u!
1T.-T. --
1 1
J. C. LUTHER, Editor and Publisher.
A LOCAL AND tfAJfJLY JOURNAL.
Terms $ 2.00 a Year, is Advaxce.
.
VOL. II.
RIDGWAY, PA., THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1870.
NO. 7.
i .L:'.J.lli"-
FROM THE BATTLEFIELD.
Good-Night. i ,
Are you watching for me, darling arc you
looking out for me?
Do you think I mny bo coining by the path
along the sea?
My love I with golden tresses and ever-varying
chuck,
And the welcome In your planers which ynur
shy lips seldom speak.
I can close mine eyes and see you In the mel
low evening gleam.
Your earnest face upliltcd by some pure and
happy dream ;
By the chiming oceau billows In the radiance
of the west,
Those, busy fingers folded for a little while
nt rest.
Ah! I sec you looking downward at that
slender golden ring,
With a quick, fiilut blush you prize it, the
foolish, worthless thiugY
You are thinking of the kissthat dared press
your fingers, dear.
I have never touched yonr lips yet, and I am
lying here
On the field of a lost battle, nil, save dead and
dyiug, gone:
A cold slow ruin is falling, and the night Is
drawing on.
Our flag, deep-stained with crimson, Is wrap
ped aiiout my arm,
I have saved it with my life-blood through this
battle-day's alarm.
My passion has been silent ; wo have only
beeu true friends.
Thank Heaven wo were not lovers! since this
is ho il euds
I know your heart ii tender, and has givcu
both prayers and tears
To your well-beloved companion, your friend
of early years.
May they turn to you lu blessing may my
darling never know
A sinjjle tear more bitter than those for me
whieh flow !
Who will tell her of my futc? I am dying
here alone,
So yearning for one tender look, one gentle
pitying tone!
I thought to bring back honor, and lay it at
your feet ;
I thought to win a glorious name.and whisper,
"Share It, sweet!"
But dying eyes see clearly ; I never won your
heart
Well, better so, far better It is easy now to
part !
There are many moaning round me, but my
woun Is have ceased to pain ;
I b ird y hear the night-wind or feel the chil
ling rain.
They wilt Uud me here to-morrow, aud bury
me wheie ( lie
In a nameless grave without a prayer and I
am young to die!
But It must be bo, my darling; If you were by
my side
You would kiss me a "good-night" the lust
before 1 died,
Farewell! God shield yon, dearest! and some
times think of mo
As you sit In your sunuy window beside the
sparkling sea !
London Society.
THE DIAMOND RIMi.
A ("lory of London Life.
Few of the habitual dwellers in Lon
don have occasion to visit the city less
frequently than I have. I have never
set foot inside the mansion of the Old
Ludy of Tbreadnuedle Street in iny life.
To mo the Stock Exchange is a complete
terra incognita. Of the thousand and
one different methods of coining money,
as practised by merchants, bankers, bro
kers, and that countless army which
flocks cityward every week-day morning
from nine till eleven, 1 know absolutely
nothing. Neither, to the best of my be
lief, has the "money article" of the
Times ever been read by me from begin
ning to end. Yet, notwithstanding all
this, it has so happened that on certain
rare occasions I have been compelled,
by "urgent private affairs," to join the
throng of city bees for a few hours, aud
wing my way eastward with the swarm.
At Bucu times I have generally chosen
to survey mankind from the box-seat of
an omnibus, us from a "coigue of van
tage" not to be surpassed and hardly
equalled for any one who loves to watch
the wonderful, ever-shifting panorama
of London life.
On one such occasion now sevoral
years ago the morning was so intolera
bly rainy that I was obliged to give up
all thought of my favorite perch aloft
with the driver, and couten'; myself
with the humbler position of an inside
neat. At that time I was only thrce-and-twenty
years old, and had been in
London about a couple of years, having
been sent up from my far-off home in
one of the northern counties, to attend
the classes of and to study under a cer
tain then famous analytical chemist.
On the morning to which I have just
referred, after waiting: twentv minutes
in the rain, 1 was glad to 'find a vacant
place inside one of the numerous city
'busses that passed the end of tho street
in which my room is situated. After
having squeezed into my plac j, and been
well scowled at for my pains, 1 proceed
ed to take stock of my companions in
misery. We were eleven mtu and one
woman. All of us men were more nr
less moist, and each of us had a very
damp umbrella. We had all pu on our
severe business air, and we were all more
or less Buspiuious of the company in
which we found ourselves ; and in con
sequence, perhaps, of the bad state of
the weather we were all more than
usually inclined to bully the conductor,
and to poke him viciously in the ribs
with the ferules of our umbrellas.
