Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, January 16, 1868, Image 1
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VOL. 14. YORKYILLE, S. C., THURSDAY, JAJSTTTARY 16, 1868. NO. 3.
COUNTING-HOTJSE ALMANAC FOB 1868. i
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Mar J 30 31 !
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Sept 1 2; 3 4 5
8 9 10 11 12 13 14 6 7 8 9:10 11 12
15 16 17 18 19 20 21 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
22 23 24 25 26 27:28 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
29 30 31 27 28 29 30.........
Apr 1 2 si 4 Oct. 12 3
6 6 7 8 9 10 11 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
12 13 14 15 16 17 18, 11 12 13 14 15 16'17
19 20 21 22 23 24 25-' 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
26 27 28 29,30: I 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
May L.I 1 2 Nov ..
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17 18 19 20 21122 23, 15 16 17 18,19,20; 21
24 25 26 27 28! 29 30 22 23 24 25 26 27:28
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Jto Original Jtorp. *
Written for the Yorkville Enquirer.
THE OLD SABDENEB'S REVENGE- "
BY CLAUDE FORRESTER.
CHAPTER I. a
"I have nothing whatever to do with your do- ^
mestic affairs. If the hedges are not trimmed by j
the time agreed upon, I shall consider the contract
violated on your part and feel justified in withhold- g
ing every part of the payment already due." 1(
"But, sir,?" % S1
"There is no manner of use in arguing the mat- <j
ter, Mr. Daniels. When I return to my office to d
night, I shall expect to find your task completed.
In that case, you may call upon me to-morrow morn- S|
ing, or as soon as you may fiad it convenient, and
I shall promptly fulfil my part of the contract, by g
paying the fiill amount of my indebtedness. Good j,
morning, sir." And, so saying, the speaker hur- ^
riedly vaulted into the saddle,, and, putting spurs j
to his horse, was gone before the old man could u
reply.
"And is it possible!" he exclaimed, looking after
his departing employer; his countenance pale with ^
indignation and perplexity. "In the name of all ^
that is good and honest in human nature, does the
man?thischristiangentleman?reallymean that?" a
"Mean what, Mr. Daniels; and of whom are you ?
speaking?" asked a beautiful young girl, who, un- a
observed, had been walking in the garden. g
"To be guilty of an act of such gross injustice, n
Miss Louisa;?I am speaking of your father," re- 1<
plied the old man, looking sadly down upon the y
gravel walk. n
"My father guilty of an act of injustice!" ex- a
claimed the lady, indignantly. "Pray, sir, be so tl
good as to inform me what has occurred to drive ?
you to such a harsh conclusion." n
"It does not matter,'' said the old gardener, has- ti
tily turning away and walking meditatively toward jf
the gate.
"But are you not going to work to-day?" asked b
the young lady, following the gardener to the gate, f
"No, Miss Louisa. My wife is ill?dangerously r
so?and I have no heart for work this morning; 0
beside which, I am in duty bound to beat her side f<
and to minister to her wants. I only came here ti
this morning to inform your father of my inability a
to finish my work to day on account of domestic a
t affliction." t<
"Well, certainly; that is no fault of yours," said b
Louisa; "and the little work that remains to be ti
done here can be completed next week just as well
as to-day. Father did not object to all this, I am a
sure." y
9 WT kn L a nvkMrMw +L a mnmnn f T
VUJCVJl i TT lljr UV gicvr au{jijf tut uiuiuwi. jl gj
alluded to the circumstance; and not only refused
to allow a suspension of the work, which has been a
going on so uninterruptedly for the last two weeks, d
but actually threatens to deprive me of every cent r
of money which is already due me for the whole of fi
the last thirteen day's work. p
"I am sure, that father docs not mean this, Mr. 0
Daniels," said the young girl, evidently mortified.
"But, how much longer would it take to finish the t
work that remains to be done?" j,
"I could have completed my task by sunset," (
replied the old man. e
"Only one day!" said Louisa, thoughtfully. e
Then, after a few moment's silence, she looked up ft
with a sweet smile, and said: "If your wife would e
only allow me to nurse her to-day until your work
is completed, perhaps you would be a few dollars 0
richer to-morrow morning, and your wife none the
worse for my attention. It would be a pity for you b
to lose the reward of your toil, when its completion s;
1 is so near at hand.'' d
"It would be more than a pity, Miss Louisa," a
said the old man, a flush of anger passing over his M
venerable face. "It would be a crying shame before
God and man?a downright swindle and cheat, n
for which the perpetrator would richly entitle him- \\
self to a cell in the county jail." t,
"Why, Mr. Daniels!" exclaimed Louisa.
"I mean exactly what I say," said the old man, p
much excited. "Two weeks ago I found this gar- g
den a perfect wilderness of weeds and poisonous $
briars. Your father, uuon his own terms, engaged u
me to go immediately to work and put matters to c
lights, with the understanding that everything was
to be completed in fourteen days. I have weeded c
the entire garden, put fresh gravel and shell in n
every walk, erected arbors, adjusted and trimmed a
every bush, plant tree and vine, until one scarcely t
knows this to be the same place. Every thing is v
now completed but these hedges, which require a ii
considerable amount of trimming, but all of which k
would have been done by sunset, had nothing occurred
to prevent it Now, on the morning of the t
very last day's work, your father, on whose prop- ii
crty I have expended so much toil and no little
mon y, positively threatens to defraud me of my y
just earnings, because I solicit the right of minis- t
teridg to a sick wife. I have no words, with which ?
