The organ of the temperance reform. (Cincinnati, O. [Ohio]) 1852-1853, 1852-04-30
5RlttttA GnIR.
A THRILLING STORY.
THE RIVAL LOVERS:
Or. the stolen Bank Notes.

The newspapers Of 1910 contained afew brief
paragraphs,-cold, bare, and partial as a tomb
stone relative to a singular, aud to my thinking,
instructive passage in the domestic annals OF the
country, with which happened to beintimate-
ly acquainted. The impression it produced on
me at the time was vivid and profound, and a
couple Of lines in Liverpool Journal the other
day, eurtly announcing the death of Madame
L'Estrange, recalled each incident as freshly to
memory as If craven there but yesterday; and
moreover induced me to pen Che following mar
rative in which, now that can do so without
the risk Of giving pain or offence to any one,
have given the whole affair, divested Of color
ing, or coneealment.
NV father, who had influence with the late
Lord Bexley, then Mr.. VansittaTt, procured me,
three weeks after came Of age, junior clerk
shin in ore Of the best paid Of our Government
offices In the same department were two
Young men, my seniors, by six or seven years
only, Of the names Of Martin Rrayers and Ed
ward Capel. Their salaries we're the same--three
hundred pounds year, and both had an equal
chance for promotion to the vacancy likely soon
TO occur, either by the death or superannuation
Of Mr.. Rowdell, an aged and ailing chief clerk.
had known them slightly before | entered
the office, inasmuch as our families visited in
the same society, and we were soon especially
intimate with each other. They were, found,
fast friends, though different greatly in charae-
ter and temperament. liked Martin TraVers
much the best Of the two. He was handsome,
well grown, frank spoken, generous young man,
and never have known person 80 full Of buoy
ant life as he,-Of temper so constantly gay
and cheerful.
Capel was Of graver, more saturnine dispo-
sition, with lines about the mouth indicative Of
iron inilexibility Of nerve and will; yet withal
hearty fellow enough, and living, as was sus-
pected, quite up tOIhis income, if not to something
considerably over. / had not been more than
obout three months in the office, when mark
ed change was perceptible in both. Gradually
they had become cold, distant, and at last ut
teriy estranged from each other, and 1t was sug-
gested by several amongst US, that jealously IS
to who should succeed to RowdelPs snug salary
ofsix hundred year, might have produced the
evidently bad feeling between them. This
might, thought, have generated the lowering
cloud hourly darkening and thickening upon
Capel's brow, but could scarcely account for the
change in Martin Travers.
He whose contagious gaiety used to render
dulness and ill-hnmor impossible in his presence,
was now fitful, moody, irasible; his daily tasks
were no longer gone through with the old cheer
full alacrity and finally -fOrlhe was morbidly inn
patient for being questioned, ~ jumpted to the
conclusion from some half words drop
ped, and partly from knowing where they both
occasionally visited, that the subtle influence
which from the days Of Helen downWards-
and suppose upwards--has pleased and plagued
mankind, was at the bottom Of the matter. -
was quite right, and proof was not long wait
cd for. was walking early Que evening along
Piccadilly with Travers--who appeared by-the-
by to wish me further, though be was too polite
TO say sO--When We came suddenly unon Camel
/ caught his arm, and insisted that he should
take 3 turn with us as be used to do. Thought
that possibly quiet word OF two on the beauty
and excellence Of kindly brotherhood amongst
men, might lead to q better feeling between
them. wss dcacedly mistaken. My efforts
IN that line--awkWardly enough made, dare
say.--proved utterly abortiye. Capel indeed
turned back, rather than, as supposed, fussily
persist in going on, but both he and Travers
strobe On stiffly as grandiers on parade--their
cheeks flushed, their eyes alight with angry
emotion, aud altogether sullen and savage as
bean. What seamed odd too, when Travers
turned sharply round within short distance Of
HYDE Park Corner, with scarcely disguised
intention Of shaking US off, Capel whirled round
o. quiskly,MH quite as resOlutsly determined