LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 2076, 19 October 1880, Page 3

LITERATURE.

THE TBIP BEFORE MY WEDDING. [Abridged from "All the Year Round."] (Concluded.)

Presently the landlord came in again, and said that with respect to sleeping accommodation he had none in that hotel, but that a gentleman in the nest block (who was, as I found afterwards, a drunken German shoemaker), allowed travellers the nse of his dwelling. * And there are two fine roomß, strangers,' he continued, * the outern for you and your fixings, while madame can have the inside. * 'But we wish for a room to ourselves,' said the gentleman. '1 hen you can't have it, boss,* cooly returned the landlord; ' the gentleman's wife is very likely to oomo home to-night—she is out, peddling around—and if any other ladies want sleeping fixings there's none but them. So I expect you had better clear out.'

In deference to such a hint we had but one resource, we cleared ont accordingly, and in two or three minutes found ourselves the sole occupantr of the German gentleman's shanty. It was a very rninviting place, with only a few articles of tho rudout furniture in it. A long broad bench ran along each wall, and a dirty deal table was there, but bed or bedstead—hi this outer room, at any rate—there was none. I looked dolefully round, then turned with a smile to my friends and was about to speak, when, to my amazement and horror, the man sprang desperately forward, throwing me, by the force of his bound, upon one of the large benches

spoken of, and the next moment I saw the muzzle of a revolver within half a dczea inches of my face. ' D yon !' he said (it would have been a yell hat for the painfal, almost bursting efforts he was making to smother bis voice); ' I'll spoil yonr grinning! Yon have tracked us, I know, bnt yon have made a mistake. Ton are a little too foolhardy to be here alone 1 Silence ! or 7011 are a dead man.' To my still greater horror, the lady said, in her silvery, subdued tones—- ' Shoot him, Jem I It is our only hope, and I reckon shots are too common here for one to be noticed.'

The cold perspiration ran from me. I believe I should not have been so utterly prostrated had I known what it was all about ; bnt the attack was so endden and unexpected that I feared I was in the hands of two lnnatics.

1 How,' continued the man, ■ a word above your breath, and I fire. What will you take to drop the scent ? I will pay well, bus I will have your life if you are obstinate.' 'I may speak in a low voice, then?' I whispered.

Ee nodded assent. * I have not the slightest idea what yon mean,' I continued, ' who you take me to be, or who you are yourselves.'

They exchanged smiles of incredulity, ani the man's face grew more savage. 'We know what yon are v*ry well,' he said, with a bitter smile; ' not perhaps so well as you know us, but yon are a New York detective.'

' A New A what V I gasped. ' Oh, don't seek to waste timu until some one comes,' exclaimed the man ; * your aatsj have been sufficient to tell all we know. Yon traced us to the oars ; you insisted on the berth above our own ; you stuck to me if I only went out on the p'atform; yon took up this lady's valise, under a paltry excuse, to make sure of her identity; you got up at dawn of day because I did. lest we should leave the car; you followed us to ev£ry meal; and now, instead of going on to Denver, you quit the train when we do and dog ns still. What is your price T Tell us what you are to have, and If I can oudbid the old wretch I will.'

' Upon my honor—npon my life,' I stammered out, ' I know nothing of what you are talking about, or who yon are, or who the old wretch, is. I did not even know there waa an old wretch. I hare not watched you; everything has beeo. accidental. I got oat here because I received a telegram from the conductor. Here is my pocket-book ; yon will find my name in is, and psp=rs which will prove that I am confidential agent to Fronts, Grouts, and Milberry, of New York and Liverpool.' I handed the book to him ; the pair exchanged glances; and with a sort of sigh he put np his revolver.

'lt is a most extraordinary thing.' he said, 'if what you say is true; and I must own these documents confirm your statement. If we have wronged you, accept our sincerest apology.' 'We shall never forgive ourselves,' said the lady, who then began to cry ; and her beautiful dark eyes looked more beautiful than ever with the tears slowing welling through the long lashes. After a few more words of explanation on my part, the gentleman said—'The best excuse I can offer for my conduct is to explain my position. The fact is, I have run away with this lady * —( • Aha ! ' thenght I, ' a rich ward of someone's—lucky dog !') —' and by leaving the csrs at this lonely spot, and travelling across the prairie to the north-east, doubling partial, yon our track, we shall get to my home, and throw the pursuers off the scent." ' But with the precaution you have taken,' said I, with a knowing smile, and a meaning glance at the lady's left hand, on which glittered a wedding ring, ' you need hardly fear any pursuit.' The lady blushed and looked confused; the gentleman returned my smile as he resumed—

'We do dread pursuit, anywav, and thinking we were followed, suspected you ; and when you perseverlngly hung on to our footsteps, even to the shanty, we naturally thought our position waa almost hopeless. I had made up my mind to shoot you if I could not bribe you.' ' Tes, we had,' sobbed the lady. It was a dreadfully savage sentiment, but she looked prettier than ever as she said it.

