Rensselaer Union, Volume 5, Number 29, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 April 1873 — A QUEER COINCIDENCE. [ARTICLE]

A QUEER COINCIDENCE.

BY A CHICAGO EDITOR.

roads stretching out from Chicago, recently, three passengers occupying adjacent seats got Into a quiet conversation, when it was discovered by one of them that the other two were strangers to each other;he accordingly introduced them: “Mr. Tarnish, this is C'apt. Iliglit, my friend.” “Captain Highs !” exclaimed Tarnish,.“that name sounds very familiar. tlie best men I know in the world is Cap. —tain flight,-atrtHic is my brother-in-law?’. “That isn’t me,” good-naturedly rejoined the Captain, “I am nobody’s brother-in-law, and nobody is brother-in-law to me. But who is this namesake of mine?” -Tle is a glorious good fellow, I assure you,” said Tarnish; “I*ll tellyotra Tittle story about him—a funny story, and very remarkable withal for its several coincldences.” “Xet us Tiave the story,” exelaimed the Captain and myself; whereupon Tarnish proceeded to relate the following narrative ; “Well, to begin with,” he said, “Captain Iliglit and myself were.entire strangers to each other up to the time of the breaking out of The war of the rebellion. We fell in with each other when our army, then under Gen. Rosecrans, was marching through Tennessee —lie being in command of a company in a Wisconsin regiment, ami I acting as an -army correspondent forone of the Chicago daily newspapers. We somehow ‘took’ to each other—became acquainted by accident, ami were accidentally thrown together at various times, both while in camp and when on the march, and at the battles of Nashville and Stone River had an eye to each other, to render assistance in case either of us should lie mowed down by the enemy’s balls or shells. Fortunately we reached Chattanooga unharmed, hut greatly fatigued and in need of rest. On the third morniugafter our arrival at Chattanooga, I received this answer to a telegram that I had sent to my paper at Chicago, asking lor permission to come home for a couple of weeks: ‘Yes, come along, and report at editorial rooms on arrival.’ No old warrior, foot-sore with marching, scarred with wounds, and having a home and loved ones to think of a thousand miles away, was ever more delighted on receiving his discharge from the, service,, than Lwas on reading the welcome words of that little message. I had been mingling with and following tlijs army from the day it commenced its movement against Fort Bondson up to the taking of Chattanooga, and you may be assured it was a tough anti exciting series of campaigns for me—full of hard work, dangers and privations—- ' anti I was'pretty nearly worn out. - Accordingly, I gathered up my traveling and writing outfit, and prepared to take the train for Nashville and the North early next morning.' Meeting Captain iliglit in the evening at his brigade headquarters, I communicated to him my good luck. ■■■■'—. —. “You leave in the morning, eh?" lie asked. J " - “Yes, and will put through to Chicago as fast as the ears will carry me.” “Just my luck,” exclaimed the Captain, joyfully; “I too am going north in the morning train—received a three weeks’ leave of absence from the General to-day—-and I am only too happy to know that I shall have such good company. I will go with you as far as Chicago, and then on wings of steam I’ll fly to a little woman who wants to sec me, not a thousand miles from there.” “That is good,”-1 said, heartily; “if I could have had my choice, you are the very man I would have picked out for a traveling companion for the trip.” Next morning, bright and early, we met at the depot, and took seats together in one of the cars of the wafting train, and half an hour afterwards were gliding down the heavy grades, through the valleys and hills and over the bridges of that rough region, bound for Nashville; thence to Louisville; thence to Chicago, where we arrived, dust-covered and completely fagged out. At the railway depot we bade each other good-by. “I shall expect to see'you back in -the • army $n my return to ‘Qld ROsev,’ ” said the Captain, shaking my hand. ‘“Till then take good care of yourself, old boy.” “ Of course,” said I; “ Give: my love to that little woman—oa revoir y Monsieur Captain!” I reported at the editorial rooms, as instructed, and after lingering aimlessly around Chicago for a couple of days, I took my satchel and boardea a Northwestern railway train, bound for a visiting expedition into Wisconsin —in fact, ’to visit my sweetheart. Reaching Milton Junction, where we changed cars for Madison, the first man I saw on looking from the window, was Captain Highs. “ Hallo, Cap. !’■• I accosted him, on emerging from the car to term fnna; “ where did you come from, and where going?” “ Got here from Milwaukee an hour ago —am going west on the train now waiting here/’ “ Good again?” exclaimed I; “wc shall be traveling companions again.” We entered the train, and were speedily transported to Madison, Wisconsin's beautiful capital City, Getting out of the train, we again bade each other good-by, he going to a hotel, and I to cull on a friend, Six hours subsequently .1 took ft sent in a train bw the village of'Bamboo, A few hoftrs' tfdo brought v,s to that town, Uwppwg

ofl'tlie train, tp my ustonislnucnt there was Captain Iliglit, standing on .the platform, carpet-bag iu hand. “ How- on earth dill you get here?” I asked, with surprise. “ By this train,” he answered. “That’s mighty queer,” I rejoined; “I came on this train, also, but didn’t see you.” “Nor I you,” he said; “I rode In the rear car and you in the front one—that explains it.” “Going any further?” I asked, quizfcingly. “No,” lie replied; “I shall put up at a hotel here for a day or two, and call on some friends residing in the town. And you —where are you going?” lie questioned. “No further,” I said; “a little woman lives here, Cap., that I feel some interest in, and I am going right straight to her house.” “Ah, liai” lie exclaimed; “but isn’t it queer that you and I should have come all this long distance without finding out our objective points, b’liieh, it seems, are very much of a sameness. Who is 'site, Tarnish?” “That will be lolling, Cap. I’ll let you know- all about it when we meet again down in Dixie.” We shook hands, lie going to a hotel, and I to a certain charming private residence a few- blocks distant, where no human being was more joyfully welcomed by at least one other human being than, I flatter myself, I was, But no matter about that little episode of a lovers’ meeting, which-you can better imagine than I can describe. On the evening of the same, day, just as the dreamy twilight was darkening into night, my sweetheart, hearing the front gate opening, looked out of the window, and, raising both hands in surprise, exclaimed: . “Good gracious! if their isn’t sister Sue’s beau come to see her ?” and rushing out of the rooni to communicate, the. unexpected information to the young lady- referred to, wilt) was an older sister, left me alone for a few minutes. Feeling curious to see what sort of a looking man this beau of my sweetheart’s sister was, I looked out of the window, and who do you suppose I saw- there, knocking at the front door? As l am a living man, it was nobody more or less than Captain Higlit! As I remarked in the outset of this story, concluded Tarnish, Captain Iliglit and I are brotliers-in-law-—our “little women,” whom we married after the w-ar was over, being sisters, As the newspapers say-, “further comment is unnecessary.” But wasn’t it a very remarkable coincidences.— Chicago Illustrated Journal.