A Trying Situation

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 236, 7 January 1888, Page 3

A Trying Situation

To a shy man about the most embarassing moment in his life is on his wedding-day, when the door of the reserved,; carriage has been slammed on him and his bride, and the train begins to slowly steam off honeymoonwards. To the other sort of man, of course, it doesn't matter. But it was one of the shy species who was the hero of a little adventure on the London and Brighton Railway last week, which fairly eclipsed the tortures he had undergone at the church and the breakfast. The train was the Brighton Express. About twenty minutes of the journey had been passed by the happy couple in a state of most eloquent silence, at the end of which period they summoned up courage to begin to wish each other the compliments of the season in the stereotyped phrases usual on such occasions. Just as the newly-made Benedick was beginning to discard some of his nervousness, to hia intense horror he spied a hobnailed boot protruding about a quarter of an inch from under the seat at the other end of the carriage. Here was immediate cause for alarm, and, at the same time,, a very cogent reason for relapsing into th« silent contemplation of the landscape which best suited his mood just then. In dumb show he directed the bride's attention to the hob-nailed boot, and the lady not being one of the screaming sort, they both sat out the rest of the journey in mute anticipation of what should be revealed at Brighton Station. No sooner had the train stopped than the frightened pair of turtle-doves called the guard, ana, pointing out the boot, told him, there was a man under the seat., To their relief, and also discomfiture, the official, -who had been heavily feed by the bridegroom to reserve the carriage, explained that he, V always put an old boob in along of wedding parties as treated him right, just for luck, sir, don't you see." $eit time he is 1 in charge of a pair of ' honey mopnees the thoughtful, guard will p'r^otjabiy place his ancieni shoe leather «£her>on the seat, or, better. still, out of aiglifc altogether, where jits saving influence r vt&ir wlc- by, without frightening his protegees. / , : ■ „

' It's pretty hard , W think of the girl iyoti Jast f; yfett ftmerttß^fc'd^to the! full |s !ng { her smiles upon some other fellow. |