I can express the indignation I feel towards such
a man." t
"Stop, Mr. Daniels! Don't go away in such a s
passion," said Louisa, as the old man turned to b
leave. "Father would not be so unjust as to keep
back a farthing of your money; and I feel satisfied p
that he would not deprive you ot tne sad pleasure
of attending to your sick wife. Perhaps he only
told you what he did, to expedite the completion &
of your work. Now, listen to me a moment: I I
will again offer to act in the capacity of nurse, if fi
you agree to remain here and finish your work.? s
Say the word, and I will instantly put on my bon- t!
net and go at once to your house. Should your p
wife grow worse, or should she even express disap- r
probation with our little plan, I will immediately
let you know of it.e
'I see how it is, Miss Louisa," said the old 1
man; "andit is needless to attempt to disguise d
the fact You evidently feel satisfied in your own t
mind, that your father will be as good as his word,
md actually keep back my wages, if I do not complete
the work this very day. Your offer is a very
and one, under the circumstances; but I do not
eel justified in accepting it. "Your father may not
ike it, and my wife may prefer her husband to any
)ther nurse. We must humor the sick, you know."
"Suppose you ask your wife's consent, after staling
all the circumstances of the case. Father does
lot care much about my out-goings or in-comings;
10 you need feel no delicacy .on that point."
"I have a mind to take your advice," said the
rid man, after a few moments reflection. "I can
carcely afford the loss of so much time and money.''
"By all means, go," said Louisa, eagerly. "It
vill not consume many moments, and I will wait
lereforyou. Won't you? That's a dear, kind
rid soul!"
"Enough!" said the old man, pressing the proffered
hand to his lips. "I shall talk the matter
>ver with my wife if she is not too ill; but, instead
>f remaining here until my return, meet me at my
l92t after awhile, and I will let you. know whether
)T not "your plan will answer." And, so saying,
he old gardener hurried away without awaiting a
eply.
CHAPTER H. #
"Aha!" said Mr. Graveley, as he drove past
lis spacious gardens about an hour later; "so the
?ld rascal has concluded to go to work after all, eh!
Nothing like firmness, after all, by jove! Sick
rife, indeed! Bet almost anything that his wife is
s well as I am. Jacob!"
"Sir."
"Know where Mason street is?"
"Yes, sir," replied the driver, wondering what
a the world his master wanted in that locality.
"Then drive to number thirty-four."
"All right sir!"
********
"Hark! somebody raps at the door!" exclaimed
pale and emaciated woman, suddenly sitting upight
in her bed and gazing wildly towards the
oor.
"Lie down, Mrs.-Daniels," said a beautifulyoung
irl, gently forcing the invalid back upon her pil>w.
Then bathing the fevered temples of the
ufferer with cologne water, she added, in an unertone:
"What shall I do, should she become
elirious?"
"What's that?" asked the sick woman, again
tarting up and looking about the room.
"Oh my!?what shall I do ?" said the young
irl, going towards the window and timidly lookig
down into the street Then suddenly starting
ack, as she observed her father's carriage at the
oor, she added: "Now, was any tiling ever so
nfortunate!"
"Is everybody dead in the house?" cried the
river, looking up to the open window, and banglg
away with his whip-handle upon the closed
oor.
The young girl glanced timidly towards the bed;
nd there sat the sick woman, bolt upright, her
ice flushed with fever, her grey hairs hanging
bout her shoulders ; and her dark, sunken eyes
laring wildly in the direction from whence the
oise proceeded. The idea of being absolutely a)ne
with what, to her, appeared a crazy woman,
ras rather too much for those tender, untasked
erves; and, yet, how could she abuse the trust
nd confidence of the poor old gardener and vacate
be bedside of his sick wife? "Surely," she said,
Mr. Daniels could not have imagined for a uiolent,
that his wife was so ill, when he consented
o allow me to nurse her for him. Heavens 1 she
j getting up!"
Sure enough, the distracted woman, perfectly
eside herself with fever, had sprang suddenly
rom the bed, and was now staggering across the
oom towards the pitcher of water, which stood upn
the window-sill. She shuddered from head to
X)t as the cool air from the window came in conict
with her scantily robed person; and, clutching
t the frail sash for support, it yielded, gave way
nd broke in a hundred pieces, covering the now
jrrified and prostrate woman, with fragments of
roken wood and glass and the entire contents of
be large stone pitcher.
Losing all presence of mind, and vaguely concious
that something terrible had occurred, the
oung girl uttered a piercing scream, and fell insenible
upon the floor.
At this juncture,. Mr. Gravely, hearing the crash
nrJ cnnirle nf trlasa. the scream of a woman and a
ull heavy sound, like the falling of a human body,
ashed unceremoniously into the house. Running
rom room to room and occasionally calling out and
ausing to listen for a reply, he suddenly threw
pen the door of the sick woman and entered.
"Ha!" he exclaimed, observing the wet floor,
he broken glass, the rumpled, and, apparently,
ast vacated bed. "What does all this mean?
)ld Daniels has no wife here, at all events. Let
ae seeand, as he said this, he turned andlookd
about him; then with a cry of horror, he started
ack and grew ashly pale, for the form outstretchd
beside the old sofa and lying motionless as death
Self, was none other than that of his idolized and
nly daughter, Louisa.
With a cry of despair he got down on his knees
eside her, turned the motionless body over on its
ide and called mournfully upon her by every enearing
name. Then starting wildly to his feet, he
pproached the window and caljed for his servant,
rho immediately hurried into the house.
"In the name of the Holy Virgin 1 what is this,
ly master?" exclaimed the terrified driver, trembng
from head to foot as he recognized the councnance
of his lovely young mistress.
"God knows, Jacob," said the agitated father,
aising the body of bis daughter and placing it
ently upon the bed. Then perceiving a slight
car upon the pearly brow and a few drops of blood
ipon the floor, he became perfectly furious and
ailed loudly upon the police.
"Compose yourself my dear master," said Jaob,
gently placing his hand over Mr. Gravely's
aouth. "For your family's sake, do not create an
larm here. Remember, that this is Mason street;
he most dcsreputable portion of the city, and it
rould never do for your daughter to be found here
i this condition and under circumstances of so
ouch mystery."
Mr. Gravely started, as though some terrible
hought had flitted through his mind, and ranked
n his heart.
