A BRIDE'S TROUBLES.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 2754, 8 March 1890, Page 5 (Supplement)

A BRIDE'S TROUBLES.

Bkaxby-that oViarminK' village in Dolt--Uire—was a very virtuous place. Now, very virtuous places aro extremely like very virtuous porsons in their opinion of r.he rest of the world ; they l-etrard every where el-e as nunk in the depMia of iniquity. This wiw the ca-e with Braxby. It* opinion* of the moraln of all the other Dohshire town* wn« low—decidedly low. Snobtou it oon-idiTed a centre of fashion •ible vice, and Eottenboroutrh of cuumdissipation. Thuse places, however, wore near to Bi-axby, and probably Braxbv believed that they benefitted by its yood example, for undoubtedly it thouyht much better of them than it did of towns further from it. aud couwquently lech -übject to ith elovatinj.: influence, All thii it viewed with horror, but- of thorn all there was nimo which it regarded ano utter and hopeleri'-ly degraded and debauched a» that ca; ital of the Prince of Dirknes*, an the R"v. Mr Mouthur called the good city of London. To the good and simple people of Br.-ixhy, London waa a word of fear. The lives of vicc and pleasure which its inlnbit-intH were supposed to lead was a constant subject of conversation anions them—more especially amoug the old maids. Most of these latter had never been within a hundred miles of the ■Metropolis, and all their idea-i about its people and its ways were drawn from the Divorce and Police Court reports. Ah might, be espuct-d, the ideas thu? acquired were peculiar. They might, in fact, be summed up thus : That the men of London spent their lives in ruuuiug .ifter other people's wives and kicking their own. It is not surprising then that the virtu-ms, but elderly, damsels of Bi-axby should have realised a gveat outcry when Rose Greeuaway, the beauty and heiress of the place, accepted a man from London as her alii-uiced husband. It is true that Mr William Smith brought very good crolentiiU tie and the cuiatu of Braxby had been to Bchool together, and, though time had separated their lives, it nad not divided their fricuclntiip. Even iince Mr Tiacey had settled at Braxby Mr Smith had paid him a yearly visit, and every time M'-Trac j y visited London it WHS with Mr Smith that he .stayed. Mr Traesy, t-o, held mid expressed th? highest possible opinion of hia friend, au i everyone who men him found him a weiibred and educated nun. But all this availed him nothing with the elderly Bpiustere. They pointed out, truthfully enough, that Mr Traci-y really knew very little of hie friend. He had made his acquaintance when a boy at school. Even then Mr Smith was au orphan, and what his people were Mr Tracey only knew what he himnelf told. Since they left school the two friends h»d almost entirely separated, seeim; each othor on only rare occasaions. Mr Tracey knew uothing of his lrieud's subsequent career, save that he w is by profession a sioek broker and seemed to j h-* doing very well, This, the ladies ©founded, was ucit sufficient evidence of

ivßp"Ctal>i ity to justify a. girl in m&.rying •» man. tint really, the head and front' of Mr offending, was that he c%me from the centre and sink of iniquityLondon On 'his point Rose's female relatives aod friends were never tired; of expatiating to her, , ■ ■ . '•We all think, my dear," aaidMiss Crahb ; "that you're acting very foolishly. Af er nil, what do you really knojur about Mr Smith . • " Nothing—absolutely nothing," Rose'e ! 4nnt' Jemima, would chime in. He • pretends ,to be on the Stock Eitohange, ! but,ho may be anything—yes, anything —for all wn know." "And even if MrS<mitb be a gentleman,' :Miss Crabb would go on; " he copies from all, and we.all kno.w what sort of 'life, iyoiijjg gentlemen' lead in London. 'Oh, it is awful! There's no' wickedness, itno had for them. .Why.for all we know, : Mr Smith may have a wife already there j—one of tho*e actr.e.'ses that men..:are so ; (fond of. ~Oh, Rose dear, do tHjnlc of ;th» peril yob're running .Vpfoje it jfi too late." ' \ ■ ; "Yes, deir. do," Auotjemim* would jsolpmnty add, '' or you may yet bitterly jregret it. 