Hat the twolfth inside? Well, she
was a lady, young aud nice-looking into
the bargain, and enveloped with the
prettiest air of unconsciousness that she
was iu the company of eleven blocks of
wood, rather than in that of as many
beings of flesh and blood, not quite un
susceptible, let us hope, to the charms of
female loveliness 1 have no doubt, in
my own mind, that if she had travelled
any length of time in our company the
mere fact of her presence would have
eofteni'd our manners, and have weaned
us in some measure from the touch-me-not
boorishness with which, as a rule,
all passengers by omnibus have to cloak
themselves. But fortunately, as the case
may b journeys by omnibus are of
abort duration, and our young lady
asked to be set down at Clieapsido. Pre
viously to this, however, we had stopped
some half dozen times to let down and
take up other passengers, all of them of
tho masculine gender, so that I was be
ginning to look upon myself quite in the
light of an old acquaintance, when our
young lady got tin to leave us. I
sitting next the door ns she alighted,
Bnd I could not help noticing how pale
she seemed all at once to have become.
Without heeding the rain that still kept
falling, she began to feel for her purse
in a trembling, nervous sort of way,
first in ono of her pockets and then in
another.
" I have either lost my purse, or else
my pocket has been picked," she said at
last, with a sort of gasp.
Tho conductor expressed no surprise,
but merely put a tresh straw in hi
uiouth, and then asked us "gents" to
move while he looked for the purse,
"which, if young ladies was 'bu9 con
ductors," he murmured softly to himself,
" they would learn to take better care of
their money."
But the purse was not to be found
" If it really ain't anywhere about you.
miss," said the conductor, as ho emerged
from among the straw, " then your pock
et has been picked. How much was
there in it?"
"Half a sovereign and five-and-six-pence
in silver," answered the young la
dy, with tears trembling on her lyelids
"But that was not nil. It also contained
a valuable diamond ring, the property
of the lady with whom 1 am living, and
which 1 was taking to a jeweler s, not
far from here, to bo repaired.
The conductor turned an eye of com
passion on her. " Well, I'm blowed I"
he muttered, "to think of anybody in
their senses being so green." Then,
turning quickly on tho remaining in
sides, he scanned us over one by oiip,
ending with a solemn shake of the head.
" Can do nothing for you, miss," he said
" You had better go to the police and
give them a description of your proper
ty. I knows most of mo morning pas
sengers for respectable city gents; but
there was one fishy-looking cove him
as got in at Edgeware road, and sat
next to you, mis, all tho way to Far
ringdon (Street what I didn't like the
looks of ; and if your purse was taken
by anybody after you got in the 'bus, I'll
lay odds that was the cove as took it."
And the conductor winked at me por
tentously, to signify that his last remark
was meant for " sai kusum."
"But I have not even money left to
pay my fare with," urged the young
lady.
Half-a-dozen purses wero out at once,
such was the influence of beauty in dis
tress. " Never mind the fare, miss," answe red
tho conductor, affably, as ho mounted to
his perch. "A tanner won't either
break the company or make its fortune.
You go to tho police, that's what you
have got to do. All right, Joey; go
ahead."
The 'bus drove away, leaving the
young lady standing on tho curb. She
put down her veil to hide her wet eyes,
and was turning sadly away, when oui
conductor leaped nimbly down, ran
back to her side, said a few words, and
was back on his perch again in less than
two minutes.
"Thought it best to give the poor
young creetur my number," he remarked,
confidentially, to me, "and the address
of our secretary, in case of anything
turning up. But that ain't likely, you
know, sir. Ah ! it was that tishy-'ook-iag
cove, you may depend upon it."
I was detained in the city till five
o'clock. At that hour I set off westward,
with the intention of walking home.
Toe rain had ceased hours ago, and a
fresh, crisp breeze was now blowing ;
over the murky city roofs the moon was
rising in an unclouded sky, and all the
shops were ablaze with light. My rooms
were in a street leading out of Oxford
Street ; but as I had one or two calls to
make. I chose, this evening, to go round
by way of the Strand aud Charing Cross.
