2
rTHE TniES NEW BL00MF1ELD, PA. MAY 1.5, 1877
A NIGHT (SURPRISES.
ONE DAY Frank came home, with a
look of triumph.
" I have a ' perfect treasure' for you,"
he said, " In the way of a nurse. Gerald
Temple li going to take his family to
Europe, and when he heard what you
wanted.ofleml to let us have their nurse
whom they will not want."
I heard a low sigh. Virginia, Frank's
only sinter, had been sitting In a corner
of the drawing-room, fihe rose now and
slipped out.
" How could you, Frank V" I BRld,fol
lowlng her with end eyes. " I have never
heard your slater speak of the Temples
since she has lived with us ; the very
mention of their name brlugs back the
memory of Gerald's brother, and all that
sad tragedy."
" I am sorry," said Frank, " but I did
not know that she was In the room. Poor
Virginia."
" Yes I Poor Virginia I" I said to my
self. Hut once the blithest.lovellest little
creature I ever knew. It Is something
of a story, but 'tis an "ower true tale,"
and I will tell it In the shortest wny I
can.
Virginia and Frank were orphans,and
old Mrs. Chichester, their grandmother,
had adopted Virginia, almost from her
Infancy. The old lady had very ambi
tious hopes of making a splendid match
for her beautiful grandchild. But Vir
ginia thought otherwise ; and when she
was just seventeen, at the time of my
wedding, she and Langley Temple were
insane enough to fall desperately In love
with each other. Langley was Frank's
most intimate friend, and the pair met
continually at our house until grandma
Chichester found it out. After a while
Langley was ordered to his ship, (he was
in the navy,) but Frank waged battle
with grandma until he obtained a viper
ish consent that the lovers might corres
pond. Grandma took pains not to let
Frank know how Virginia was torment
ed and tyrannized over, until the poor
child consented to go out Into society
again ; and there she met, and made a
ready conquest of the very man whom
grandma had intended for her beauty
Horace Kent. Virginia refused him;
but grandma said, scornfully, "that made
no difference. She would come to her
senses soon," and to my utter amaze
ment, the trousseau went on, and by-and-by
we were bidden to the wedding
a quiet, elegant affair, where Virginia
talked and walked as if she were frozen.
Frank and I confessed to each other that
night, that the Business passed our com
prehension , for we bad no idea then of
foul play.
Kent and Virginia were to sail for Eu
rope within a fortnight of their marriage
and went to Washington and Baltimore
to pass that time. Left alone, one eve
ning in Baltimore, with a severe head
X,ache, Virginia remembered to have seen
some aromatic vinegar in her husband's
dressing-case. Kent was peculiar in his
careful way of locking up his belongings
and she took her own bunch of keys to
; open the box, when, rather to her sur-
prise, she found the key left in the box.
Borne listless, vague impulse, which she
could not afterwards account for,
prompted her to lift the upper tray, al
though she had found the vinegar al
ready. Underneath, to her surprise, she
found paper, and was about returning
the tray to its place, without further ex
amination, when her eye was caught by
the words" My own Virginia," in a
dear, a too well-known handwriting.
When Kent came back that night he
found his beautiful young wife senseless
upon the bed, with two letters crumpled
between her cold ringers. One, the last
letter that Langley had actually written
her ; and the other, the base forgery, In
which he asked to be released from his
engagement. Kent was not at all bad.
He loved her madly, and you may be
sure that bis sore punishment began,
when, after the physicians had brought
her out of that death like swoon, the
first words that came to Virginia's lips,
in that strange, passionless tone, which
is far worse than anger, were, " Remem
ber I I will never forgive you never "
They came back to New York for a
single day ; but Virginia saw no one but
her grand-mother. The old lady, upon
her death bed.raved of thatinterview,and
vainly implored Virginia's forgiveness
for urging Kenton to the treachery.
