70 CAROLINE.

His adventures in getting home,

 

Patent ee

Beechnut assists a stranger.

Beechnut, taking her trunk and band-box, carried them

forward to the baggage-master, and said,

«Will you be good enough to check this baggage now ;
it is for a lady.”

The baggage-master asked him where it was going,
and Beechnut told him. The man then selected the
proper checks, and fastening one of each on the trunk
and on the band-box, by means of a little strap that was
attached to the check, he gave the others to Beechnut,
and Beechnut gave them to the girl. The girl seemed
very much relieved, and immediately went away to get
her seat in the car.

A moment afterward Beechnut got his own check, and
then took his seat in one of the cars. Presently the bell
tolled, the whistle sounded, and the whole train began
slowly to move out of the station.

Beechnut had a great variety of adventures that day,
in getting home. The train that he was in was detained
for an hour, by some derangement of the machinery, and
then, after that, having, by this detention, lost its right
to the road, it was detained several times, at various
branches, waiting for the other trains. When, at last,
Beechnut reached the place where he was to leave the
railroad and take the stage, he found that the stage was
gone. It was now five o’clock, and he was extremely
anxious to get home that night, knowing very well that,
after such a fire, his presence at Franconia, at the earliest
possible moment, would be very urgently needed. He
accordingly hired a wagon to carry him. There was a boy
to go, todrive. The distance was only about twenty-five
miles, and Beechnut hoped to get home at ten o'clock.
He went on, without difficulty, for about ten miles,