"Your daughter lives, sir," continued the drier,
taking his master's hand, and placing it upon
he bosom of Louisa. "l)o you not feel the puisaions
of her heart?"
"I do!?I do, Jacob!" exclaimed Mr. Gravely,
he tears streaming down his cheeks. "But, what
hall be done ? For heaven sake, Jacob, direct me
tow to act!"
"Remove her from this place immediately," reilied
the driver.
"But how?"
' "I will drive the carriage into the yard, sir,"
aid Jacob, "and we can privately convey Miss
iouisa home. On our way we can call for the
imily physician and take him along with us. But
ee!?the young lady revives!" And, so saying,
he driver, with his customary presence of mind,
proceeded to the street to have the carriage in
cadiness.
With a yawn and a shudder, Louisa opened her
yes, and looked bewilderingly about the room.?
"aking the hand of her father, and looking wonleringly
into his face, she was about to speak, when
he driver returned.
"Come, sir," he said, addressing himself to
r
Mr. Gravely. "Every thing is in readiness. -Let
' ns remove the young lady without farther delay."
i "Oh 1" exclaimed Louisa, glancing timidly a;
bout the room, "take me away, dear papa!"?
Then, suddenly rising to a sitting position, she
pointed to the wreck of the broken window sash,
and asked in a whisper: "Where is she now?"
t "Where is who, my daughter?" asked her father,
alarmed at the evident agitation and terror of
his trembling enquirer.
"The woman!?the ghostly looking woman,
that-."
"Hush, my darling!" said Mr. Gravely. "Tell
us all about it when you get home; but do not exert
yourself now. We must endeavor to get her
to the carriage Jacob." Then turning to the dri"A*
AAn^Amwlntmnr a ooona TinfVi
vci) nuu ObWU wuvgui^muug I/UU o^uw n*va ?vt\?v%?
arms, he added in a whisper, and with a countenance
as pale as death: "Her mind is wandering!
Depend upon it, something dreadful lias occurred."
"Do you think, Miss Louisa," said Jacob, after
impatiently consulting his watch, "that you are
able to walk between your father and myself, with
our support? If so, come at once; and we will
assist you to the carriage.''
"But the woman /?the poor, wretched woman!
Is she safe?" again asked Louisa, glancing from
her father to Jacob. "To whom do you allude,
' my love ? There is no woman here, beside yourself
; nor has there been since we have been in the
room. Calm yourself, Louisi, and come with us
immediately." And Mr. Gravely assisted her to
arise.
"Papa," said Louisa, suddenly grovying very
pale, and tottering to a chair, "go to that broken
window over there and look down into the yard."
And, thus speaking, she covered her face with
both hands and burst into a passionate fit of weeping.
"Merciful heavens 1" exclaimed Mr. Gravely,
"are you mad, crazy or what? Come, Jacob?
assist me." And as he spoke, he raised Louisa
to her feet; and, with the driver's assistance, succeeded
in supporting her down to the carriage. .
"Listen to me, papal" said Louisa, turning and
looking back towards the house. "I am weak?
have been terribly alarmed, and suppose l must
have fainted; but I am not crazy, when I tell you
that there was a poor sick woman in the room,
which we have just left. She was delirious?entirely
out of her head."
"Come, Mr. Gravely I" said the driver, in a tone
of impatient entreaty. "For God's sake, don'tstand
listening to a tale, which your own eyes must have
convinced you has no foundation in fact. If a woman?a
delirious woman?was in the room with
the young lady, it is not at all likely that she could
or would have kept her presence a secret to us
both. Miss Louisa has sustained a severe shock
of some kind, from the effects of which she has
not yet sufficiently recovered to give us a satisfactory
explanation. If I may venture to advise, sir,
I would say, pay no attention to her wanderings,
but drive to her home at once."
"No! no, papa!" persisted the agitated girl.?
"It is true, that I am too much prostrated at present
to give anything like a satisfactory explanation
of what has occurred; but I assure you that old
Mrs. Daniels was very ill up stairs sometime ago."
"Get into the carriage, jny daughter," said her
father, coaxingly. "Don't you see how exhausted
and nervous you are ? Help her Jacob. So, now!
drive on Jacob!"
"For the love of Heaven! listen tome, dear
papa ! Just one minute !" entreated Louisa.
"Mrs. Daniels shall be looked after and attended
to, my dear," said Mr. Gravely, as the carriage
moved off.
"But," persisted Louisa, becoming perfectly
wild with excitement, "I saw her get up and go
towards the window, and immediately after I heard
a terrible crash of ."
"Heavens!" exclaimed Mrs. Gravely, "why did
you not mention this before ? The woman has, no
doubt, been precipitated into the yard, as she was
certainly not seen in the room. This is shocking,
. terrible?but, what ails you, my dear?"
. And as the distracted man turned quickly around
to look upon his daughter, she was motionless
as death and cold as marble.
*****
"The rich grow sick as often as the poor," said
the old gardner, as he toiled away in the garden towards
sunset "That's the third time, since noon,
that Doctor Pendleton has drove up the avenue. I
wonder who can be sick, now?"
lie*:!! _ 1, ?;_<>> >
ouLii at nuiik) oii i
The old gardner looked up upon hearing himself
addressed, and discovered the speaker to be Mr.
Gravely's son, a lad of about ten or eleven years of
age.
"Yes, my little man;?still at work," said the
old man, fanning himself with his hat. "But,
thank God! my task will be completed in a few
moments now."
"Do you know that we have got Yellow Fever in
the house?" asked the lad, in a tone of voice denoting
considerable alarm.
"'Taint possible 1" exclaimed the old man, dropping
his pruning knife. "Who is sick with it?"
"Sister, sir," said the lad with grieving lip.
The old man started.
"Your sister!?Miss Louisa?" he exclaimed,
staggering up against the hedge, almost breathless
with emotion. "For the love of heaven, tell me
all about it!