The newly wedded pair sailed in the ill
fated ship which took fire off the coast
of Nova Scotia, and . whose name still
carries terror to many a heart Virginia
was one of the handful of survivors 5
her unhappy husband sought for her a
place in the boat, and remaining behind
himself perished with the ship. The
agony of terror, the long night which
he spent at the mercy of the waves,
proved too much strain upon poor Vir
ginia's already over-burdened frame, and
Frank and I were summoned by tele-
grapu to tier at Halifax, where she lay
for days.nnoonsolous, with a brain fever.
And then to add to her misery, when
recovering, sbe was thrown Into a near
ly fatal relapse by seeing, accidentally.
the attack with all on board. The Te
cumseh was Langley's ship. ..
Virginia came to live with us about
two years before the commencement of
my story. She seemed to feel a sort of
sorrowful remorse about her husband,
which was not grief, and yet it cast a
Shadow over her life. " He was treach
erous and false," she said to me one day,
and he broke my heart but what right
have I to judge him t Harrle, I told
him I would never forgive him ; and he
died thinking himself unforglven." Of
Langley, as I told you, she never spoke.
Well, the " perfect treasure' made her
appearance. She was a rather young
woman, with a pleasant, low voice, and
very good manners, for one of her sta
tion. I was 'charmed. Certainly this
girl seemed determined to please me;
she did her work in a faultlessly neat
May; she amused and played with the
twins ; and baby had more quiet nights
than I have known him to have for
weeks. So, after a month's trial, I be
Kiin to slug Alice's praises, and allowed
her full control In her own department,
with a good many privileges. Virginia,
alone, did not seem to like her. Virginia
had a queer way of looking at new faces
n searching, penetrating glance, that I
always thought had a sort of mesmer
ism in it, all the stronger because her
eyes were so gentle and soft. Alice
never met the look fairly, as I remem
bered afterward.
It was tbe spring of 'G5. The closing
scenes of the war were crowding thick
and fast upon each other. Virginia
kept her room a great deal. The warm
April weather seemed to enervate her
and she shrank away from the joy and
enthusiasm we all exhibited. Poor
child I It was hard for her to hear the
soldiers and sailors who would be com
ing home now, and to feel that, for her
sore heart, Peace would bring no balm.
One night Frank had taken a box at
the Italian Opera in New York. We
lived in Brooklyn, and, as Kellogg was
to sing, I begged, Virginia to go with us.
But she steadily declined. She would
stay at home and keep house, she said.
Now, two of my servants were going to
a fireman's boll the same night, leaving
only Alice and the cook at home ; so I
must say I felt rather more easy about
the children when I found that Virginia
would not go. Going from New York
to Brooklyn at night, however, is a long
Journey, and it was close upon one
o'clock when we drove up to our door.
In the meantime, Virginia, after our
departure, had sat for some time writing
letters in her own room. The twins
were having a noisy romp in the nur
sery ; and when she looked in to say
good night, Fred fastened himself upon
her neck and begged to come and stay
with auntie ; she yielded, and then Fred
began building card houses on the sofa,
until he got tired, when he curled him
self ln,a corner, and in two seconds was
fast asleep. Being very much interested
in her book, Virginia let tbe little fellow
sleep on, thinking that by-and-by she
would take him up to her own room and
put him to bed there, as she frequently
did. At last sh fell asleep herself.
She never knew how long she slept,
but she had a painful sensation, as if
somebody was trying to smother her ;
and after struggling with the feeling for
some time, she slowly, and with a great
effort, opened her eyes. Why 1 what
had happened to the loom V The gas
must have gone out it was totally dark
save a flickering gleam from the dying
fire on tbe hearth, and what a slckeniug
deadly smell there was. With lightning
rapidity, which is more like Instinct
than thought, it suddenly flashed upon
her that the strange scent was chloro
form I Then as she caught her frighten
ed breath, and sank back into her chair,
a low sound of voices from the dining
room reached her ear. The door be
tween the rooms was ajar, and she saw
a thread of light from it ; the voice she
first heard was a man's.
" Yer didn't give the young 'oman too
much, did yer V" it asked rather anx
iously. " I wish I had," returned Alice's low
and stealthy voice. "I hate her. She sus
pects me."