My calls all mude, I turned up St. Mar
tin's Lane, as my nearest way home, and
was walking carelessly along that classic
thoroughfare, when whom should I see
a little way in front of nie, staring in
tently into the window of a jeweler's
shop, but the " fishy-louking cove" of
my friend tho conductor. 1 recoguized
him in a moment, having taken partic
ular notice of him while he was my fel-low-passengt
r in the morning. Not
that there was anything tit hi r in his
appearauco or manner that made un
suspicious of Lis honesty, but that ho of
fered such a marked contract to the ro-spcctable-lookiug
city men who made
up the rest of the passengers. He was
a thin, frowsy, disreputable-looking
man, dressed in a suit of rusty black,
with a hat aud boots that had been caie-
fully "doctored," and might still do
some fair-weather service, but which
were ill calculated to stand the brunt of
a rainy day. His mouth was that of an
habitual dram drinker. His eyes were
weak and watery, and his high-bridged,
aquilinn nose had an inilamed look
about it suggestive of many a deep po
tation. His chin had evidently not felt
a razor for several days ; and the minute
fragments of straw and chaff which
clung to his dress, aud were iuixid up
with his uuki-mpt hair, hinted at the
style of accommodation to which he had
been reduced during the preceding
night. Yet, with all this, the fellow
carried a jaunty little cane, whieh he
swung to and fro as though he hud not
a care in the world. And lie bad on a
pair of dogskin gloves, that would have
looked btylish if they had not been so
very dirty.
But was it be who took the young la
dy's purse V That was the question;
and the oftener I looked at the man, the
more inclined I felt to endorse the opin
ion of the 'bus conductor. A brown mo
rocco purse, containing fifteen and six
pence in cash, and a lady's diamong ring
of the value of fifty guineas, was not a
bad morning's work for a gentleman iu
reduced circumstances. In such a case,
however, all the surmising in the world
was of no avail. No one had seen him
take the purse, and to long as he kept
hu own counsel he was safe from detec
tion. The grand point was to ascertain
whether he really had the ring or a
pawnbroker's duplicate for it about his
person. But how to do this ?
This was the problem that I kept
turning over and over in my mind as I
cautiously followed up my man when be
went on his way from the jeweler's shop.
At the top of the. lane he seemed to hes
itate fur half a minute, then he turned
to the right and went up Long Acre. 1
still followed cautiously, about a dozen
yards in the rear.
"I will put you to a simple test, my
friend," I thought, "and as you come
out of it, so will I adjudge you innocent
or guilty."
Hurrying up behind him, I tipped
him lightly on the arm. " I beg your
pardon," I said, " but did you drop this
pencil-case just now?"
He started as I touched him, and for
a few seconds he seemed as if he could
not take in the meaning of my question.
Whether he recognized me as oue of the
passengers by the morning's bus I could
not determine. We had halted opposite
a large shop, and the light from the
window shone lull on my silver pencil
case, on which at length, when he was
apparently satisfied with tho scrutiny
of my face, his glance was fastened
greedily.
" Ticked it up, did you say ?" he asked,
as he began to fumble with his thumb
and finger in his waistcoat pocket.
"Just behind you," I answered. "But
if it's, not yours I shan't bother any more
ubout it, but pocket it myseif."
" But it's mine," he put in, eagerly.
" How stunid in me to lose it !"
I put the pencil-case in his hand with
out hesitation.
" I am really much obliged to you,"
he went on, "for your kindness in secu
ring it. As you grow old-r, young gen
tlem in, you will find that honesty is
the exception in this world, and not the
rule."
"Well, lam glad to have found the
owner," I said, with a laugh. "You
seem to value the case?"
" I do value it, young gentleman,"
answered the old hypocrite ; " less, per
haps, from its intrinsic worth than from
the fact that it is the sole relic now left
me of a very dear friend. Friendship
ever let us cherish. A truly noble sen
timent !"
" Then, if you value it so highly," I
6aid, " you can hardly object to ttand
half a go of brandy for its recovery."
" Half a go of brandy !" he said, in a
horrified tone. " Young man, young
man, I'm very much afraid "
I bad taken out my watch, a valuable
gold lever, and as his eye fell on it his
inUnded remonstrance camo to an ab
rupt conclusion.
" Well ah yen, you are quite right,"
he resumed, " and I shall be very huppy
to treat you to a go of brandy. To what
place shall we udjourn ?"
" To the nearest house, please. I
want to go homo to dinner."
So we went into tho nearest tavern,
where my new acquaintance ordered a
glass of brandy for me and a glass of
stout for himself. Not to be behind
hand, I ordered a couple of cigars.
"Been in London long:" asked my
companion, as I was lighting my weed.
" No only a few months. Fresh from
the country."
" At tho risk of being thought imper
tinent, may I just inquire to what par
ticular line of business your talents are
devoted ?"
" To no lino at all, just at present.
The fact is," I added, lowering my voice
to the proper confidential tone, " I had
a little money left me a year ago, and I
am up in London looking out for a
sound business investment. But I've,
met with nothing to my liking so far ;
in fact, I'm getting tired of town, and
have half a mind to go back home and
take my money with me."
