j!
NEW BLOOMFI35L33, PA., TUESDAY, J -A-lSTTJA.il Y 2, 1877.
NO. 1.
VOL. XI.
THE TIMES.
An Independent Family Sewspapcr,
IS FUM.lBITBn KVBUT TUR8DAY BT
V. MORTIMER & CO.
Subscription Prloe.
'Within the County II 2.1
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Out of the County, Including pwtUtca, ISO
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A WOMAN'S SECRET.
A Slory of the Revolution.
CONTINUED.
: rpiIE orderly-book was gone !
Death
JL and furies! What was to be done
now ? The prank of the night before,
though, like most practical jokes, more
. amusing to their perpetrators than to
their victims, seemed to have been but
the prologue to a more serious-jest oneof
those jests which are paradoxically, but
truly, called " no joke." As long ns the
ghost was content to confine the over
flowings of his animal spirits to new
combinations of the tables and chalrs,to
. a novel arrangement of the bed-clothes,
or to a summary divorce of the shovel
and tongs, his effervescences, if not ab
solutely agreeable, were at least not pos
itively mischievous. But to meddle
with what was none of his business,but,
on the contrary, with what was emphat
ically the business of his majesty's th
regiment, was an entirely different affair.
The ghost could not be a loyal ghost,
that was plainly to be seen. Old Wood,
' to be sure, had no particular reason to
love a government that intended pro
moting him to the yard-arm, if it could
have laid hold of him ; but it was not
handsome in him to resort to such, a plt-
Iful revenge as this ; particularly in his
- own house. It was hardly fair to visit
i the sins of Queen Anne's Lords of the
' Admiralty upon an unoffending captain
and adjutant in the army of King
George. It is plain that he was a rebel
at heart, and, had he been in the flesh,
would have waged war In the name of
the colonies against his liege sovereign,
with as much gusto as he did against
mankind in general on his own account;
especially if there happened to be any
rich London or Bristol ships within
range of his guns. He had a natural
taBte for such pursuits ; his only mistake
; lay lu interfering as an amateur in whul
was strictly a professional monopol
There is great virtue in a commission
. Jetter-of-marque. A piece of sheen-skin
.and a pair of epaulettes make all tie
difference in the world in the moral
-qualities of actions. In many easel It
makes all the difference between a hefip-
' en cord and a red ribbon round a n
, neck. Many a hero has gone out o
world in the embrace of a hajte:
achievements only recorded in the
. gate Calendar, who, had bin nou
. i-tantive been only qualified by anJhdjec
tive or two, would have received " the
senate's thanks," have glitterel with
medals and orders, and been commemo
rated by word-famous histories and
poets. Such is luck I but it is none of
my business to moralize In thistay. All
I have to do is to relate this trie passage
01 mstory witn me most ausolue aocu.
racy of detail.
While we have been indulgjng in these
- profitable reflections our hew has been
through a variety of evolutions. First,
he stood aghact, as if, instead of gazing
upon nothing at all, his sigljt had been
blasted by some particularly ill-favored
apparition. This was the nly Idea that
his look and gesture communicated to
his trusty 'squire, who turned his eyes
with difficulty in the direction of his
master's, in the confident expectation of
being rewarded by the vision of a raw
head and bloody-bones at the very least.
Disappointed, however, , of any suoh
pleasing spectacle, he was by no means
so ill-iuformed in the very rudiments of
demonology, as not to know that it did
not necessarily follow, because! he could
discern nothing beyond the common,
that his master was equally unfortunate.
What Is it, sir ? Where is It, sir?"
inquired John, in a voice of hollow
emotion. ' ,
"The orderly-book, you scoundrel!
tne orderly-book I" responded the cap
tain, in a low, concentrated tone.
The orderly-book, your honor !" re
turned John. "Well, sir, I never heard
of the ghost of a book walking before !
Wtat does it look like, sir J" '
It is evident that John wbb not a read
ing man (the march of mind had not
then been taken up, nor had the school
master gone abroad) or he would have
known that nothing Is more common
than for the ghost of a book to walk.
Indeed, what Is a book but the ghost of
the man who writes it V O blessed nec
romancy of reading, mightier than that
of the Governor of Glubdubbdrib, or the
Island of Enchanters, once visited by
that only truthful traveler, Lemuel Gul
liver. For whereas, his could ouly com
mand the departed for the space of twenty-four
hours, thine can Bummon them
to the presence at all seasons, and for
any time ! But John did not know this;
so he aBkcd what the ghost of the orderly-book
looked like.
" Look like, you villain!" somewhat
testily answered Ingram. " It looks like
nothing at all ! It's gone, you dog I"
" Gone already, sir 1" exclaimed the
astonished John. " And where was It,
slrV"
" Exactly in the middle of the table,
therewith Its right cover leaning against
the candlestick, its hinder end cocked up
upon the Inkstand."
