Before I left Weston, which
happened in time, we had prairie-roses, honeysuckles, and woodbine
clambering over half the houses in the place, and bouncing-Bets were
extinguished forever.
I forgot that we had never heard this man's name, though it did not
matter at all. He was a cultivated gentleman, and we had no occasion for
introduction. We met freely on that platform, and it was pleasant to us
to talk on so many subjects outside of personal interest. He had
travelled, and gave us results, in a sketchy, off-hand way, of much that
he had observed that was extremely entertaining in foreign manners.
Suddenly his loud, cheery voice rang out,--
"Halloo, old boy, get up here!"
He did get up, a languid, pale man, with sharp features, and a frame so
attenuated that I involuntarily placed a soft bag for him to lean
against, and removed a cane and umbrella that seemed likely to hurt his
bones.
It was about half an hour before I saw that the new man was not at all
an invalid, but of the natural gaunt frame and pallid complexion of my
countrymen.
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