'Just remember"jthafc .horrid, stnan who was tried a ,He (married' th roe or* four womflp deserted 'them' all; and they tho'iighti he ,was a, 'gentleman, andheturned ; OUtj ,to be. a ipork"" butcher. Oh', 'horrid, t' Just', think of it—a nork butcher." Rose, what if," 'Mr Smith turns out tp be,a really a pork butcheV," ~ But all' these remonstrances and argilmints did not alter Miss Hose's determination. If Mr Smith's appearance had been other than it was,, stie might have paid more attf,ution,to her frjendß f ars and forebodings, hut every time she looked into his frank, manly face snesaw in it tier folly.- For. his.. honesty and honour he had the best.of all testimonies— the certificate which nature itself -had stamped, ,up'on'' his .features- TJiat evidence was enough for MieSjßoije, and heina sole mistress of, herself.and fortune, in spite of all that her friends and relatives could siy or do, she. disposed of both to the'man whom Bhe loved and trusted. ' Though h»r friend's sinister. prognostications failed to shake Miss Rose's resolve to marry Mr Smith, still it cannot, bo denied that they left an iloeasy impression 00' her mind.' Rose was ydutig —barfely- and she', hail had singularly little experience of the world, even for her age. Brought up in a quiet Comitry home, 'her' peregrinations had seldom extended • hoyoiid the neighbourhood of the little rustic of Braxb'y. Of London she kmsw. absolutely nothing, except what her Aunt Jemima and Miss Cridb told her. Ttiey were,,to hnr, the wearv embodiment of worldly sagacity, and she lutd been accustomed all her lifo r.o look up to tliero for "information and guidance. When; then, they combined to tell her tl-at London was the very centre 'and sink of vice and corruption and crime." aud' that everybody coming from it, ineiuding'a lover, w.is to be retarded an a criminal until the opposite was shown.it would have beer, strange if their words liud' been entirely wit.hout'effect. The ('fleet, however, was very slight indeed, and probably before the honey•rmou w is oivr it would have been di<appeared altogether but for a lit lo incident which occurred ahout a week after the wadding d>y, and which revived i'. just a* it was dyiu* out. One evening, after a pleasant >troll uloDg the beaeh, thoy were stopping in North Wales, on returning to the hotel they found a letter awaiting Will. Kose thought that he took it up rather hastily, but with a woman's quickness she had no.icel before he seiz.4 it that it waa from London, and that it was addressed in a hand very like a woman's A little struck by this she, hs poou as he had read it, asked him in'a playful w>iy whom it was from. Will only laughed in replyit seemed to her rather neivotisly. " It is nor, from u omo old sweetheart ?" .-he asked, in a joltinsf way, " Will seimi-d startled. " Oil, lio, not. at all," he replied lustily. " Then who is it from?' 1 Rose per-si-ted, feeling a touch of su-picion in hor private mind. "Oh I can't toll roil at a moment, love," Will replied. '• Don't a>k me now, and I'll roll you all about it after we get r.D town," Will's conduct seemed to Rose both odd and iitwrentinta'-iV. Why ,-hould he I'onf.'al his correspondent'* name from hor Was he ashamed of it? Rose thought of what her aunt Jemima and MissCrabl) had said, and she shuddered. Was it possible that there might be something in thuir warnings aft-r all When, then, after a few weeks' honeymoon, Ho*-* and her husband settled down in the H"U-e which he prepared for her iu West Kensington, she could not but I'eel a s-nse of uneasiness. Neither the house nor the neighbourhood was such as t> ugi''bts mieomtoitaole sensations, Od toe contrary, a more pretty, sedate little house, and a more quiet common place strft she had never seen. The house was bright with new appointment* for tier enjoyment. The strict. too, seemed 'o he specially prepared for her reception. The doora and windows and railing had -dso been re-painted, from one end of the street to the other, the houses had