" Bless my soul I" shuddered John, at
this picturesque description, " and how
long ago is it since your honor Baw It
last?"
" Just as I was going to the assembly
this evening," replied his master.
" O Lord ! is that all ?" exclaimed the
man, much relieved, " I thought your
honor had just seen it, when I could see
nothing at all."
" Confound your nonsense !" returned
the captain, sharply. " I only wish
that I bad seen it I What under Heaven
I am to say about it to Lord Percy to
morrow, God knows ! But light all the
candles in the room, and let us have a
thorough search for it ; though it is not
likely that it is here."
This foreboding was but too true. His
prophetic heart had told him an ower true
tale. They looked above, around and
underneath. They crawled over the
floor on their hands and knees, and, like
the serpent of old, " upon their bellydld
they go" under the bed. They looked
into every drawer, and inspected the
most Impossible places. But it was all
' in vain. The mystic volume was not to
be found in the wood-box, nor did it
drop from the inverted Jack-boots. The
window seats were Ignorant of its where.
about, and the window-curtains wotted
not of its presence. The cooking uten
sils knew not of it, and their basket and
tneir store was not blessed witn its pos
session. Where the plague could it be ?
It seemed ns if the ghost only could
tell.
There was no sign of any other disturb
ance in their premises. This made the
matter look the more mysterious. It
was a much more awful affair than If the
disappearance of the book bad been ac
companied by any of the gambols and
funniments of the night before. That
looked like fun ; this looked more like
earnest. The orderly-book contained in
formation relating to the strength and
state of the royal forces, which it was of
the last importance should not full into
the hands of the rebels. And besldo this
there were loose papers, given to our
hero by Lord Percy to be copied, as he
acted in some sort as his private secreta
ry as well as adjutant, which were of a
sua more secret nature. Bucn, for ex
ample, as his lordship's reply to the
requisition of the commander-in-chief
for the opinions of his principal officers
as to the state of affairs in the town, and
the best course to be pursued. This, and
other documents, involved an amountof
intelligence, as to foots and opinions
which might be of infinite inisehlef if
they fell into the enemy's hands. In
gram knew too well what a moss of dis
affection existed in the town, not to feel
that the worst was but too probable,
After every place, probable and - Im
probable, had been ransacked, and to no
purpose, the search was abandoned for
the night. The room was secured as far
as locks and bolts were concerned, though
they seemed to be of but little moment
in this chamber of bedevilment; and
Captain Ingram retired moodily to bed
to seek for such rest as he could And,
It
was an uncomfortable iight, to be sure
not from any renewal of the disturb
ances of the night before, for all was
quiet ; but from his harassing thoughts
and internal vexation. Ilia sleep was
broken by visions of his interview with
his commander, in which he should
communicate this provoking occurrence.
Words of censure and reprimand rung
in his ears. He even saw hlmself,in the
phantasmagoria of his waking dreams,
standing without his sword, before a
court-martial detailed to try him for
neglect of duty. In the confusion of
his thoughts ho cuuld not very accurate
ly dotermlne what would be considered
the exact menBuro of his military of
fence. But he could not help feeling
that it would be no advantage to him in
his professional career, even in the most
favorable event. Ho cursed the evil
hour In which he Bought these unlucky
quarters, and heartily wished them, and
everything connected with them, at the
devil. He perplexed his thoughts In
vain with conjectures as to the motives
and the method of the trick that had
been played him ; and though he resolv
ed not to rest until he had plucked out
the heart of the mystery, still lie feared
that the Injury to the service and to his
own prospects would be completed before
he could accomplish his purpose. It
was a miserable business, altogether. If
he escaped with a reprimand from head
quarters, and with a dread laugh of the
mess-table, he would be a lucky fellow.
I have often wondered how much the
beaming eyes and laughing mouth of
Helen Clairmont mingled in these vis
ions of the night. I am afraid that all
the little loves, by whom he had been
escorted down Hanover street, after he
had put Miss Clairmont Into the car
rlage, were sent to the right about by
the first tempest of Ills astonishment
and vexation. But they are volatile
creatures, and though easily brushed
aside for a moment, soon return again
to the charge. .Liike tiles, it is easy
enough to drive them away, but before
you can congratulate yourself on being
rid of them, back they are again
Be this as it may, I have the best rea
sons for believing that they returned be
fore day-break, and buzzed merrily about
the pillow of Ingram. The mosquito-
net is not yet invented that can keep
them out. I cannot depone positively
to the exact proportion of his waking or
of his sleeping dreams that was of their
weaving. For I am scrupulous never
to state any fact, or historical docu
ment like the present, which I am not
prepared at any moment to authenticate
by affidavit before any magistrate or jus
tice of the peace. But I am quite cer
tain that those soft eyes and that be
witching smile floated before his mind's
eye, mixed up even with his least pleas
ant anticipations. In case of the worst,
youth and nature would suggest that
there might be some comfort yet left
him. Though his cup might bo a bitter
one, still there was at least one . cordial
drop at tne bottom or it. Tnougu cen
sure or derision might visit his misfor
tune, still there was one whose soft
bosom would feel with him, and who
would view it with the eyes of love, and
not of discipline. Perhaps the events of
the day and evening had encouraged
this' state of feeling. For, to be candid
she had been tolerably encouraging.