I could see the old scamp's eyes
brighten as ho drank in my words ea
gerly. " My dear young friend, if you will
allow me to call you so," he began, in
blandly persuasive accents, " let mo
counsel you to do nothing rashly. There
are thousands of excellent investments
iu Loudon. But what you want is a
man lit your back who knows all the
ins and outs of this great city ; who
knows how to separutu the wheat from
the chaff; and who can distinguish, al
most us it wero by instinct, a sound in
vestment from a rotti n one."
" All very tine. But where is a green
horn like me to find such a man ?"
Tho gesture with which my scampish
iriend bowed to me and laid his h ind
on his heart had in it a touch of tho
sublime. " It is not for a modest man
like me to vaunt himself or his qualifi
cations, but I have lived iu London all
my life, and I have not lived with my
eyes shut. Although I am just now
why attempt to deny it ? in some
measure under a cloud, my fortunes, I
um proud to say, have not always been
at their present low ebb. My wife she
is dead now, poor creature ! at oue time
kept her brougham and pair; and I
bad my hack for the park and a
hunter down to Melton. But those
days are gone, never to return. (Drink
up, sir, and let us bave another glass.)
1 was ruined in the year of tho great
panic. All tho more, then, am I fitted,
after passing through such a bitter ex
pel ieuce, to fill tue part of a judicious
mentor to inexperienced youth with
capital at its back. Sir, my humble ser
vices are yours to command."
" Well," I said with a dubious air, " it
is just possible that you might be able
to put me up to a useful wrinkle or two.
But, iu any case, this u not the tpot to
discuss such matters. Come aud have a
bit of dinner with me at my rooms, and
we can talk things over afterwards, with
the assistance of a pipe and tumbler."
" A bit ot dinner, a pipo and a tum
bler. Ha, ha ! I will attend to. you,
my young friend, with the utmost satis
faction." I hailed the first cab I could find, and
we rattled off to my lodgings. No con
versation " took place while we were
going over the stones, but in imagina
tion I saw before me a certain sweet,
tearful face, and I felt more determined
than ever to go through with the
scheme, wild and preposterous,' as it
might have seemed at another time,
which had flashed across my brain while
I whs following the rascal by my side up
St. Martin's lane.
Having instructed my landlady to
put down another cutlet, and to send
out for ono or two extras, we ascended
to my rooms.
" In the hope, my dear sir, that our
friendship nmy be a long and flourish
ing one, said my unwelcomo guest,
" allow me, as a needf ul preliminary, to
present you with my card."
He handed me, as he spoke, a very
limp and rather dirty piece of paste
board, which he had some difficulty in
tinging among his multifarious pockets,
and on which was inscribed the name of
"Mr. Reginald Tracy." Of course I
could do no less thnn return the compli
ment. Dinner was served a few minutes
later, and while it was in progress the
conversation of Mr. Tracy and myself
was ot the most intermittent character.
I gathered enough, however, to enable
mo to discover that he was a man of
some education, and must at one time
have mixed in superior society. By the
i xerciso of what knavish arts he had'
contrived to forfeit the position he once
held, I could not, of course, tell ; therein,
no doubt, lay tho great secret of his life.
Poor wretch 1 it was easy to see, from
the sfyle in which he gwt through his
food, that a plentiful and wholesome
meal was what ho hud not partaken of
for some time. At length he laid back
in his chair in a state of happy reple
tion. "Not another morsel, my dear
boy," ho Baid, with a benignant smile,
'positively I could not. Let good di
gestion wait on nppetite you know the
rest. A bountiful meal! But Provi
dence tempprs the wind to the shorn
lamb ! Aud now for the pipo and tum
bler. Ha, ha I I have not forgotten."
As soon as we were fairly und. r way
with our first tunibbr, Mr. Tracy broke
ground on the subj ct that was evi
dently uppermost in his thoughts. " If,
-ir," he said, ''you would favor me with
a hint as to the special class of invest
ment in which yi.u are desirous of lay
ing out your capital, and would also
furnish nie with come positive data to
work upon, I could give you the benefit
of my experience in that particular line
of procedure which your inclinations
may lead you to pn fer."
"Capital three theusand ; lino of in
vestment not decided on," I said.
"Something light and genteel would be
preferred."
" Such as importer of wines and spir
its, for instance ?" said Mr. Tracy.
" That would do capitally, I dare say,
only I happen to know nothing in the
world about it."
" Quite unnecessary, my dear sir, that
you should. Only find tho money, and
I will engage to find tho brains, aiid to
make your fortune into the bargain."
Mr. Tracy sighed deeply, took a long
pull at his tumbler, and then proceeded
to enlighten my iguornnce s to the va
rious methodi by which extraordinary
profits might be realized, without tho
slightest risk of failure, by any ono who,
combining capital with brains, might
choo-e to appear before the world as un
importer of wines and spirits. That
some of the methods indicated by Mr.
