Stuyvesant Part 25

He was right in this supposition, for in a few minutes the sound of the whistle was heard in the distance, and soon afterward the train came thundering in. It slackened its speed as it advanced, and finally stopped opposite to the platform on which Stuyvesant was standing. The baggage-master put the trunks into the baggage car, and the pa.s.sengers got into the pa.s.senger cars, and in a very few minutes the bell rang, and the train began to move on again. Stuyvesant got an excellent seat near a window.

"Now," said he, "for Beechnut's rule."

So Stuyvesant opened his note, and read as follows:--

"UNIVERSAL RULE FOR INEXPERIENCED TRAVELERS.

"Keep a quiet mind, and do as other people do. BEECHNUT."

"That's just what I have been doing all the time," said Stuyvesant to himself, as soon as he had read the paper. "I found out Beechnut's rule myself, before he told me."

This was true; for Stuyvesant's instinctive good sense and sagacity had taught him that when traveling with a mult.i.tude of other people, who were almost all perfectly familiar with the usages of the road, a stranger would always find sufficient means of guidance in his observation of those about him. It gave Stuyvesant pleasure to think that he had found out the way to travel himself, and he was very glad to have the wisdom of the method which he had adopted, confirmed by Beechnut's testimony.

During the whole of the journey to Boston, Stuyvesant guided himself by observation of those about him. When the conductor came for the tickets Stuyvesant looked to see what the others did, and then did the same himself. At one time the cars stopped, and all the pa.s.sengers rose from their seats and seemed to be going out. Stuyvesant accordingly rose and went with them. There was a man on the platform, who called out as the people stepped down from the cars, "Pa.s.sengers for Boston will take the forward cars on the right." Stuyvesant followed the crowd and entered with them into the cars of another train. In fact the travelers had arrived at what is called a _junction_, that is to a place where they come upon a railroad belonging to another company, and here of course they took another train. The fact that there were two railroads and two companies was the reason why each pa.s.senger had two tickets.

Stuyvesant wondered whether the baggage men would remember to transfer his trunk to the new train, without his attending to it, but as he observed that the other pa.s.sengers did nothing about their trunks, but went at once into the new cars, he concluded that he had nothing to do but follow their example.

When he arrived at Boston it was very late. This was owing to a detention which took place on the road through a somewhat singular cause. It seems that there was in one part of the road a very narrow _cut_, through a rocky hill, and the company were attempting to widen it in order to make a double track. They had accordingly been blasting the rocks on one side of the cut, and having fired a very heavy charge just before the train that Stuyvesant was in came along, an immense ma.s.s of rocks had fallen down into the cut and covered the track so that the train could not get by. The workman had accordingly sent a man along with a red flag to stop the train when it should come, and in the mean time they went to work with an enormous crane, which was set up on the rocks above, to hoist the stones off from the track, and swing them out of the way. A great many of the pa.s.sengers got out and went forward when the train stopped, in order to see this operation; and Stuyvesant felt himself authorized by Beechnut's rule to go with them. It took more than half an hour to raise and remove the rocks so as to clear the track, and Stuyvesant had a very pleasant time in watching the operation, and in listening to the remarks of the men who were standing around.

On account of this delay, and of some subsequent delays which were caused by this one, it was quite late when the train arrived in Boston. When the cars at length reached the Boston station and the pa.s.sengers began to get out, a great scene of noise and confusion ensued.

"Now," said Stuyvesant to himself, "I must obey the first part of Beechnut's direction, and keep a quiet mind."

He accordingly rose from his seat, and taking his carpet-bag in his hand he went out with the rest of the pa.s.sengers. There was a great crowd of hackmen on the platform, all clamorously shouting together to the pa.s.sengers, offering their carriages and calling out the names of the several hotels. Stuyvesant observed that those before him who wished for a hack would quietly speak to one of these men, give him their baggage tickets and then ask him to show them his carriage.

Stuyvesant accordingly did the same. He spoke to a man who was standing there with a whip in his hand and asking every body if they wanted a carriage.

"I want a carriage," said Stuyvesant. "I want to go to the Marlboro'

Hotel."

"Yes," said the man, eagerly. "I'll take you right there. Walk this way and I'll show you the carriage."

So Stuyvesant followed the man and got into his carriage. At the same time he gave him his check and said, "That's for my trunk." The man took the check and went away. In about ten minutes he returned with the trunk, and after fastening it upon the carriage behind, he got upon the box and drove away.

Stuyvesant had a very fine time at the Marlboro' Hotel. He had a good bed-room to sleep in that night, and an excellent breakfast the next morning. He took a little walk in Was.h.i.+ngton-street after breakfast, and then wrote a short letter to Phonny to tell him how well he had got along on his journey. He wrote this letter in his room, having all the necessary materials in his portfolio. When his letter was finished, he brought it to the office of the hotel, and asked the clerk how he could get that letter to the post-office.

"Put it right in there," said the clerk.

So saying, the clerk pointed to a letter-box on the counter, with an opening at the top, and Stuyvesant dropped the letter in. He then told the clerk that he wished to go to New York that day by the afternoon train. The clerk said that it was very well, and that he would have a carriage ready at the proper time to take him to the station. Stuyvesant had no idea where the station was, or what the arrangements would be there about checks and tickets; but he had no doubt that he should find plenty of people there who were going to New York that day, and that he could very easily find out, by observing them, what he would have to do.

And so it proved. He had no difficulty whatever. In fact, all that he had to do was to throw himself, as it were, into the current, and be floated along to New York without any care or concern. He arrived very safely there at last, and his father was quite proud of him when he found that he had come all the way home alone.

THE END.