He felt more sure that she loved him
than he had ever done before; and al
though he could not exactly define Ills'
own views and intentions in the prem
ises, still he yielded (and who can blame
him ?) to the delicious dream of love. If
any of my readers can recall to recollec
tion the time when he first truly bellev
ed that he was beloved by a beautiful
young woman, and yet can find it in
his heart to wonder that Ingram should
have gilded the gloomy hours of that
unlucky night with dreams of Helen
uiairmont, l wisn no would just do me
the favor to lay this true history aside,
He is not worthy to be my reader. But
then It is impossible that there should
be such a man.
The hours of the niJht wore on, and
at last the morning f ame, It was
black morning to pout' Ingram , but he
resolved to meet the unpleasant conse
quences of his minfiap with the best
face he could. As Wis candle-light toilet
was proceedlng,thorderly-Bergeaut call
ed for his book
" I shall call myself upon Lord Percy,
Williams, immediately after parade ; so
you need not wait.
" The veteran stared a little at this
deviation from routine, but it was his
business to obey ; so he bowed and re
tired. , , '
It was a bitter cold morning, and the
keen wind was improved in sharpness
by the broad expanse of frozen water
which then separated the Common from
the country beyond. But Ingrain felt
warm enough in the prospect of what
was before him. There is no external
or internal application of a more calor
ific tendency than the inevitable neces
sity of doing a particular disagreeable
piece of work at a certain specified hour
near at hand. It makes the heart seethe
like a cauldron, and the boiling blood is
sent bubbling through the veins.
The parado was over. The troops
were dismissed. Ingrain was moving
slowly towards the mess breakfast,
thinking of the duty that must follow
It, when he was aroused from his rev
erie by hearing a horse reined up sud
denly by his side. It was Lord Percy
himself.
So Williams tells me, Ingram, tbat
you have something to say to me. Come
and breakfast with me, my boy, and
you will have the best of opportunities
to say It. I shall be quite alone."
" It will give me infinite pleasure, my
lord," replied Ingram, "and I will be
with you immediately."
" ltight, right," sold his lordship,
punctuality at drills and at mess is a
great military virtue. I shall expect
you in a(quarter of an hour."
With these words he cantered along
the frozen road (for it could hardly be
called a street then) that led to his ex
cellent quarters.
I am afraid my hero lied, the least in
the world, when he said that it would
give him infinite pleasure to breakfast
with his noble friend and commander.
Not that he hud any fears as to tne qual
ity of his breakfast or of his society ; but
the thoughts, of the sauce which be
brought to both, plagued him in ad
vance, and he wished that a longer time
and a wider space could have elapsed be
fore it was necessary to administer it.
But delay was useless and impossible, so
he strode toward the quarters of his host
with a firm tread, and ascended the
long flight of steps that led to the house,
and gazed upon the trees and shrubs in
the court-yard, all glittering with ice,
with as easy and careless an air as he
could assume. The breakfast room,into
which he was shown, was a spacious
walnscotted apartment, with a low ceil
ing, but an air of great comfort. A blaz
ing fire of logs roared up the chimney,
and the breakfast-table, with all Its ap
pliances of luxury, was drawn into a
comfortable proximity to It. The winter's
sun looked brilliantly through two
windows of the room. Fresh plants
stood iu the windows, and old pictures
looked down from the walls. It was
not Alnwick Castle, nor Lion House, to
be sure, but it was a very inhabitable
place for all that. An older campaigner
than his lordship might have thought
himself well off in worse quarters.
In a few minutes Lord Percy appear
ed, having exchanged his uniform coat
for a brocaded dressing-gown, and his
military boots for Turkish slippers, and,
after a cordial welcome to his young
friend, rang the bell for breakfast. The
tray was brought ; the coffee was pour
ed ; the eggs were cracked ; the toast
was crunched. The'breakfast was dis
patched with the appetites of young
men ; sharpened by a daybreak parade,
with the thermometer at zero. Their
discussions were confined to the good
things before them, and the things to
which they were naturally allied, until
the table was cleared 'and the servants
withdrawn. Then Lord Percy, draw,
ing his chair up to the fire, and, com.
fortably nursing his left leg placed over
hlg right knee, turned to Ingram, with
an air of comic gravity.