Tracy were several degrees on the shady
side of honesty, might nt once have been
predicted from the character of the
man ; but ho certainly hud a very neat
way of wrapping up and labelling his
"tricks of trade," so as to make them
look as much like a genuine article as
possible.
His exhortation and his third tumbler
came to an end together.
"Have you over beeu in the I'nited
States ?" 1 suddenly asked.
" Never, sir. As a patriotic English
man, my love of travel never took me so
far from my home."
" Then you have never tasted any of
those delicious drinks which, under va
rious strange names, are so populur
among the Yankees?"
" Once more a negative must bo my
answer. But, my dear young friend, it
you will dtcide to lay out your capital
m accordance with my "
" A moment, if you please," I said.
"Before going into any further busine-s
details, what do you say to a change of
tipple? I think we have had enough
of this stuff. .Let me try whether I can
not brew you one of those delightful
American drinks of which I spoke ju t
now. I had the recipes for several of
them from nu undo of mine, who is cap
tain of a liner."
"Just as you like, rJier ami just as
you like," he said ; " though 1 don't
think much improvement on this deli
cious toddy is possible."
We can come back to it again, if the
other does not prove to our liking," I
said.
"And not bo flouted for our incon
stancy," added Mr. Tracy, with a laugh.
So now for this Yankee nectarof yours.
I grow thirsty by anticipation."
Two large tumblers and the various
ingredients required for the purpose
were quickly put together. Last of all
I went into my study, and after staying
there ubjut a couple of minutes, I went
back, carrying with me a packet con
taining hulf-a-dozen powders, done up
in differently-colored papers. Tho de
gree of knowledge I had laid claim to as
a concoctor of American drinks was by
no means fictitious ; and I now proceed
ed to mix oue utter the most approved
f.ibhion, and ended by opening one-ot
the colortd papers and pouring the con
tents of it into the turn tiler, and then of
fered the whole to Tracy.
But the putting in of the powder had
evidently roused Lib suspicious, and, with
a polite wave ot tho han J, he rofustd the
proffered tumbler. "Af ter you, my dear
sir," he said. " I reallr must insist on
your imbibing the fir tumbler your
self. The second will p excellently well
for me." j
" As you please," I aid, with a shrug.
With that I proceeded to drain the first
tumbler, expressing b pantomime, as I
did so, my appreciate of its excellence.
After this, I mixed a tcoud tumblerful,
into which, as before I poured the con
tents of one of the capred papers, and
then handed the while to Tracy. His
lips having once touobfed the glass, stuck
there till it was empy.
He gave a sigh of intense satisfaction
as be put down the glass. " Ambrosia,
by Jupiter 1'' he exclaimed. " The man
who invented tiat tipple ought to be
immortalized by a statue of the whitest
marble. I have no wish to be thought
presumptuous, but I cannot resist asking
you to mix ono more potation."
" Ono ! half-a-dozon, if you like," I
replied ; "and all of them different.
Unless your tHste differs very much frcm
mine, you will find No. 2 an improve
ment on No. 1."
He refilled his pipe while I was mix
ing the second tumbler, but still kept a
watchful eye on my proceedings ; not
that he was any longer suspicions of my
good faith, but because he was desirous
of taking a lesson in the ait of concoct
ing such delicious drinks. When all tho
other ingredients were properly com
bined, I opened one of the packets as
before, and shook the contents into a
tumbler, and then having well stirred
the whole, I handed the glass to Tracy.
But the powder in this case possessed
properties very different from that of
the innocent alkali of which I had made
use previously.
As before, Tracy's lips seemed glued
to the tumbler till he had drained the
contents to the last drop.
" How does that suit your taste ':" I
said. " Is it equal to the first ?"
"Such a question is hard to answer,"
ho replied. " The beauties of both are
so evenly balanced that Bacchus himself
would find it difficult to decide between1
the two. I have to thank you, my dour
young friend, for having opened up a
new vista of pleasure undreamed of by
me before."
" I must give you one or two of my
recipes, and then you can mix for your
self. One more tumbler, and "
Even whilo I was speaking tho pipe
dropped from his lips, and his eyes began
to wander. Slowly and deliberately 1
proceeded with my preparations fo" an
other tumbler. Tracy, after glancing
down reproachfully at his p:.pe, took no
further heed of it, but planting both
his elbows firmly on the table, and taking
fast hold of his head between his hands,
he tried his utmost to bring his weak,
wavering gaza to bear on my manipu
lating fingers. But the effort was too
much for him. His eyes closed, opened,
closed again, and then, with a low in
coherent words of apology, his head
dropped forward on the table ; his ner
vous arms lost all power of tension, and
in twenty seconds he was faster asleep
than he had ever been in his lite before.