" Ha 1 ha 1" gurgled the man. " She
must ha' been purty onclvil to yer ; yer
usually gets on the right side of 'em. Is
that 'ere pitcher sliver or plate V" :
"Flate. The silver 1b upstairs."
Virginia shook as she heard the venom
of that low voice. " She was Mr. Lang-
ley's lady-love till her old grandma stop
ped it."
" And what was Mr. Langley to yer,
my girl r" asked the man.
" Hush I you'll wake the child, and I
don't want to do him any harm. Mr.
Langley. -" The woman's voice soft
ened.
" He never said a dozen words to me
In his life; but look you, Vincent.I wor
shipped him."
"That's right. Tell me all, as I'm
yer husband that is to be," said the other
with a coarse laugh.
" Mrs. Kent has splendid jewels, too.
I picked the lock to look at them. You
can take as many of them as you like.
A soonYtfl the Sound of their footsteps'
died away, Virginia snatched the deadly
handkerchief off her head, and stagger
ed to her feet, though dizzily. She was
a very spirited girl and determined that
the pair should not escape. But What
could she do f It was vain to think of
getting the cook to alarm their neighbors
at the corner, for the next lot was va
cant, and she must cross the hall, and
go past the stairs to And her. There
would be no use in throwing up the
window and screaming ; the house was
on Clinton Avenue, far out, and the po
licemen did not come past very often.
Virginia wrung her hands, when a
sleepy murmur of "Auntie!" startled
her. In a second her resolve was taken,
and she was on her knees by Fred, kiss
ing him and saying: "Fred, my dar
ling, Auntie is going to do something
funny. You remember howpapa jump
ed you down from the balcony on Christ
mas day to run after the monkey? Don't
speak a word. Act like a man. There!"
Fred was just four years 'old, but a
great boy for his age, and he always
obeyed Virginia implicitly, so he rubbed
his eyes wide open and was carried to
the window. The balcony outside, was
not far from the ground. As Virginia
looked out, carefully, she saw under the
corner gasllght,a tall flguie with a gleam
of brass buttons.
" Fred," Bhe whispered rapidly, " run
fast to that policeman, and tell him he
must come right here to auntie ; then go
to Mr. Motley's, at the corner, and ring
the bell with all yourmight.ltls low,and
you can reach it and tell George and
Harry Motley that aunt Virginia says
there is a thief in the house. Don't be
afraid, Fred ; be a man like papa!"
Over ; softly, gently,over the low rail
ing ; and then, with a good shake of his
small person, Fred's fat little legs trotted
swiftly off towards the policeman.
Directly, under the balcony, a voice
said, softly :
" What's wanted, ma'am V Can you
open the front door for me!"
' I cannot," she panted; "there are
burglars In the house, and I should be
heard. Couldn't you get up here some
how t Has the little boy gone to the
neighbors?"
There was no answer to her question
but the policeman easily followed her
suggestion, and climbed over the bal
cony. "Wait J" whispered Virginia, laying
her cold hand on the policeman's arm,
as he made a motion to go forward'.
" They are upstairs, in my room, look
ing for my jewels. If you will stand
just behind that door, I will creep upthe
back stairs and reconnoitre ; if the wo
man comes down to answer the bell,
seize her. There is only one man ; if I
want help I will call.and then you must
rush up the front stairs."
" Are you not afraid ?" asked the po
liceman, with some surprise ; but Vir
ginia was gone before he had finished
his remark.
When she reached the stairs she found
by the sounds that the man had evident
ly gone into the silver closet, which
stood on the other side of the back stairs
and that now she was between the two
for she could hear Alice walking about
in her room. Quick as a flash the little
figure glided up the stairs, slipping off
her boots on the lowest step ; there was
no light in the hall, except that afforded
by the burglar's lantern, for the gas was
turned down low, and the lantern set
Inside the closet door. The door opened
outward, and the key was in it; a spring
a sudden bang, and then tbe click of the
key in Virginia's nervous fingers, as she
turned it in the lock. A tremendous
curse came from the captured, thief as
she leaned breathlessly against the door.