"I don't know whether I can do so," said the
boy, sitting down upon a wheelbarrow. "All I
know about it is, that father brought sister home
in the carriage about an hour or so before dinner,
and "
"What!" exclaimed the old gardner. "You
surely do not mean to say that Miss Louisa has
been here since noon?"
"I think it was a little later, when father and
i Jacob bore her into the house."
"The Holy Virgin save us!" said the old man,
reverently crossing himself. Then, hastily gathering
up his tools, he threw his coat over his arm
and walked rapidly out of the garden, much to the
boy's surprise.
CHAPTER HI.
"What can it all mean ?" said the old gardner
to himself as he hurrried through the busy, bustling
city. "Could Miss Louisa have deserted my
poor .sick wife ? Is it possible that Maggie has
been alone ever since noon ? Then, after offering
an apology to a fat alderman, against whose portly
personage his spade had come in contact, he added,
half aloud: "So the wife of old Daniels is of so
little consequence, that nobody could afford to come
*V.n? /.nwlnn nml toll inn TJoVlV MlSS Tv?lllSfL flp
AlHU LUC gULU^U ?UU vv/ii maw II MJ A-MWW
serted her! Well, well; God is good and merciful,
and, no doubt, all is well." '
So saying, old Daniels turned from the busy
thoroughfare into the less frequented lane leading
to Mason-street. Passing hurriedly through a
crowd of dirty, barefooted women and vicious-looking
men, who were gathered about a peddler, he
walked rapidly toward his neat, but humble dwelling.
Poverty, not choice, had driven himself and
wife to this disreputable locality; and, here, amidst
scenes of vice, the worthy couple managed, by frugality
and industry, to earn a slim sufficiency of
this world's goods. The morning, upon which our
story opens, Mrs. Darnels awoke with every symptom
of fever, which rapidly became more marked
as the day advanced. The hour when her husband
usually went to work having arrived, and finding
her no better, he concluded to call upon the gen1
tleman employing him at that time, and solicit a
holiday, until affairs took a more favorable turn.
As has been seen, his application was cruelly rejected
by Mr. Gravely, who also seriously threatend
to withhold payment for work already done, if
the entire job was not completed that veiy day,
according to previous agreement In justice, howover,
to all the parties concerned, it should be stated,
that Mrs. Daniels was not known to be seriously
ill; and to this fact, as much as his anxiety for the
security of his hard-earned wages, must we attribute
her husband's acquiesence in the proposition
of Louisa Gravely. When that kind proposition
was made, old Daniels immediately returned home
and talked the matter over with his wife, who agreed
readily and even thankfully, that the rich
and beautiful daughter of Mr. Gravely should
nurse her until her husband's return. She assured
her husband tbat she was feeling much better,
and insisted upon on immediate return to his work.
Poor woman! The fear of incurring the ill-will
of the rich and influential employer; the fear of
losing the reward of nearly a fortnight's labor and
toil, made her agree to anything that might be
suggested to avert such a calamity. She was not
feelincr better?the epidemic, which was raging in
that miserable locality, had crept, like a serpent,
into her tidy house; and fastening itself upon her
bosom, was even then sapping the very foundations
of her nature.
She told him she was better; and thousands of
women have done the same thing, when such replies
were thought to further the interests of their
husbands. Better, when every nerve is wrung
with pain and head and heart worn down with anguish;
better, when everything is worse; ayel
' even happy, while the poor heart is breaking. *
And if he brightens up and grows hopeful at this
intelligence; if he goes forward in the battle of life
and gathers up his energies for more labor and toil
because of these words, that is all she asks?her only
reward.
Poor woman!
Scarcely had her husband's presence been missed
; scarcely had tho beautiful Louisa Gravely sat
down in the chair that he had vacated, when Mrs.
Daniels found herself alarmingly ill. As the day
advanced, she grew rapidly worse, until, by noon,
she was delirious with fever and dangerously ill.
What could an inexperienced girl like Louisa do ?
She had bathed the throbbing temples with cologne,
had placed cool, wet cloths upon the fevered
forehead, and fed the poor patient with little pellets
of ice; but, by the time her father so opportunely
arrived, Mrs. Daniels was raging with fever
and totally unconscious.
Seeing her patient suddenly arise from the bed
and walk toward the window, Louisa became a
larmed for her own safety, and had turned to nee,
when the crash of wood and gingle'of glass struck
terror to her timid heart, and temporarily deprived
her of that consciousness and self-possession, which
were so essential at that critical moment. Upon
her return to consciousness?observing the shattered
sash and open window, and the absence of
her patient?the inference rushed upon her immediately,
that, in a fit of delirium, poor Mrs. Daniels
had precipitated herself into the yard.
When her fears were communicated to her father,
it was his intention to return immediately to
the house with old Daniels* as soon as his daughter
was at home and in safety. Almost any man
but Mr. Gravely would have given the alarm at
once, and instituted immediate measures for the relief
of the poor woman ; but Mr. Gravely argued
the matter, mentally, in this way: If she did throw
herself from that third-story window into thatbrickpaved
yard, she is dead, and nothing more can be
done for her but to give her a decent burial. There
being no necessity for haste in that matter, what
concerns me most now, is to remove my daughter
from this sink of vice as soon as possible and have
her attended to immediately.
So Louisa was taken home, put immediately to
l>ed and very shortly became alarmingly ill. Instead
of returning to look after the poor woman in
Mason-street, Mr. Gravely was walking madly up
and down his fine mansion, perfectly distracted,
and Jacob had gone a considerable distance, with
the carriage, after a physician.
And all this time old Daniels was toiling away
in the garden, utterly unconscious of what had occurred.
****##*#
The street door was ajar and the parlor wide
open, as the old man entered his hitherto happy
home. Quietly laying aside his tools, he noiselessly
ascended the staircase; called aloud, "Maggie!"
when half way up, and paused to listen. No
rupiy came.