It was to this end that all my efforts
had been directed. The powder puf by
me into the second tumbler was a power
ful Indian narcotic, which I had latterly
had occasion to use in some of my chem
ical experiments. Although successful
so far, it was not without a more unequal
beating of the heart than usual that I
proceeded to carry out the remainder of
my designs. However honest one's de
signs may be, there is something nefari
ous in the act of feeling in a man's
pockets something that goes utterly
against the grain ; yet that was precisely
what 1 had now got to do. Before pro
ceeding any further, however, I thought
it advisable to have a third person by
me to act ns a witness of what might
follow. So I went down stairs to mv
landlady's room, with the intention of
getting cither the worthy danio herself,
or her husband, to act tho part of chorus
iu my forthcoming little drama. Fortu
nately I found the old lady's son, who is
a strapping sergeant in the Guards, and
who made no difficulty ubout going back
with me.
We found Tracy still asleep, with his
head on the table. From this posture I
gently raised him, and laid him back in
the easy chair in which he was sitting.
My next proceeding was to insert my
hand into each of his pockets, one after
the other, in search of tho missing dia
mond. I found the young l.idy's purse,
but the ling was not in it ; I also found
a number of pawnbroker's duplicates,
but none of them having reference to
the object of which I wus in search.
Here, loo, was my pencil-case, which,
together with the purse, I did not fail to
appropriate. One alter another, I
searched all the pockets I could find,
but still the ring was not forthcoming,
and I began to lear that he had already
disposed of it, iu which case it was
piobably lost beyond recovery. My
friend, the sergeant, seeing my perplexity,
suggested that the ring wus perhaps
sewn up in tho lining of his coat, or
waistcoat. Acting on this hint, 1 ielt
all over the lining of his coat, but with
out success i but on coming to the waist
coat, 1 found something hard, over which
a patch of wush leather had been care
tully stitched. A few seconds sufficed
to uurip the sewing, ami therein,
wrapped up carefully iu cotton wool and
tissuu paper, was a lady's diamond ring.
In silent triumph, I held it up on tho
tip of my finger for the sergeant's iu
spi ction.
" Hurrah ! that's jolly and no mistake,"
shouted the Guardsman, with a wave of
his pipe. " How will Mr. Slyboots feel
wheu ho wakes up ?"
We were not loft long in doubt on
that point. Mr. Tracy began to yawn
aud stretch and pull himself together.
It was a peculiarity of the narcotic I had
given hini that its effect, when adminis
tered in small doses, was ot very short
duiation, and I knew that Tracy's stupor
wouia not last a Dove nail un nour, at
the most. To assist his recovery, 1 held
a vial of strong smelling salts to his
nose, lie opened ins eyes, sat un.
sneezed, and stared vacantly around.
- uooa evening, governor, said the
sergeant. " You teem to have had quite
a refreshing little snooze."
Mr. I racy did not respond to this
friendly greeting. His Augers were busy
fumbling at bis waistcoat, and the next
moment he started up with a tremendous
oath, and declared that he had been
robbed.
" Of what have you been robbed, Mr.
Tracy ? " I asked.
"Ot a valuable diamond ring, which.
for better security, I had stitched up iu
ine luius oi my wautcoat.
"fiobably this purse a'so belongs to
you f I sai 1, holding up the article in
question.
tie changed color at once, and all the
defiance seemed to ooze out of him as I
kept my eyes fixed steadily on bis.
" That, too, is my property," ho said,
with a poor attempt at bravado; "and
I must ask you at onco to explain how
it enme into your possession."
" Lot me first tell ynu how it ennio
into yours," I paid. " You took it, this
morning, out of the pocket of a young
lady who sat next to you in an omnibus.
At that time it contained, besides a
small Mini of money, a diamond ring,
now in my custody, and which I man
to restore to its owner to-morrow. Are
you Rati fled ?"
" A lie I an infernal lie !" ho said, with
an angry stamp of the foot.
"You are not satisfied ?" I said. " Such
being the case, let us adjourn to the
nearest police station, and each tell his
own story to tho inspector. For iny
part, I am quite willing to bear the
brunt of such a proceeding. Are you
ready to accompany me ?"
" Sold ! most damnably sold '" cried
Tracy, flinging up his clenched hands.
Then ho turned and picked up his hat
and cane; then facing me, he said
" You villain I You have tricked mo
this time, but I'll be revenged on you
yet. Next time it will be my turn, and
I advise you to beware "
" If you are not out of this house in
two minutes," I said, " 1 will give you
in charge of the police."