The same moment the gaslight behind
her was suddenly turned on, and Alice
confronted Virginia.
" You here, madam ? Well, you and
I are quits, anyhow. Open that door,or
I'll send a bullet through your head I
You didn't think of my having the re
volver did you ?"
" No," said Virginia, looking in the
girl's furious eye with her peculiar calm
smile. "Help! Police!"
"You may split your pretty throat
calling," said Alice, seizing her sav
agely by the arm. " No one will come,
the cook's drugged, and you're at our
mercy. Give me the key!"
" I'll trouble you for that pistol 1" said
a stern voice behind Virginia, as a quick
strong arm Jerked the weapon away from
Alice.
Alice, with a shriek, fell on the floor,
for sbe realized all at once. But Virgin
la, gasping, " Ah, my God!" gazed as if
turned to stone, foi it was Langley Tem
ple that she saw.
" Virginia 1 don't be terrified," he
said, " it Is my very self.no ghost. Take
my hand love ; see it is flesh and blood,
like your own." ; He had her in his
arms. The door bell wae ringing furi
ously, but he would have let the neigh
bors pull the wire till It broke, before he
would have left her in that dumb,shock-
ed state, Ashetouohed her, she trem
hied violently ; then the light came back
ginia flung herself on the breast of him
whom she had mourned as dead. 1
The Motleys bad time to think that
Virginia was murdered before the pair
opened the door. Very much surprised
were they, to see, Instead of the police
man they expected to find, a very tall,
handsome man, a stranger, in undress
navy uniform. Fred, now that his part
of the fun was over, began to roar, and
Virginia took him up in her arms.while
the gentlemen, (assisted by the real Si
mon pure policeman, a brawny son of
Erin,) opened the closet, and secured the
prisoner. Within the next fifteen min
utes, the other servants had returned,
(for the burglary took place before eleven
o'clock,) and Alice, having recovered
from her swoon was carried to the sta
tion house.
I don't know how Langley and Virgin
ia were occupied till my return, but when
Frank thrust his latch-key into thedoor
Virginia flew out of the library, and
tried, with a few Incoherent sentences,
to prepare me for seeing something.
The consequence was, that when I push
ed the door open In a very bewildered
frame of mind, and saw Langley smil
ing at me, I was terrified almost out of
my senses, and came near fainting.
To' the best of my recollection, the
household sat up nearly all nlght,though
finally ,after I had heard the wholestory,
been speechless over Virginia's bravery,
and hugged Fred, now fast asleep in the
arm chair, Frank dragged me off to bed.
I don't know that Langley and Vir
ginia sat there till morning, but certain
ly, the first persons I saw .upon coming
down to breakfast, were themselves, on
the identical sofa where I had left them.
Langley's story is too long a one to be
told here ; suffice it to say that, being on
deck when the Tecumseh sunk, he had
been able to strike out . from the smoke
and war of battle to swim ashore. There
however, he was taken prisoner, and
kept in close confinement for months,
finally making his escape. Coming di
rect to Frank to gain intelligence before
presenting himself to his family, he had
stopped to light a cigar under the gas
light, where Virginia had mistaken him
for a policeman. He had known her in
stantly ; and probably, only her fright
and agitation prevented her from recog
nizing his voice, which, as he mischiev
ously told her he did not disguise in the
least.
Alice and her accomplice were inden
titled by the police as old offenders. The
woman had carried on a systematic pil
fering at the Templesmd was an accom
plished hypocrite. To my intense grati
fication, the pair were sentenced to the
full term in Sing Sing.
Langley and Virginia were married
very quietly soon after. Frank gave
away the lovely little bride, whose fair
girlish bloom had comeback to her, and
who under the influence of love, seemed
a different woman from the pale, sad
creature who had moved so quietly about
my house.
They idolize each other, and, I thing,
have quite forgiven grandma Chichester
and poor Horace Kent. Fred has always
been a great pet with his aunt for bis
bravery on the night of the attempted
burglary.
Between Fred's boasting and my sly
teazing, poor Frank will never be al
lowed to forget his instrumentality in
introducing me to such " a perfect
treasure."