With a pallid cheek and a heart profoundly filled
with apprehensions of evil, he staggered up the
remaining flight of stairs, calling, as he went,
"Maggie!?Maggie 1"
Hearing no reply, he hastily threw open his
wife's chamber door and entered. No Maggie
there I The usually tidy bed was tumbled and
disordered, the floor wet with water and tracked
with muddy feet, chairs overturned and fragments
of glass about the room. Instinctively, and with
a smothered cry of horror and dismay, the old
gardener hastened to the open window, and with
a shudder, looked down into the yard. No Maggie
there!
With a sigh of relief he turned from the window'
and searched almost every portion of the house;
until at last, overcome with his hard day's work,
and the torturing suspense of mind, he threw himself
upon an old ottoman and burst into tears.
Suddenly he started up, and putting on his best
coat and hat, hurried out of the house with a glad,
hopeful smile upon his honest old face.
"Strange," he remarked, "that the idea-never
occurred to me before! Zounds 1 what a poor old
fool I am, to be sure! Running about like a madman
and calling upon Maggie, when I might have
known that Miss Louisa would not have the heart
to leave her here all alone. Well! well I I might
have known as much, from the very fact that nobody
took the trouble to tell me anything about
her; whereas, if they had been compelled to desert
her, they certainly would have told me the very
first one." And the old man laughed aloud, and
walked briskly forward.
****** **
The cool shadows of twilight were creeping around
and enveloping the Gravely mansion. An
unusual and impressive silence reigned throughout
the stately edifice, so vocal before with music,
song and laughter; and as the eye looked up inquiringly
to the closely curtained windows, but one
feeble taper glimmered out into the deepening
darkness. At the great hall-door two physicians
were holding consultation, while Mr. Gravely himself,
kept walking to and fro with rapid strides.
"And you really think that she is seriously ill?"
he asked, suddenly pausing in his walk and confronting
the physicians.
"We do, sir," was the laconic reply of one of
the professional gentlemen.
"Then nothing remains to be done," said the
distracted father, "but to smooth her passage to
the grave as much as possible."
' Muck remains to be done," said the other profissional
gentleman. "To-morrow morning she
may be better?much better. Everything depends
upon the success of the opiate, which we have administered;
and to facilitate its free operation upon
her nerves, I would advise that the house be kept
perfectly quiet, and her chamber as dark as possible.
Mr. Pendleton and myself will, by turns, remain
at her bedside throughout the night, carefolly
noting every change for the better or worse,
and prepared to act promptly as the condition of
the patient may require. In the meantime, suffe
me to advise you to retire as early as possible t
your own chamber, as you are sadly in need of rest
Your wife makes an excellent nurse for the sick
and she, alone, will be admitted to her daughter'
room with our consent"
Mr. Gravely made no^reply; hut noiselessly en
tering the house and carefully closing the door be
hind him, left the physicians upon the verandal
and tip-toed to the library.
Here, throwing himself at full length upon i
soft, he buried his face in the soft silky cushion
and wept aloud. A'scene to be noted?to be pon
dered over, and laid to heart! Tears of anguisl
upon crimson pillows of downy velvet! A wrunj
heart, amidst scenes of luxury and almost prinoelj
wealth 1
Magnificent pictures, in gorgeous frames, o
beauteous landscapes, and more beauteous form
and faces, looked mockingly down upon the wretch
ed man. Exquisite statuary, standing so frigidh
calm and beautiful in the angles of the room, wen
only haunting ghosts to annoy and distress hin
now; while the roses, which bloomed from thoa
china vases upon the mantle, spoke not of pleasan
fields and lovely gardens, but coffin wreaths anc
church-yard flowers.
"Curse the hour I employed the old scoundrel!'
said Mr. Gravely, suddenly springing from th<
sofa and waiting agitatedly about the library.?
"Ungrateful wretch 1 To seduce my darling chile
from her happy home to that abode of pestilencethatsink
of contagious corruption and disease
For what ? To nurse his wife!?a woman perfect
ly reeking with pestilence! And the villian hieu
this! Oh! my God 1 is not my anger just?"
"Can I come in, sir ?'' asked a person from with
out.
"Yes," said Mr. Gravely, hurriedly throwinj
open the door. "Is Louisa worse?"
"Miss Louisa sleeps at present," said the ol(
female domestic; "but it is not about her that'
have ventured to disturb you, sir."
"What then?"
"An old man stands without and insists upoi
seeing you. Says his name is Richard Daniels.''
"Daniels! repeated Mr. Gravely, staggerinj
back. "iTe wants to see me ? Impossible!
He says, that he will not detain you but a fev
moments, sir."
"Tell him to be gone; and if he does not heec
you, set the dogs upon him. Hark!?what nois<
is that?" And Mr. Gravely opened the door anc
looked eagerly out,
"For God sake, old man," said a voice in th<
passage way, like some one expostulating with an
other, "there is no necessity for this rashness. Yov
cannot see Mr. Gravely to-night His daughter ii
critically ill; and this violent entry upon his prem
ises and into his very house, is a shameful piece o
business."
"Let him come into tho library I" said Mr
Gravely, in an impatient tone of voice. "Thi
noise will alarm the whole house."
Upon hearing this, old Daniels broke from thi
individual detaining him and rushed breathlessly
forward. Then falling down upon his knees befori
Mr. Gravely, bitterly cried out "For God sake
sir 1 tell me what it all means!?where is poor Mag
gie ? They tell me that she is not here, but?1"
"I must insist upon au immediate cessation U
these loud out-cries, Mr. Daniels," said Mr. Grave
ly, rudely pulling the old gardener into the library
and hastily closing the door. ''You are a presump
tious old scoundrel to encroach upon my privac;
in this manner, sir. But, since you have so we]
established your claim to presumption, let us hea
what impudence and impertinence is to follow."
"Oh, sir!" exclaimed Daniels, the tears stream
ing down his withered cheeks, "I mean no rude
ness, no presumption. It is the violence of despai
and madness that you see."
