THE EARLY TRAIN.

Thames Star, Volume III, Issue 1674, 15 May 1874, Page 2

THE EARLY TRAIN.

(danbuby news.) : how me. and mbs. peince fassfd ax ANXIOUS NiaHT. The early morning train from Danbury leaves at half-past 6. This is a very seasonable hour in summer, when people are stirring, birds carrolling their melodies, and the incense from the newly awakened flowers filling the air and inspiring the senses. But in the winter time with animal and vegetable life dead, the air raw and chilly, the matches mislaid, and a gloomy darknesi wrapping the face of the earth as if with a pall, half-past 6 o'clock a.m. is a very unreasonable and disagreeable hour, and the man who has occasion to leave home on that train may easily be pardoned the uneasiness unavoidable the day before. Our legal friend Prince, received information on Friday which made it necessary that he should be in New York before Saturday noon. He contemplated the early start with some best preparations for it by getting to bed early. Some people would not have thought of this, and remained up until their usual hour, and have either overslept themselves or have awakened un* refreshed or depressed. Mr Prince went to bed at 9 o'clock and got to deep about

half-past 11. When he awoke it was at the earnest solicitation of Mrs. Prince's toes, which were digging rigorously into his back, while Mrs Prince's hands and Mrs. Prince's voice were otherwise engaged in his interests. Mr. Prince jumped up at once, and inquired the time, which Mr«. Prince was not able to inform him exactly, but was quite confident by the general feeling and looks that it was hard on the car time. Mr. Prince snatched up his clothes at this, and flew into the sitting-room, and straightaway got into his clothes, and then examining his watch, found that it was ten minutes past 12. 'By cracky' said Mr Prince, and immediately returned to bed, and encasing his head beneath, the clothes, preserved a moody silence in answer to Mrs. Prince's inquiries. It finally dawned on that excellent lady that the hour was too early and she soon went to sleep. , But there was no immediate sleep for her husband. He felt gloomy and dissatisfied, and seemed weighed down with the impression that he was to miss the train in spite of all ha could do to advert the calamity. He carefully reviewed his past life, arraigning himself as a student, a lawyer, a citizen and a husband, to see if there was anywhere in his record an act, a word, or a thought, which by the finest ingenuity could be distorted into a crime for which this loosing the train might be considered a fitting judgment. But in vain it went over the past for such provocation, and, finally assigning the cause to a dispensa- * tion of fate none of us can avert, he, too, fell asleep. When he awoke again he found Mrs Prince's hands at his shoulders, and Mrs Prince's voice in his ear, and a vivid impression on his mind that the train had gone, or that the whistle would sound before ho could get out of bed. But he arose and hurried into the sittingroom with a show of interest, and drawing on his clothes, again consulted hi» watch with an air of desperation, and ascertained that it, was just 2 o'clock. He didn't say,«By cracky!' this time. But it is no matter what he said. He skipped back to the bedroom without any loss of time, and appeared before Mrs Prince with a lamp an one hand and a lot of clothes in the other and, with a good deal of fire in his eye. But he blew out the light in silence,- and then getting back mto bed, gloomily urged her not to do that r again or her officiousness might cost her pain. The next time ho aroused himself it was 4 o clock, This was a little earlier than was absolutely necessary, but for fear of missing the train he remained up. First carefully dressiug himself, he kindied the fire in the kitchen, and thought of the excellent breakfast he was to carry with him, while Mrs Prince lay and slept. At half-past 7 she awoke of her own accord, and pictured to herself during the toilet the aching void he would carry with him, through the streets of the metropolis. Then she thought of the vexation, and the tears came into her eyes. And then the went into the kitchen* and was struck motionless at the sight before her. .For there was Prince with a carpet-bag clutched tightly in one hand, and a roll of legel documents in the other, sitting bolt upright in a^chai?*-fast asleep. Astonished and confused at this spectacle, and hardly knowing what she was doing, Mrs Prince got the woman in the other part of the house to arouse Mr Prince, while she stole to her mother's to see about something.