"Well, my lad," thus his lordship
opened the palaver, " so you have some
what to say to me t Faith, I thought as
much last night I"
"Last night, my lord!" exclaimed
the adjutant, "I don't know that I
rightly apprehend your meaning."
"O, of course not," replied the earl,
" hut you can hardly suppose that I
failed to observe how carefully you fol
lowed my advice last evening. You
must not suppose that Cupid has ban
daged all bur eyes as effectually as he
seems to have doniours."
" Ah, yes I" replied our hero, " your
lordship alludes to my little flirtation
with Miss Clairmont. I was only fol
lowing your own advice to fall in love
with two or three at the same time.
But you know, my lord, that it Is neces
sary to begin with one. Now I begin
with this one."
"Bravo! bravo! Ingram," said Lord
Percy, laughing, "a ready answer is a
good thing, In love or in war ! Well,
well ! you understand your own affairs
best, and you are old enough to manage
them for yourself. Upon my honor, I
can hardly blame you, young man. I
was half Inclined to fall in love with her
myself last night. Shefsa llnecreature!
" One docs not often see a liner, in
deed, my lord," answered the lover,
" but you are quite at liberty to enter
the lists with me, if you choose," he
doughtily continued; "I have no pre
tensions to any monopoly in that
quarter."
I believe the fellow knew be lied when
he said that ; but these, I believe, are
the sort of lover's perjuries at which
Jove laughs. Whether Jove laughed at
this or not, Jjord Fcrcy did, as ho re
plied "Very likely, very likely. Thank
you, thank you. . I do not know that I
should like to run the risk, were I not
armed In proof on that side. Then I
suppose your business of this morning
does not relate to this matter, as I
thougbtat first It might?"
" No, my lord," answered Ingram,
plucking up his courage, and determin
ed to have it over at once, " no my lord,
I am sorry to say that my errand is of
a much less pleasant character; and it
relates rather to war than to love, and to
me than to Miss Clairmont. It is not
the loss of my heart, but of your orderly-hook
that is in question."
" The orderly-book lost, Ingram I" ex
claimed Lord Percy, " what the devil do
you mean ?" In a tone of the utmost
surprise, a little mixed with incredulity.
Exactly what I say, my lord," re
plied the adjutant, waxing cooler as he
went on, " the orderly-book, and all its
contents, Is gone; and, what is worse, I
see no sort of prospect of ever recover
ing it again."
"What do you mean, what do you
mean ?" repeated the earl in great as
tonishment; "you know very well that
this is a serious matter, and can hardly
be Jesting."
" I was never more serious in my life.
I assure you, my lordV' asseverated the
young officer. " I wish it may turn out
to be a jest, in the end. Horry as I
should be to be guilty of any disrespect
to your lordship, I would willingly en
counter your displeasure for an untime
ly jest, so that the service were in no
danger of mischief from this unlucky
business."
"But how could it be lost, Captain
Ingram," bis lordship replied, a little,
sternly, " how could it be lost, when It
was in your custody ; and you could not
but know the vital importance of keep
ing it safe. How came it lost, sir ?"
"I am well aware, my lord," replied
poor Ingram, "of the importance of
this matter to his majesty's service, as
well as to my own honor and prospects ;
if I may mention them in the same
breath. I beg your lordship to listen
patiently to the story I have to tell you ;
and I beg that you will pardon the ap
parent nonsense of the first part of my
narration, as you will see that it leads to
a serious termination. I presume I need
bring no other evidence of the truth of
my statements before your lordship's
tribunal, than my own assertion. The
evidenco of my servant will be ready to
corroborate them before less friendly
judges, should the matter end as se.lous
ly as I fear it may."
He then proceeded to relate to his com
mander the whole history of his last
two nights, from the mysterious foot
steps to the vanishing of the orderly
book. His lordship looked grave as the
story proceeded, and, rising, walked
thoughtfully about the room, after it
was finished. At length he thus ad
dressed his young friend, who sat in
anxious expectation.
" This is a strange buNluess, Ingrain, a
very strange business ! I am afraid
there is mischief In it. At first I thought
it might be a mystification of some of
your messmates ; but I hey would hardly
have ventured upon such an ending."
" That is my own opinion, my lord.
The pranks of the night before wi re all
fair, though a little rough, play ; but 1
do not think that the ennui of a garrison
life, however much it may sharpen the
wits of its victims, would hardly lead
them to commit an action which might
injure the service, to say nothing of
the character of a brother officer."
" That Is true enough, Ingram," re
sumed his lordship. " I think it must
be a contrivance of some of the dis
guised rebels In this cursed town, to as
sist their rascally friends on the other
side of the river. My God! I would
have sooner lost the bent hore in my
stables than have had those papers fall
into the rebels' hands!" To be
con-
ued.