AN ADVENTURE.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume IX, Issue 996, 8 November 1881, Page 4

AN ADVENTURE.

A Sheffield married woman was on her way home to Walkley one evening lately, when her attention was attracted by sounds of distress. At the roadside she found a young woman of prepossessing appearance, who was crying bitterly. Her story was that she had come from Newcastle-on-Tyne to take a situation as a domestic servant in Sheffield. When she arrived she found that the mistress had been unable to wait, and had engaged another person. She was now utterly destitute. All her money had been required to pay her railway fare, and she could not even lift her box, which was at the station. There was nothing i for her but to spend the night on the road or in the fields. Touched by this tale the married woman offered the stranger shelter for the evening, and the stranger was all gratitude for the kindness so unexpectedly shown her. The two went off together, and when the house was reached, the husband was informed of the distress which had brought him an extra inmate for the night. Being a good-natured, sympathetic man, he did not oppose his wife’s kind-hearted proposal. It was arranged thatthe forlorn female should sleep with a relative of the same sex who happened to be staying at the house that evening. Supper was served, and none appeared to enjoy it more heartily than the unexpected guest. After supper, family w’orship was engaged in. During prayer the guest sobbed, and seemed greatly moved, occasionally giving vent to her emotion, which seemed to be affecting her. On retiring to rest the wife, with true feminine instinct, asked the stranger if she would like some paper to curl her hair (the stranger having glossy black ringlets which fell over her shoulders in rich profusion.) The offer was politely declined. She had no need for paper, as her hair “ curled naturally.” The female relative who it had been arranged should be the companion of the stranger felt reluctant at the last moment to sleep with one she knew nothing about; and the arrangement was abandoned in favor of another, by which the destitute domestic had a “ shake-down ” for herself in a room at the top of the stairs, where a goodly quantity of the family garments was stored. Some misgivings appear to have come over the husband’s mind on retiring to rest He expressed a hope that his wife had done right in taking into their home one about whom they literally knew nothing, and said he was rather doubtful about the business. His wife was somewhat uneasy about this, and after her husband had forgotten his fears in slumber, she became more uneasy still. She could not sleep, and at length, the suspense being intolerable, she got up,

and determined to see if everything was right. Going quietly upstairs, she noticed there was still a light in the stranger’s room. Peeping in at the door she observed an immense wig, with glossy ringlets, and then she discovered to her sorrow that the supposed female in distress was none other than a man ! Her terror caused her to shriek and fall over the stairs, where she was found by her husband, who, startled by the cry, was roused from sleep. He promptly took in the situation, and there was a struggle between the two men, who were both attired in the light airy costume appropriate to that period of the evenino-. No constable could be found, and the fellow got clear off. Information was given to the police, who ultimately apprehended a person on suspicion. In Court the wife was unable to identify tne prisoner as the destitute domestic who had so grievously deceived her, but afterwards, when he was arrayed in the garb in which she had seen him she at once said “That’s the man.” And, by way of corroboration, the impudent fellow at once put out his tongue at her. The upshot of the affair was that the prisoner is now where he will not play the part of the destitute domestic for some time to come, and will have no lack of employment. He is doing 6 months’ hard labor at Wakefield.