all been re-nuinhered in a more picturesque nnd perplexing way tliau previously, and the footpaths on each side had been repaved Altogether, a more thoroughly respectable-looking place it would bo impossible to conceive. Its appearance relieved l.ttlo Rose's mind to a certain extent, but still she oould uot altogether get rid of a certain amount <>f suspicion. She had not read uoveW for nothing. She knew that one of the,favourite devices of criminals und rcpiobates to mislead the police and the pu'diit, was to he outwardly everything that was proper and decent, and she did not see why a whole neighbourhood misfht not assume the same virtuous air kvhen ri'ally its inhabitants wore the most itteriy abandoned of men. D iritiy his abienoo on their honeymoon Mr Smith's business had, to some extent neen nosrleeted. Ho was, therefore, anxious on his return to «ee to it without 10-s of tine, and so, on the inorniusr following thf-ir airival iu town, he immediately after breakfast stirteU out fur the eitv, leaving his younj- wife to *p»nd by her-elf bi-r first, day in her new home. He had left only a little time, an I Rose was still sit' ing at the breakfast-table. She was in i nervous, refleetive humour. I'he Biibje.;t of her thoughts was one thit had oit-n in-en in her mind since the day die accepts! her husband. She was woii'i -riua if. after all, there was auy foonda'ion to her aunt's and MissC'abh'a forebodings is to cbe sort of man he was, md she was t-yng r o C .nvioco herself w.th all h«rmi-.;ht thai; there was uot. Suddenly h t inu'<ing» wei-u interrupted -y a loud Icnoeli at th'j door. She could overlie ir wh-it passed becweiu the p>.o« son aud the servant who opentd the door. " Is Mr Bill S'nith inasked .trough voice. " No, sir; he is uot," auawered he servant. "Ain't? Certain, uh? No rks, now." " No, sir, he is not, really, said the girl. "Thought h« wis to be done by this time, eh, I'otty ?" " 80 he is sir ; but he's gone out to the City.'' "City—oh. Lord," 'siid the stranger. I s'poss he's gone there to jovegt I^2

sjvings. He's doint; well, compared with m , mid yet, thiec ye = is ago I w.is tbongnt a better bruiser than him, and qoitu as good Well, Wet!, tnat's the way of ' the world. T(iis is a Sue We, ain't itf'Bully's the Word." '• Ye.-, sir," said tit'igirli "Ami you're a nice I'ot'y," tho man went op. " Ah, Bill always'carte. "As l*p, . .. . " Dou't know, Sir. He only engaged me just before he married," " Oh, married. Bill married I By Love, what a joUo," and the fellow roared with laughter. " I wonder what he'li do with the old 'uu ? She will be bard to square, I tell you. Perhap he'll not want to know me now ; but we may aa'well try him. Just g ve him a card, Totty, . and tell him 1 11 cull s'mother eveniiig." ' i Riiae had listened to his conversation with burning ears. When it ended she was nearly fainting. It was a revelation tdo horHble to think of. After all, Mihs Crabb aiid her Aunt Jemima were right. Oh, what a fool she had been ; What a niaiio»p;What a headstrong imbecile! ■Calming berst-lf by a mig-hty effort, she summoned the servant into* the room. ."Do you* know the person Who.just called Ann ?" she asked. " "No, ma'am," answered'the servant, " but here w ins card.;" • Rose took It and read : "Job Slogger, Ex-ExCharopton, P.R., 101 Trunk Ter- ' VVhitfeoha'pel." ' .' • " Ex P.R. ? Why Prize Ring, of course !'| Sho almost gave a.cry when this interpretation occurred <j ber,, for, among the other insinuations her Aunt Jeiniuiii hadnwdo against Will was ono that he might possihly be a prize-fighter--A' hyiJbtKesis suggested by hifiue' robusf.figure, which Rose had at the moment been | praising. t ' 4 'Can I do ahythjng for you, ma'am ?" asked the semotj noticing how pale poor Rose'a faco was. " No, thank you, Ann," replied Rw, iu n ii' Weiik' voice. " Ju»t leave me, plea-to." ' When the servant bad left the room her ■mistrers throw herself into an arm-chair, and gave way to a flood of tears. Oh, was it possible that all her Aunt Jemima had said was really true ? Could William eo 'manly and