"But, what is it that you wish?" asked Mr
Gravely somewhat moved at the deplorable pligh
of the old man. "Who is this Maggie, that yoi
are speaking of? Why expect to find her here ?'
"My poor, sick wife, sir."
"Ynnrwife. indeed!" said Mr. Gravelv. imna
tiently turning away. "What do you expect m
to know of your wife ?"
"Then Bhe is not here?" asked, or rather ex
claimed the old man, involuntarily sinking dowi
upon a lounge and growing deadly pale.
"Of course not. 'Pon my soul! I do not com
prehend this remarkably singular conduct, said Mr
Gravely.
. "But you know where she is, sir."
"I again tell you, that I know nothing whateve
about your wife or her whereabouts," said Mr
Gravely, evidently annoyed.
"Then, by all that is good in humanity, I pro
nounce you a heartless monster!" said old Daniels
much excited.
Mr. Gravely turned quickly upon his heel ant
looked upon the excited old man, perfectly astoun
ded. Then, erecting his fine person, and walking
up to Daniels, he laid his open hand heavily upoi
his shoulder and thus addressed him:
"Daniels, listen to me one moment! You art
treading upon dangerous ground?tampering witl
an already enraged heart Under cover of youi
age you make an unprovoked attack upon me ii
my own house, and insult me to my face. Now
Daniels, if you will credit my word, I assure yoi
that I can scarcely overcome a very strong desireamounting
almost to a determination?to kick yoi
out of the house. That being the case, I advist
you to keep a civil tongue in your head, and giv(
me your respectful attention.
Ever since I knew you, Daniels, I have endeavored
to throw as much work in your way as I possibly
could, and to assist you upon all occasions,
and in every conceivable way. As a return for
these repeated efforts to advance your interests,
you induce my only daughter to visit a section ol
the city, which you know is not respectable, and
in which no young lady can be seen without serious
damage to her character. You prevail upor
her to visit a portion of the city, which you know
is infected with yellow fever; and?to make mat
ters worse?actually induce her to attend upon a
woman lying ill with that terrible disease. The
consequences are that my beautiful, darling Louisa,
is now critically ill, the fever introduced into
? ? * . ii n i
my household, and your patron ana Deneiaccor rendered
a wretched and unhappy man. To cap the
climax, you presume to enter my house by sheer
violence and bestow upon me the most degrading
epithets. What does all this mean, Daniels?"
"I hold myself responsible for none of these
[things," said Daniels. "Your threat in the garden,
this morning, to withhold the payment of my
wages, because I begged a brief holiday to attend
upon a sick wife, has wrought all this mischief. I
incidentally informed Miss Louisa what had passed
between us, and, she offered to prevent the possibility
of such a loss, by going to my house and attending
to my wife, while I completed my task. I
objected again and again to this proposal, and finally
yielded a reluctant consent. As I hope for
mercy at the hands of God, I never knew that my
poor wife had the fever you speak of."
"And did you suppose me capable of withholding
a farthing of your wages, Daniels?" asked
Mr. Gravely.
' 'I supposed you capable of keeping your word,
replied Daniels.
"After what passed between us in the garden,"
said Mr. Gravely, "I interested myself so much
in your behalf as to drive round to your house to
ascertain the state of your wife's health. Had I
found her as sick as you represented, my first act
would have been to apprise you of the fact and
i relieve you from work. But judge of my su
0 prise and horror, when, upon entering, I found n
beloved daughter lying unconscious upon the floor.
, Here he related what is already known to tl
s reader.
"Merciful heavens!" exclaimed old Darnel
- starting to his feet, and gazing wildly about hin
- "And you saw nothing of my poor Maggie ?"
1 "If, by your poor Maggie, you mean your wif
I reply in the negative," said Mr. Gravely, wit
i cruel indifference.
9' "And Miss Louisa thinks the poor old soul a
- tually threw herself from the window!" said Dai
i iels as if talking to himself.
5 "That seemed to be her impression," was tl
7 reply.
"And you knew all this," said Daniels, in a tor
f of voice that startled Mr. Gravely, "and saw n
9 toiling and sweating within the sound of your vofl
- the whole blessed day, and yet never told me
7 Man alive! and you fly in a passion and threate
s me with indignities because I pronounce you
i heartless monster! George Gravely, I will ha)
s speedy revenge for this." And the old man
t voice grew husky, and his frame was all in a tr
]
i mor.
"Daniels, you make no allowance for the di
' tressing condition of my domestic affairs. Yc
3 forget how, in my anxiety on my daughter's a
- count, it was possible to forget everything else."
1 "My daughter's account /" repeated the o
- man, mockingly. "And don't you suppose, that
! poor man's wife is as dear as a rich man's daug]
- ter ? The bare fact, that you could forget a poo
0 sick, unfortunate woman, under such circumstai
ces, is sufficient evidence of your utter hearties
- ness and inhumanity."
"Is Jacob in the kitchen?" asked Mr. Grave
5 addressing himself to the female domestic, wl
had remained in the room, a silent listener of ^b
^ was spoken.
[ The woman replied in the affirmative.
"Tell him to bring his carriage whip here ar
drive this old ingrate out of my house. Do as
1 bid you!"
"Oh, sir!" exclaimed the woman, reprovingl
5 "I shall not subject you to the disgrace ai
and mortification of obeying such a dastardly c
7 der," said old Daniels, rising and putting on h
hat Then turning to Mr. Gravely, who was wal
1 ing hurriedly about the room, pale with anger, ai
3 maddened with self-accusing conscience, he adde<
1 "With your permission, sir, I shall retire, witho
putting your servants to the trouble of whippii
3 mc out But, George Gravely, as sure as you a
a living man, you snail regret tne occurrences
1 this day and the base indignities with which yc
3 have threatened me to-night I feel myself to be i
" insulted, injured and outraged man; and, as sucl
f I will be revenged." And without another won
the wretched old man walked out of the room.
