Rensselaer Republican, Volume 23, Number 52, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 August 1891 — “Ditto.” [ARTICLE]

“Ditto.”

There were three or four unoccupied seats in the car, hut 1m stood for a moment, grip in hand* near the door, nnd then walked to a seat in which a young lady, sat alone and sat down beside her with an impudence that astounded all the other passengers. The girl looked up at him and around theear.andeyidently realized the situation, for she took pencil and tablet from her reticule and made ready for him. After about five minutes the man turned to her ami observed: “Beg pardon ii I am mistaken, but don’t you live at Utica?” She looked up in a furtive way, and then wrote ou the tablet and handed him: . t « “I am deaf nnd dumb.” “Ah, by George!” he sighed, as lie read it: “that’s too, too laid. Deuced pretty girl to have swell a mis'ortune. Well, I’m left, offer all my smartness. Saw her at the window before I got on, and carried out the plan to a dot. Deaf and dumb, eh? First-oso -I over struck. lie nodded his head to her to signify tnat he understood, and lie would have been glad to change seats if lie could have done so without toss o! dignity. As the train thundered on he perused the contents of a couple of newspapers, yawned awhile, and then bought and finished a. novel; and finally, after a ride of four mortal hours,’ tlm Whistle Llew, and he readied for his grip with theremark: * “I’ll be hanged if I ain’t glad tins stupid ride has come to an end at last!” “Ditto,” quietly replied the girl aai she turned on him. 6 “You—you—!" he gasped, ns lie stood there looking down upon her witli twelve kinds of emotion galloping over his countenance. “Good-bve,” she said, and he backed out and dropped to the'platform like a man retreating from a mule’s hind legs.—N. Y. Sun/