honest-looking, be really the friend and companion of low scoundrels who lived by brutal exhibition of their strength A'orse still, could ho be one of them himself ? Was she to think tbat before marrying her he had led a life of utter .ieiou-no-s. and had even yet a wotnau with claims such as ber own upon him ? If all this turned out to be true she felt'that the eharae and humiliation would kill ber. ; After the first burst of her grief and horror was pa»»ed. she beoam* calmer, and began to think matters over more coolly, Perhaps, after all, things might, not, be so bad as they louked. The person at the door wan evi dently a low drunken fellow, and mU'ht have greatly exaggerated. Ro-o bad hoard that many gentlemen of uood position and character patronised more or le»» the.prize-ring, and were themselves amateurs in the noble art. Perhaps that wa* all tbat William was. As for tbe reference' to his old a , uonr j , that was rather harder to explain, and for a long time Rose fretted and bridled at it; but, anxious to believe tbe I'ent of hor dear husband, she at last attempted to choke her dread that it might t>e true by setting it do .vn to the liw. inventions of tho blackguard, Job Sh g.'or. She had just attained to a tolerably eqiiat>lo state of mind when the postman's knock was heard at the door. Ann answered, it,. " it's only a letter for master," aha said to Rose,- withput manifesting any intention of handing it to her mistreat ''Let me see it," said Rose, suspiciously. Ann ,relnotantly handpd it to her. When hor eyes fell upon the superscription she started violently; for, ill-formed Bud sorawly as it was; there could be no doubt but that it was written by a woman. Calming herself as well as she could, Rofe endeavoured to think. From whom could the letter be ? Could it bo from ono of those " actress creatures " her aunt Jemima had. spoken of? Was it from some woman who h»d claims upon the man she called husband? "rl'll-keep it till he comes home," said Rose to herself, "and make him open it before my eyes, and if it he from such a creature I'll leave tho house th t very minute. But —but perhaps he won't let mo." And Rose paused dazed by this possibility. If she determined to leave she would have to do so before he returned, that was clear. But how could she make up her mind without knowing whether the contents of tho letter were innocent or guilty ? There was only one way out of the difficulty—she must open tbe letter. She tore it opeu. It ran as follows :— Legality Theatre. Dkav. Bill, —Hearing that you was baok to town, I write these few lines as you told me to do. They say you hav« made a 'aul this time, hain't you ? 1 'ope so, for dear Bill, I am very 'ard up Won't you send me a tenner ? It won't make much odds to your pile, and I tell you I'm just stone-broke, that's all.— Your own, Tottik. With a heart-brnkon fisrh Rose laid down the epistle. This was the ond of everything for her. After such a dis covery an this she coulrl not remain in tbe house. She would leave it? polluted wall* that verv J iti*tant. She'wert't up to her bedroom to get a few things together, and to put her bonnet on. With an aching heart she paokert in a small portmanteau a few souvenirs whinh survived to her from th--h*ppy homo -he had 10-t when hei mother died, aud which sho had hoped would have adorned a happy horn - gained when she married. What tilasted hopes ! What profound despair [ ossessed hur! Shei wisbpd that she ould die then and there, and forget her sorrow for ever. dho bad ju-t finished when, to her horror, sho heard her hu*hand's jovial voice callinif for her. B j fore she eould make up her mind' what to do, he himself ea'iie rushiuif i»ti> the room. H * wa too excited to notice at'first her tearful face.' "Oh, Rose, my darliosr," ho cried, delightedly, "I've »u'-h news for you. Yon remember the letter you ask me to show you at, Llandudno ? I can tell yon all about it now. It was frjm Double and Square, the great stock brokers, and waa about my being.received i ito partnership. It wasn't quite settled then, and. as