American Republican and Baltimore daily clipper. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1844-1846, 1846-03-16

| come tones OF the merciless first bell in the
morning, recalled his wandering senses from
the regions of fancy to affairs of real life.
Upon his return to consciousness, the rays of
the sun were streaming through the figured
glass of the exterior door. He cast glance
about the tiny room; something was wrong,
evidently wrong-nothing especial-but the
tout ensemble was in some manner 'out Of joint.
He rubbed his eyes and looked again.
Suspended from the pins of the partition,
were the habiliments OF lady! There they
were-robe and -! and every thing; the
whole paraPhernalia stood out in bold relief!
"Sure, and am dreaming" thought o.
| Bulky; and he rubbed his eyes again, to assure
himself that he was really awake, and did not
mistake his own familiar garments for those of
one of the lovelersex: and he rubbed them again
and again.
"'lt's not me that's dreaming then; I've been
sleep walking, sure-and stepped into strange
quarters, jist; faith! Pm in the wrong pew"
Thus thought my bewildered friend; and he
blushed, too, for he may not have met with
such an accident for many a long day before,
This, however, is upon his own authority: the
crimson might have been merely reflection of
! the sun. But gancing again in the direction
of the dresses, he deserted hanging over chair
his own neither garment and residue of clothing.
! GOOD st. Patrick" thought he, recovering
his courage, "sure, it's not myself that's the
lost sheep; but what in the name of the great
patron is the solution of this riddle?"
To solve it, he resorted to scores of sugges-
tions, and concluded that there must be room
mate abOut-probably in the lower berth, and
possibly asleep. So, after mature reflection,
he concluded to take immediate measures to
inform himself of the state of the case, and ef
feet speedy retreat-peaceably if he could,
forcibly if he must.
He gently raised himself and extended his
head almost imperceptibly over the border of
the berth, his eyes towards the floor. 1t so
I happened that the unfortunate tenant of the
! lower berth had discovered her own predca-
ment, and was also medtating upon the means
of Withdrawing unobserved.
She desired, as a first step, the information
that O'Bulkly was about to seek with regard
to herself To discover, therefore, whether
her second floor neighbor slept-she cautiously
raised her head and was slowly advancing a
little higher-when she met the full gaze of
O'Bulkly!
One mutual glance was enough The fact
that both were awake was fully ascertained:-
AS O'Bulkly expressed it,, 'pide G,0ake al that,
sHrem His authority, in this instance, il un-
questionable.
Instantly and simultaneously both parties re-
trograded; or, at least, their heads did.
O'Bulkly heard subdued noise, as though
proceeding from the very centre of bale of
blankets; hut whether it was a sob or sup
pressed laugh, he could not divine. For some
moments he remained silent; his calculations
were defeated. Then, mastering fresh cour-
age, he would have articulated "Madame!''
but his larynx seemed to be deranged; the effort
nj ht1cx A ct
tempt, and he fairly and clearly gave utterance
to the word
''Madame!''
"Sir!" replied a musical voice from below.
MADAME! Madame! a-hem-a-hem!" again
commenced O'Bukly.
"Ah, Sir" responded the lady.
"Thers appears, Madame, to have been en-
acted here the mistakes Of a .Nightn "
"Yes, Sir! Oh, horrible! horrbe!''
"But not inexphcable," said O'Bulkly.
i Horrible! horrible!" groaned the fair pIiso-
ner.
Il "Madame, let US explain: this has been my
room since we left New Orleans | entered it
late last evening, and did not observe that it
was occupied, at all, at all. ! presume that
some other arrangement has taken place"
HOh, Sir" said the lady, now speaking
clearly and dignifed. 81 came aboard yester-
day, and the captain assigned me this room, to
which retired quite early. now find there
has been some error"
"Faith! | see it all clearly. Error, indeed!
pair of them!" returned O'Bulkly. "But,'
he continued. in soothing manner, don't be
alarmed, Madame, don't be uneasyn'
, ''No, Sir! but how shall avoid the scandal
of this situation? How shall we extricate our
| selves from this dilemma?"
S "Why, there's nothing more simple sure;
we will get out of the room and the dilemma
3 at the same time"
"Well, Sir!''
!, "Well, Madame! what do you propose?n
0 ''It occurs to me, Sir that you had better
leave by one door and l by the other.''
4 Excellent, Madame! | will leave by the
0 outside door and pass over the hurricane deck.
4 was the last passenger up, last evening, and
S of course retired to this room unprecedented"
"Mercy on me, what good fortune!" invo-
: UNFAIRLY exclaimed the fair one; and she ad-
: ded, "then, good Sir, there is no time to be
e lost!''
$ "You are right, indeed you are. Suppose
n you arise first"
D "No, Sir; you first"
4 81 will turn my head, Madame"
: "No-no-Sir! for Heavens sake, arise!
o will turn my head"
), "True-it is for you to command; my duty
i is to obey" And suiting the action to the
word, O'Bulkly slid over the edge Of the berth
u and decended to the floor.
f. In arranging his toilette, he kept his face
8 scrupulously turned towards the partition
AS he raised the latch, the unknown fair one
n Observed
:. dreadful mistake! | hope, SRI tr,ts
If you will be generous!"
n "Confde in my discretion, Madame" wal
!. the reply; and he closed the door after him.
!, He loas generous, and discreet enough, with
d al, not to enter the main cabin until all bu
is himself were seated at breakfast, that he nigh
Is not cnnflsa the fair sl1ffarer hu his nresence