did not care to be recognized as the coach
man. The metamorphose was complete |;
my friends would not believe that it was /,
and / certainly did not recognize myself &;
but as far as it concerned those hazel eyes,
it availed nothing-I never met with them
while l remained in the city.


1t was rather mild morning on the 1st
of April, when, bidding my brother and
sister good-by, hurried to the pier in time
to take the ''St. john for Albany. The
boat was crowded, but made my way at
once to the deck and secured seat, hoping
to be able to read the news in peace but
the hum and confusion were distracting,
and | found myself, involuntarily, following
the conversation of those about me. That
of group of ladies near, led me to glance
around in order to ascertain if they were
acquaintances. But one of them faced me,
however, and she was stranger, SO re.
turned to my paper. The breeze brought
their words distinctly to my ear, and it was
but moment before my attention was
again arrested.


"What are you looking at Glare, or rath
or, what are you thinking about? You
look so serious fear you regret coming, u
said a rather pleasant voice in q matronly
tone.


"No, do not regret coming, aunt.
shall enjoy the trip very much, and my Wis
it still more. was only thinking how
poor little Joe will miss me, and how glaG
he will be to see me again. But they al
promised he should have good care" sh,
added.


Clara is too ridiculously foolish con
corning that broken-legged dog" broke in
sharp voice, that / recognized at once
"she knows not who he belonged to, o
anything of his origin, yet pets and fon
dies him as a mother would her child. Sht
actually picked him up in the street."


"There you are mistaken, Estelle," re
piled the voice that was music to me-
"That kind coachman performed that ser
vice for Joe. He had been run over ant
hurt, aunt, and left on the pavement to di
for all any one seemed to care. / don't be
lieve the coachman would have passed hin
by"


"Oh Of course not" laughed her sister
"she is more ridiculous about the coach
man than about the dog, even. / believ
she never goes out without the hope o
meeting him again"


, felt the blood tingle to my ears mos
J foolishly, of course, for with what motiv,
could a lady desire to meet coachman un
less still further to express her gratitudeP
: eyes" she responded, Z" l should like t.
see him, if only to let him know of littl
Joe's welfare"
"But you admired the man aside iron
, his devotion to Joe, if mistake not, pei
sisted Estelle.


"I confess never saw finer face, no
eyes where benevolence shone forth NOR
clearly than in his. He impressed me as
! gentleman, and it must be peculiar circum
stances that could induce him to accept $
+ inferior a position"


Sand his beard?" pursued her sister