Mr. Gravely felt in his heart, that his conduc
3 in connection with old Daniels' unfortunate wif
was without excuse; that his negligence to insl
3 tute measures of relief, or at least, to inform tl
V poor old man of what had been communicated
3 him under such impressive circumstances was i
i deed heartless and unfeeling, beyond measur
* The more he thought of it, so much the more d
his guilt appear manifest; and, angry with hii
3 self, and distressed in mind on account of t
* daughter's illness, the unhappy man paced to ai
? fro the liveloDg night, even until the dawn of da
i- # * * * # *
y Back from all this splendor?back from the
I scenes of luxury and wealth, to the haunts of pes
r lence, poverty and vice, did old Daniels go. .
his utter loneliness and depression of spirits 1
wondered to whom he should go for the relation
" his troubles, or from what quarter advice and c
r operation could be obtained. Finally, he thoug
of a certain old preacher, who lived in the upp
' per portion of the city; and to him he determini
t to go, reveal his deplarable situation, andenlist I
II services.
An hour after, the old gardner, accompanied 1
his pious companion and friend, entered the hui
- ble, and, now, desolate house on Mason-street, ai
e began a thorough search of the premises. Fro
garret to cellar; from room to room; in the yar
garden, out-houses and everywhere did the o
3 men diligently search. Alas! no Maggie cou
be found, nor the slightest traces of her where
- bouts discovered.
There certainly was no evidence whatever, th,
the poor woman had fallen from the window. J1
stains of blood upon the bricks in the yard?tl
r shrubs and plants, immediately beneath the br
ken window, perfectly unharmed. Then, too,
occurred to the old man, that no human beil
- i J :ui_ xun c ?i. ?
cuuiu puraiuijr iaii nuui ouuu a uix??jr ucigui niu
' oat being instantly killed, or, at any rate, render*
incapable of motion. What then had become
poor Maggie Daniels ?
\ CHAPTER IV.
One week had elapsed since the occurrences r
3 lated in the foregoing chapters had transpired.
i The old gardener was wandering dejectedly i
r lone in one of the city church-yards, when a lor
i and imposing funeral procession entered the ei
, closure, the pall-bearers in advance, bearing a
t exceedingly rich and expensive burial oase. Ha
- tily rising from a marble slab, upon which he ha
i but just seated himself, he involuntarily, followe
3 the procession, and shortly after,, found himse
? beside a newly opened grave. With a shudd*
and a suppressed cry of mingled terror and so
row, the old man staggered back among the circ
around the coffin, for there?gleaming up from tl
, surface of the massive silver plate?was the nan
r of "Louisa Gravely."
, The impressive burial services were performec
f and the coffin about to be lowered, when itwasdii
1 covered, that the grave was nearly half full of wj
. ter. A brief consultation ensued, the nature <
i which could only bo surmised from the fact, thi
r the burial-case was shortly after removed to
neigh boring vault with large maroie floors ana gim
i pannek Through these pannels, the old gardenc
i gazed, as soon as the procession left the cemeterj
and there he caught a glimpse of the childish fac
i of the rich man's beloved daughter, now rigid a
marble, but still beautiful to look upon. The li
i of the coffin had been arranged in such a peculia
manner, that tho silver-plate was movable an
: worked upon slides. At this time it was dowr
leaving the meek and saintly face entirely exposed
i Looking upon that face, he was reminded of hi
poor missing wile and of the melancholy fact, tha
for her sake and on her account was this fair an<
lovely young being hurried to an untimely grave
Musing upon all the circumstances connected wit!
tho mysterious disappearance of his poor Maggii
and the apparently consequent death of Louisa
his heart grew unwontedly sad within him; and hi
looked half enviously upon the quiet sleeper befon
him and longed for a rest as unbroken and peace
ful as that. He turned to leave; but before doinj
so he would give one long, lingering look upon thi
tenant of this gorgeeus vault
In doing this, and in his anxiety to obtain a bet
ter view, he tip-toed upon the granite steps anc
leaned forward, supporting his entire weight againsi
the marble door. A harsh, grating sound?a diz
zy sensation of Ming?and the next moment th<
door was creaking upon its hinges and the old gar
dener lying outstretched upon the damp anc
mouldy floor of the vault
Owing to some unaccountable negligence, th<
parties depositing the coffin in the vault had neg
lected to secure the door behind them, but hac
. . . _
r- simply closed it Even this much most have been'
ly bat imperfectly done, or the old man's weight could
not have moved it from its position,
le Old Daniels quickly regained his feet and looked
wildly about him. The idea of having entered so
s, unceremoniously into the presence of the peaceful
a. dead, was somewhat shocking to his feeble nerves..
He looked eagerly and rather timidly around, and
e, discovered no less than five newly made coffins in
h the vault lying one upon the other, the occupants
of which were all victims of the terrible pestUenoe
c- then raging in the city. The case or coffin?for its
a- construction was peculiar?in which the body of
Louisa was enclosed, was lying apart from the othle
era and on a stone slab or table. To this the old man
turned; and looking Hown upon the sweet
le young free, suddenly started and uttered an exte
clamation of mingled surprise and honor; fbr the
x eyes, awhile ago, closed, were now wide open, and
i! the lips apart Recovering from the shock, and
in thinking, perhaps, that his violent entrance may
a have jarred the body and thus occasioned the prea7e
ent condition of the corpse, be ventured to kjok a- a
'a gain. That look decided him. *
e- Running his trembling hands along the outside
of the case, he discovered itsqpmpoationto be eiths
er of stone or Heavy glass. Looking eagerly aiu
round, he found a hatchet, hammer and crowbar,
c- the former of which he seized and began carefully
chipping away the hard, butbrittle lid of the oofId
fin. In an almost incredible short apace of time,
a the breast and arms of the body were expoeed; and
i- now the the old gardener pauses?loots doubtfully
r, into the still motionless faoe?puts his ear close to
q- the shrouded bosom?then goes to work again with
s- redoubled energy.