I was afnid the nosfoti tat ions na'gbt fall' through, I thought it batter aot to tell yon. Now" all'- au<t juucee before yon the junior partuur in tho great firm of Doutilu and Squire. What do you think of that, my darling ?" Ruae made no reply. She could scarcely believe, aft j r all that had come that day to her kuowle Ite, that what she said was true hut true or not she did not care, 'he would not live with him now— this cold blooded reprobate—if he were as rich as Rothschild ; no, even though to give htm ap would break hur heart. When she did not answer, Will gazed at her in surprise. He then noticed fo* the first time that she had been crying. My flarling," hn said, stepping forward to take her in his arm-', "what hu: happened ? Tell me, love «• Stand back, Mr Smith," cried Rosrf, resolutely ; ' 1 dou't dare to touch me. Will at her in bewilderment. " What is the matter, Roae?" he asked aft«r» pause. ~ • j •* Th-n's the matter, Mr Smith, cried Rose, flinging the opened letter at linn. " Tho matter iis you are found out." Without a worn, Will picked up the letter and read it. When lib had fin Ished, his faco turned black with rage. "This is a villainous plot," he said, to bring croublo between you and me, and. Jbv Heaven, I'll unmask thu rascals who Revised it. I feel sure who they a resome i)f those rivals of mine at Braxy. I know bvw they talked of ina behind mjr Ibaolt,: but MOO haTa K" 1 *" 1 " 11 fut *

I her; but, by all that's ho;y, I'll put my font on th^m.^...,,,. This vie w of' tne matter rather startled .Rose. ;but-a mi'mart's reflection showed her that it could not be correct. ■ i" Mr; Smithy I miuht he deceived by yon," she skid, '"if thi* were all, but to day st.-veriil other things happened wbii'h show uie bow false you are. Do . you.kuqw. Jo'i.Slojwr . . •• "No, I don't,'" replie:! Will. " Well, he knows you," retorted Rose. " He colled to see von to-day." ".Job Slower!" said Will. "By heaven, Rose, I never heard the. narao before." Rove only replied with a look of disdain. , Then, lifting ht»r portmanteau, sho walked past her husband and hurried downstairs.' She. had reached t.he hall when ho overtook ber. ' ' "Whore are you going, Rose?" he. nuked. ' ' • " Away from, you forever, I 'she replied,, with a sob. . . ' "Will you not wait until''l have a chance of provtuw that your 'suspicions' are unfounded .?" Will a>ked earnestly. '• I can't, I can t,", cried. Rose, desperately, "I know they tuvtrue." Just then a tremendous knocking: mounded on the hall door. ■ ' ; "Oh, doar.dear," ;cried Rose, " here is of them. I shall die with shame." Will went forward and opened the door. ' ■ ■ ■ ' '''' ' "Look 'ere," said• the person-who knocked, "since tboy rouumberwl thi* blowed street cyerytbink goes wroug. Ave you any letters for me ? This is my ihold number, don't yer see ? " Vyho are you p" demanded-Will-; " Why, I'm Bill Smith, .at your service.'. Champiou prize-ring, and the best and safest sporting prophet in Hengland— ',illerx-3potsithe : winner."' ■" " "By George!'' Will cried. "Yes, I think this letter's, for you.'' And ha haudt'd him the note which had so horrified Rose. ' " Yes, of course it is," ho said, as he' glanced oyer the note. " But,' 1 he added, ■vith an oath, when he had finished reading it, " may I a-k how you came to open my letter ? " " Well, you see,', said Will, •' my name happens to be Smith, too, and, of course, I couldu't tell from the : outside that it wasn't for me." " That's awkward," grumbled Bill Saiith. ' > " By the wav," asked Bill suddenly, " do you know Job Slogger, Mr Smith " Know Job Slogirer, I shall *ay I do, the biggest ruffian in Heuirland. Nerer you lay money with him, or you'll never neo the colopr of it atrain. •' I dun t mean to," said Will. " I merely wanted to tell you that he called here looking for you to day, and we didn't know where to send him." "Oh send all inquiries to No, j64 — that's my shop's colours now. Good-bye, Mr Smith number two." Will closed the door and turned to Rose. ' " Will, darlinif," ahe sairf, " can you forgive inn -Truth. ,