It appeared rhey intended to start at daybreak in a waggon which was waiting for them, and so we sat together till dawn, when we parted sworn friends; in fact, I had told him of my approaching marrage, and had promised to spend a few days with Minnie at his farm. It was indeed a lovely dawn, and as the pair drove from Peloponessus the train coming east drew up at the station. The lady, at a suggestion from her companion, I believe, leant frost the side of the waggon, and suffered me to kiss her cheek. I did so. Then, as they drove off. I blushed perfectly purple to remember that all the passengers by the train might have seen me. One of them saw me, at any rate, for as I looked at the crowd which was hurrying from the cars to the saloon one form came striding towards me, and I recognised,. Mr Corleigh. Delighted to see him, 2 hurried up and offered my hand, but, to my horror, he dashed it aside, and called me » traitor, a wretch, a villain, a scoundrel, and —an epithet of etymology unknown a ' scallawag.' ' Are you joking, sir V I began. ' No, you traitor 1' he bellowed, recommencing his epithets; 'yon have succeeded in baffling us,' but never shall you darken my doors again.' • Bat allow me ' I was just able to get out. ' I will not, sir,' he shouted; 'and I repeat you shall never enter my house again. Give my daughter to a wretch like you I No, sir ; I would marry her to a nigger with the small-pox in preference.' There was a great deal more of this, bat not a word of explanation on his part, only abuse ; nor was I allowed to finish a sentence ; so I gave way, for his loud voioe and excited gestures drew a crowd around ns, and I paced the rear of Pelopeneasus wondering what second mistake had entwined itself around me.

Presently a quiet former - looking man came up, whose face Eeemed rather familiar to me, and he explained that he was a neighbor and fellow traveller of Mr Corlelgh; for the sake of peace, he said, ho ventured to think that I would not think of intruding on him, Mr C , or his family, at present, or until they had had time to soften their indignation at my conduct. I must admit, be went on, that such behaviour as mine was calculated to shock them, although of course, I could do aa I liked. ' But what have I done ? ' I naturally asked.

' Well, sir,' he replied, • yon Phillydelphians and half Britishers mayn't think it much, but we do. Why do yon identify yourselves with snch vile people ?' ' What vile people ?' I echoed ; ' I know no such persons. •Just so,' from your point of view, of course not,' said the farmer, " but we think differently. Ton have associated yourself with the flight of Jem Gallett, the notorious gambler, and Mrs Lucretia Cordelia Jendy, the wife of Deacon Jendy, an old friend and schoolfellow of Mr Corleigh. You evidently warned them of the approach of that gentleman, who had received a telegram from poor Jendy, begging him to meet bis wretched fugitive wife; and then, sir ! —I cannot think what your heart must be made of 1 — you kissed the creature in purposed and marked defiance of the father of your intended bride. Oh. shame ! shame ! For the second time at this confounded Peloponessus did the cold perspiration bedew my forehead, and I strove in strong language to impress upon my naw friend how innocent I was, and what risks I had run ; but in vain. I tried to argue that Mr Corleigh might be mistaken in the person, as his schoolfellow must naturally be a person of some while this was a young woman of two-and-twtnty ; but ho chose to consider I was sarcastic, and was justifying the "creature's" flight. The only result to my earnestness was to succeed in turning him from being rather inclined to take my part into one filled with the utmost contempt" and dislike for a character eo utterly indifferent to troth and morality, and he left me, saying he should counsel his friend Corlegh to take the most decided measures. And I supposa he was as good as his word, for I wrote very long letters to Mr Corleigh and to Minnie—not daring to go near them—in which I set forth the whole of my action in the matter, and all the answer I got was the local paper with aa account of the wedding of my pretty ccusin Minnie to that preposterous lout lem Muncles, the fellow with the big beard and whiskers who kept the forge.