He turned on me with a Bnarl, and
made a motion as though ho wou'd have
struck me across the face with his cane.
My friend, the sergeant, was on his feet
in an instant.
" Now, governor, you just hook it
quietly, or it will be worse for you," he
said. " I may us well light you to the
street door, or you might perhaps find
your way by accident into one of the
other rooms. Now just step out, will
you?" .
I called next morning at the office of
the Secretary of the Omnibus Company,
and found, as I hud anticipated, that
tho young lady had left her address
there. To this address, which was in o
certain west end square, I hurried as
fast as a cab would take me. I found
the young lady, aud the old woman
with whom she was living as n. com
panion, terribly put about by tho loss of
the ring, and therefore proportionately
pleased at its recovery.
The first visit was not the last, by any
means, but all the rest merely concerns
Minnie and myself, and :iuy remain
loft unwritten.
THE FREAKS OF LOYE.
Mlory of the Young Lnily whs went to Cali
fornia to Marry a Alan whom Blio Imd
never seen The Uouianco of ici n Facts.
The following, from the Sacramento
(Cal ) Dtc, probably refers to a young
ludy from this vicinity who as we know,
recently went to California for the pur
pose of being married to a gentleman
whom she had never seen, and who was
known to her only through tho report
of f riends and a photograph.' We hope
the brido will never have cause to hato
tho bridegroom :
An incident came to our knowledge a
a few days ago which may strike our
readers ns being quite romantic in its
way : When conductor , of one of
the Central Pacific trains took charge of
his train ut Truekoe, bound for this city,
one day last week, ho noticed among the
passengers a very pretty, modest-appearing
young lady, who seemed to be travel
ling alone. As the cars climbed the
mount tin, whirled through gorge and
around precipice, she sat at one of the
windows and gazed out with an anxious
look, as though she longed to reach the
shore of the Pacific, where she might
meet with friends or relatives. While
passing through, the conductor thought
be heard some one address him, and ou
looking around discovered that it was
his young female passenger, who, with
bashful air inquired if he whs going
through to Sacramento. On being
answered that he was, she blushed still
dei per, and said that she had rather a
queer request to make of him. She said
sue expected to meet at "the Junction"
a gentleman whom alio had never seen,
but to whom sho was about to be mar
ried, and requested the conductor to
watch for him and to introduce him to
ber if he should find him. For some
two years they had been in correspon
dence with one another how it was
brought about she did not say and it
was arranged that she should come to
California and that her unknown friend
should ut onco lead her to the altar. On
sped the train through tunnels and snow
drilts and over yawning gulfs, but the
soon-to-be bride neither thought of
danger nor of tho beauties and grandeur
of the Sierras; she sat still und gazed
wistfully down into the valley where the
muddy Sacramento was winding its
crooked way toward the ocean, and
where sho hoped soon to meet her mys
terious lover. Station after 6tatiou was
reached, and finally "the Junction"
came in sight. The conductor stationed
himself on the platform of the front car
und scanned tho crowd that thronged
about as tho train neared tho depot. A
well dressed and gentlemanly-looking
individual stepped forward upon the
platform. He too, wore a somewhat
anxious look, and be concluded that he
bad found his man. A tap outhe shoul
der and low inquiry by him und a quick
eager response from tho stranger follow
ed ; the conductor was right The train
moved on and they entered the car. The
meeting of the lovers we shall not at
tempt to describe, but will leave each of
our readers especially the young ladies
to draw such pictures as they may
think tho circumstance may warrant.
roui " me j unction to tue city we
have no account the two fond beings
were unmolested. A few momenU nfu-r
the train reached this city a carriage
drove away from the depot containing
two persons, a gentleman and lady,
whom the conductor recognized as his
young lady passenger and the gentle
man who met her at "the Junction."
The latter whispered to the driver to go
straight to the house of Rev. Mr. ,
and they were lost to view. We read of
such things in works of fiction, but it is
seldom that they actually happen.
Rochester (-Y. '.) Chronicle.
M ! mCEUAXEOUS ITEMS.
It is estimated that 300,000 persons
have settled in Texas during the last,
year.
Malaga grapes ore cheaper and better
this season than thry have been for
many years.
Tho Vermont Legislature is a model
body. It sits only two or three weeks
every two years.
An Owen county Kentttckian has won
admiration by marrying his girl when
she was down with the measles.
A charming girl in Covington, Ohio,
mar. wnelr ciirirli.rl rn tho uTt.enr nt flis-
locating her lower jaw.
