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Show Productive Penmanship. A Lachelor friend of our3. who is seldom seen fur from home, recently had occasion to journey down into the Fine Tree State. He 'had heard much about the manner in which certain "fast girls of the period" came it over innocent inno-cent and unprotected specimens of the gaias homo, and it was not without great purturbation of mind that he seated himself comfortably in an unoccupied unoc-cupied seat in the mot remote corner of the car that was to convey him to his destination, and prepared" to defend himself vigorously against all the wiles and the temptations which might be brought to bear by any of the before-mentioned before-mentioned "female critters." Ail went well, however, and under the genial and fatherly care of conductor conduc-tor Phiibrick, S recovered his erjuanimity, and even so forgot himself as to become saddenly interested in the movement of a very pretty and innocent-looking representative of the softer sex, who, with a young "future President" Presi-dent" clinging to her gloved hand, had entered the car at a way-station, and taken an unoccupied seat near his own. Bat this tranquility was not to last. The train came to a halt, and a large number of travelers entered. Among them was a lady, who, turning for a moment, caught sight of our bachelor's protege 1'or the time being and with outstretched arms rushed toward her. "Why, Emily ! is it you? What a stranger! (smack.) Where have vou been this age? (smack, smack.) Why haven't you been to see me, my deary?" (smack) etc., etc. -titinly returned the greeting of her new-found friend in a like enthusiastic manner, which, as S solemnly declares, "fairly made his toes tingle," and the conversation took another turn. "Why, Emily, what a beautiful child you have, just like his father, isn't he? Oh, you little cherub I" chucking him under the chin "how old is the darling?" dar-ling?" "Two years last November, ' ' returned the fond mother, with a blush of pardonable par-donable pride. "Two years last November!" reiterated reiter-ated her companion, in a tone of surprise. sur-prise. "Why, Flmily, but I thought your hu.-band had been absent at sea tor the past four years?" "Oh, yes ; so he has ; but then, you know, lie has written several timts .'" A wild yell startled the occupants of that car ; there was iust the nasino- glimpse of a pair of coat tails through the doorway, and the Eastern Railroad numbered one passenger less over its route thut day. Ex.. |