How Money Circulates.
Mr. Brown kept boarders. Around
his table sat Mr. Brown, Mrs. Brown,
Mrs. Andrews, the village milliner; Mr.
Black, the baker; Mr. Jordan, a car
penter; and Mr. Hadley, a flour feed
and lumber merchant.
Mr. Brown took out of his pocket-
book a ten dollar note, and handed it to
Mrs. Brown saying :
" Here,my dear, are ten dollars toward
the twenty I promised you."
Mrs. Brown handed it to Mrs. An
drews, the milliner saying:
" That pays for my new bonnet."
Mrs. Andrews said to Mr. Jordan, as
she handed him the note :
" That will pay for the work on my
counter."
Mr. Jordan banded it to Mr. Hadley,
the flour, feed and lumber merchant, re
questing credit on his lumbei bill.
Mr. Hadley gave the note back to Mr.
Brown, saying :
, " That pays ten dollars on my board
bill." , 7.
Mr. Brown passed it to his wife, with
the remark that that makes the twenty
dollars he had promised. She, in turn,
paid it to Mr. Black, to settle her bread
and pastry account, who handed it to
Mr. Hadley, wishing credit for the
amount on his flour bill ; he again re
turning it to Mr. Brown with the re
mark that it settled for that month'
board. Whereupon Brown put it back
into his pocket-book, exclaiming that he
" never thought a ten dollar bill would
go so far."
Thus a ten dollar greenback was made
to pay ninety dollars indebtedness lntlde
of Ave minutes. Who says greenbacks
TO AM, PARTICULARLY INVALIDS,
print l ft trjlnt -. IndleMlofmof ilctrnt
I. mart at tiiirn hh.-riIh.I tn. trutil diua
ma? be Caused bv allnwlnv tka Kmi.li tn hnwimi
constipated and the syxtern to remain In ft dlsor
dant condition, utll the disorder has time to de
velop Itself. Au ounce of pretention In worth
pound otcure.lsanoldand truthful saying. There,
lore, we advise aU who are troubled with the eom
plalnts now prevalent headache, Indigestion
disordered liver, want ol appetite, nausea, or
feverish skin, to Uke, without delay, 8;henck's
Mandrake pill. We know of no remedy so harm,
leas and decisive In Its action. It at once strikes
at the root of the disease and produces a healthy
. ( 1. a in . t. & ..nt...n Vu.nl. . - .
v no r.jc.rii.. owjrio lCTr IIBCQ SUUCr I TO TO
any disease arising from a disordered condition
of the liver If they would take this excellent med
icine when they feel the first Inclinations of the
malady. Families leaving none for the summer
moiiui snnuia urne inree or rour ooxes 01 these
pills with them. They have an almost Instanta
neous effect. They will relieve the patient of
headache In one or two hours, and will rapidly
cleanse the liver of surrounding Mle, and will
effectually prevent a bullous attack. They are
sold by all druggists. May In
VEGETI N E
He Says it is True.
Seneca Falls, Nov. 9, 1876;
Mr. H. R. Stevens: Dear Sir As inn ...
?,nii..t;r5S.f!.cr l5 n,e' i wa,lt you to know what
VKME1INE has done forme. Only those who
have been raised from death's door can know the
value of such a good medicine. 1 am f8 years of
age. Threeyears ago 1 was taken sick with what
the doctors called Lumbago. Fur weeks I was
co nil ned to my bed. I had three different physi-
umin, nnnuui u5 ncip. i received nurenei;!
was a great sufferer; finally I became entirely
helpless. The last doctor told me there was no
hulp: he said he mlirht nossiblv save mv life h
ejecting moi phlne In my arms and legs. The en-
uoiirapemeiit lor nuvillg "'V lilt- ny Having this
done was so small a chance I could not consent to
runtheriik. About this time mv son read your
advertlement In ourpaper, a testimony of a per
son who had been very sick with about the same
complaint, and was cured. Mv son went right
away to the apothecary store arid bought a boftlo
of VEtJKTINK. Keforelhad used the hr.-t bot
tle I found great relief; I could move myself In
bed. After taking three bottles I was able to sit
up and move about mv room. I continued taking
the Vegetlne. and I was In a few weeks restored
to my former health. The Vegetlne saved my life
after the physicians said, there was no help for
me. i nave nau no aocior since. 11 J teei uuweil
I take a dose of Vegetlne, and I recommend It to
my inenus.