Diamonds in the London market have
fallen in value thirty per cent., owing
to the great quantity offered by refugees
from Franco. , '
A Western gentleman is under medi
cal treatmout for the lead colic, induced
by kissing a young lady of improved
complexion.
When the Marquis of Lome becomes
Victoria's son-in-law, there is said to be
a prospect of his being made Govornor
Geueral of Canada.
Secretary Crcswell will recommend
the adoption in this country of the
penny postal card, which is now exten
sively used in England.
A contemporary proposes the establish-
tuent of " training collegos," wherein
young women may be taught how to rear
infants according to the latcBt lights of
medical and social science.
For over thirty years an old gentleman
at St. Albans, Vt., has mude a practice of
getting out of bed every night at 11, 12,
2, and 4 o'clock, to enjoy a "comfortable .
smoke."
Iu Bj-ton a poor man who, less than
one year ago, had only one suit of clothes,
went into the newspaper business, and
now has eight suits. Seven of them are
for libel.
In Chicago the inexorable decrees of
fashion make it imperative on dogs of
good family to wear black and red prom-
.nfirlj. hlnntmta mir) tn havA fba luajtincr
' v - C5
strings attached to the left side of the ,
collar.
A conductor on the Toledo, Wabash
and Western Itiilway, while the train
was running at its full speed, shot und
killed a quail on the wing, at a distance
of about fifty feet, with a small Derrin
ger pistol.
A New Hampshire magistrate is under
indictment for h iving married a matron
ot W to a youtn ot lo, wnom she had. cap
tured, and who states that ho was afraid :
to say " no" when asked the momentous
question.
1 rl i. . i.? i - . tt
a. runway siaiion ugeui in ah ew Hamp
shire, having been reprimanded for al
lowing a car to bo so hoavily loaded that
it broke down, replied, " Mr. G., what do
you expect a man to know for twenty
dollars a month ?"
Mr. Maillefert has contracted to re
move the obstructions from the James
river below Kichmond. The Dutch Gap
C .1 Tl 1 will Vi ( 1 1 . u rl .i.f ii ti .1 trat.tiA . i-t
us to transfer the channel of the James
river to that famous excavation.
Californians, owing to tho alkaline
taste of most of tho water in the State,
are tho greatest coffee drinkers in the'
country, the average yearly consump-
tion being 1G .1-5 pounds, while in the
Union ut large tho average is only seven
pounds.
A Kansas paper describing a wedding
trousseau, savs : " The bride is to have
trailing nightgowns; oh, such beauties, t
with ever such long trails five feet, at
least. One chemisette that our gossiping
friend showed us had over f 30 worth of
trimming on it, and that is only one of
half a dozen."
One of the most accommodating of men
lives in Elk township, Noble county,
Ohio. The other day ho walked over
thirty-two miles, through the rain, for
the bole purpose of paying a neighbor's
tax. The tax was eighteen cents, and
with tho delinquency amounted to forty
four cents.
It is customary iu Massachusetts to
open the sessions of the Supreme Court
with prayer. At the recent term in Fitch
burg the clergyman in attendance, after
asking Divine favor and guidance for the
presiding Judge, proceeded to earnestly
implore the Loid for similar blessings
upon tho Judge's wife and children, that
t hey might be spared in life and in health
during his absence, and that, at the close
of the term, ho might bo once more re
stored to the bosom of his family. As
the presiding Judge was never married,
his feelings during the service may be
imagined.
A somnambulist in New Haven jumped
down the other night 16 feet upon a tin
roof, and, still isleep, deliberately walked
off on to another roof six feet lower; then
walked through a skylight and lodged
on a table ton feet below, and then in
some way crawled back through the dis
mantled skylight, cutting his feet badly
in his struggles. The noise awakened a
man in the house, who found the som
nambulist standing upon the tin roof,
with nothing on but his shirt, and en
tirely unconscious as to how he camo
there. He was wounded and nearly
frozen, and was taken back into the house
and properly cared for.
A New York correspondent writes
that a lady there recently granted a
day's holiday to her nursery maid, and
was afterward so strongly importuned
by her children to take them to a certain
place of amusement that she complied
with their request. Sitting in front of
ner was a temale, elegantly attired in a
rich striped silk, and exactly like the
one the lady had received from her
modiste and had not worn. Her atten
tion was further attracted by a familiar
looking black lace shawl, fastened at the
shoulders by diamond clasps -strangely
resembling her own. Her interest ja
the toilette was by no means diminished,
as she recognized the fac-simile of an
exquisite point lace hat she had just re
ceived from Paris, and estimated aa auja
of the choicest articles in ber possession.
The richly dressed ft male was the nur
sery maid, and the clothes were her tuis-
ucsa b.