The lid is off at last; but the twilight shadows
Iy are deepening and darkening around the vault
10 What is to be done ? Bushing breathlessly to the
at entrance of the damp, dark, dreary abode of death,
he observes the parsonage across the street?the
residence of his old friend?and the only house in
id the vicinity of the church. Hprriedly divesting
I himself of his overcoat, and lifting the body, as
gently as an infant, from the coffin, he wrapped it
y. closely about the now tremulous form, and, with
id the precious burden in his arms, staggered ezhansir
ted across the street
jg *#**** -; ?J..
t- "Daniels," said Mr. Gravely, "you are the very
id man I wished to see. Why do you thus shun me?
i: If I have wronged you in my conduct towards
Qt your poor wife, forgive me. I am to be pitied^
ig Daniels. My borne has been invaded by disease
rc and death; and God knows how and where it will
of all end. Four days ago poor.Louisa left me, and
)U now my beloved wife and boy are down with the
in same fever that sapped the life of my beautiful
h, Louisa. Oh I Daniels, can you harbor malice in
(j) your heart towards a wretched man like me ?"
Daniels choked down the noble emotidns of his
^ Dosom, ana replied. "jar. uravely, 1 snail never
e, forget to whom I am indebted for the present mistj.
cry of my existence. You haye, with a careless,
3e negligent, cruel hand, let down the curtain of an
to impenetrable darkness between me and all my
D. hopes, and made my life a sad and weary pilgrimo.
age. As I once told you, in yonder splendid manid
sion; so I tell you now?I vktl be revenged'/"
n- "Oh 1 Daniels 1 Daniels I'' exclaimed Mr. Grave[ia
ly. "Talk not of revenge to me 1 What can you
id inflict upon mo, equal to that whichlhave already
y. suffered? My idolized child snatched from my
embrace and laid away in yonder tomb 1 My wife
so and darling boy evidently about to follow 1 And
ti_ look upon these stinkeifeyes and*holIbw cheeks .01 *[n
mine, and tell me, Daniels, if you do not read in
he that, the doom that awaits me, too ?"
of Daniels looked into the care-worn face of the
o- speaker, bnt quickly averted his gaze. It was eloht
quent in its expression of utter mental wretched
er ness, and emphatic in its shadowings of physical
sd suffering and premature decay,
lis "What I wish to ask of you, Daniels," said Mr.
Gravely, "is, that you will select some spot in
iy Greenwood Cemetery, or wherever you think best,
Q. and remove poor Louisa there. Take her from that
id dark, dreary vault, into the warm sunshine, where
m we can make a garden of her grave. And, as one
d, after the other of my family drop off, lay us side
Id by side in some cool, pleasant spot I have auld
thorized my banker to advance yoWany amount
a- you may deem requisite for these purposes.' You
will do this for us, Daniels?will you not"
at "I will,'' was all that Daniels ventured to reply,
fo Mr. Gravely felt in his vest pocket a few moie
ments; then, taking therefrom a roll of money
ru wranned in naner. he handed it to the old oar
it dener, saying: "This is about the amount of my
lg indebtedness to you fo^ your labor in the garden,
h- Oh 1 Daniels! at what a terrible cost to us both
id was that contract fulfilled! Would to God, I had
of granted you the brief indulgence solicited thatun- ,'*
fortunate day!" * ** '
"My God I?what is this ?" said old Daniels;
and as Mr. Gravely looked quickly up, upon hearing
the exclamation, old Daniels was holding a
strip of paper before him, while the tears were rolling
down his withered cheeks.
a' That scrap of paper, dear reader, contained a
notice of the safety and recovery of "poor old
a" Maggie," and was a fragment of one of the city
in journals. She had wandered out into the street das'
ring Louisa's unconsciousness; been taken in,
^ tended and nursed, by a humane lady and wasl(l
now convalescent The lady had ascertained her
name some days before, but did not publish the
-r card, until she had twice called at Daniels' house
f" and found it tenantless.
,e The week after this, Mr. Gravely was handed
ie the following note:
ie Dear Sir: I promised to remove your daughter's
body from the church-yard and deposit it in
1, a pleasant spot This I have done ; but not exj
actly in accordance with your directions. Instead
L. of a cemetery I have her in sr comfortable Deflf
room. In jplain words, sir, your daughter was
found alive in the vault?was extricated from the
lt coffin by my hands and borne by me to the paraon&
age. We all thought it best to say nothing of the
38 matter, until her recovery was at least probable.
?r It is now quite evident that she tciZZ recover; and,
as her brother and mother are better, we have con'
eluded to reveal the secret to you, leaving it to
* your own discretion, when, how.and where to
15 break the dangerous news to your family,"
rJ . 1 .1 1 1 1 ? I
u Ana THIS was tne oia garaener s revenge j
j
d Save Something.?The workingman should
i) not live fully up to his income, unless it be a matL
ter of absolute necessity. If he can only lay aside
s one or two dollars per week, it is some provision
t against want and suffering when he 'is unable to
1 take his accustomed plaoe in the workshop. The
strong man is sometimes bowed down by disease;
1 or his wife and little ones may languish on the bed
2 of illness. At such times the family expenses are
> increased. The doctor must be paid; medicine
s must be bought, and delicacies must be provided
2 for the sick. The mechanic who has nothing laid
- up for a "rainy day" must suffer when sickness
1 keeps him from daily toil His wages are stopped,
2 but his expenses continue, and, ere he knows it,
suffering and want are added to his woes. Those
~ who, by small weekly or monthly contributions,
1 entitle themselves to the charities of benevolent
t institutions, act wisely and welL Any plan by which
they provide against such contingencies as we have
) mentioned is worthy their attention. Let the
workingman economise while in health, and always
1 keep a fund in reserve for the uncertain fixture.
? ,
3 I?" John Doe died of a heavy spree in the New
- York Tombs. His suit again Riohard Roe is now
1 discontinued.