Your Veiretlne oncht to be In evcrvfamllv. Mv
doctor was surprised tosee me In good health.
lie says Vegetlne Is a good medicine. I tell him
It cured me. He says, " It Is true." I cannot feel
too thankful. Very gratefully yours.
Mrs. C'ATH KRINE COONS.
Seneca Falls, Seneca County, N. V.
VEGETINE.
ALL DISEASES OF THE RT.OOTY If Vtln.
wiil relieve oain. cleanse, unritv and nnm aiih
diseases restoring the patient to perfect health
auer trying ainereni pnysieians. many remedies,
suffering for years. Is it not conclusive proof, if
you are a sufferer, you ean be cured t Why Is
this medicine performing such great cures f It
works In the blood. In (he circulating fluid. It
can truly be called the Great Bi".id Purifier The
great source of disease oripj'.uates in the blood ;
and no medicine that does not act direotly upon
It, to purify.and renovate, has any just claim up
on public attention.
VEGETINE.
WILLCTJBE .
CANKER HUMOR.
- EontPORT. March ill. IftTS.
H. It. Stevens:
Sir Last fall my husband cot two bottles of
your Vegetlne to take for tbe Canker Humor,
which 1 nave had tn my stomach for several years,
I took It and the result was very satisfactory. I
have taken a good many remedies for the Canker
Humor. and none seemed to help me but Vege
tlne. There is no doubt In my mind that every
one suffering with Canker Humor can be cured
by taking Vegetlne. It gave me good appetite.
ana I leit better in every respect.
ours, wicn respect.
Mrs. ELIZA ANN POOLE..
VEGETINE.
NOTHING EQUAL TO IT..
South Salih, Mass., Nov. 14, 1876;.
Mr. H. R. Stkvens :
Dear Sir I have been troubled with Sorofula,
Canker and Liver Complaint for three years.
Nothing ever did me any good until I commenced
using VEGETINE. Iam now g tting along tirst
rate.and still using the Vegetlne. I consider there
la nothing equal to It for such complaints.. Can,
heartily recommend it toeverybody
Yours truly, Mrs. Lizzia M. Packari,
No. 16 Lagrange Bt., Hotuh Salem, Mass
VEGETINE thoroughly eradleates eveiy, kind
of humor, and restores the entire system to a
healthy condition.
VEGETINE.
Prepared by H.R.Stevens, Boston,Mass.
Tegetlne Is Bold by All Drnggfais.
JEATHER &C.
THE subscriber has now on hand at
LOAV PRICES,
Good Sole Leather,
Kip of Superior Quality,
Country Calf Skina,
French Calf,
LININGS, ROANS, &c.
F, Mortimer,
NEW BLOOMFIELD, TA.
N
OW IS THE TIME TO PLANT.
IT PAYS
To plant FRUIT TREES and GRAPE VINES.
They will yield 60 per eent more protlt ur than
ordinary crops, and pay (or themselves the first
year tney bear.
IT DON'T PAT
To plant poor, dried-oat stock, bronght from
long distance and sold by an Irresponsible agent,
whose ouly interest I to buy a cneap as ha can,
regardles of quality or condition. If on eaa
GET THE BEST :
GUARANTEED STOCK, at bottom prises, treah
and vigorous, by sending or coming direct to
RIVERSIDE NURSERIES,
HARBISBOEG, TA.
MkGlreular Fna.
GEO. F. MoFAKLAND, Proprietor.
. U
JOB PRINTING of overy deeerlptloa neatly
that the Tecumseh had gone down, In
Cornel"
to her eyes, and with a sob of Joy, Vir
are worthless r