New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1854-08-22

| wise, not to have seen was ioking-a fool like
| me would have known | was only making fun
I But the boat is floating, see, and must be of
| to warn the wife and husband that are to be-
Good bye, Master Holford.' $50
Immediately turned homewards, in about as
savage and perplexed mood as ever rememg
ber to have experienced. Mr.. Churston, who, /
was aware, had been lodging for several weeks
at Laburnum Villa, / had seen once or twice at
a distance. He appeared to be gentlemanIy-
looking person enough Of, guessed, about fifty
years Of age: and if Fanny--if Mistress Denvir
chose to throw herself away upon fellow old
enough to be her father, how could help it
And what right, moreover, had to feel angry
| thereati I, who had never, that was aware
of, given the slightest intimation of-Bah! Let
her marry Belzebub if she would, what was it
to me. Andsthat erazed and drunken Joel,
what might there be of seriousness in the dark
fancies floating in his distempered brain,
Surely he could have no real intention of
numbering the child, whose life he boasted of
| having yesterday saved, with the absurd view Of
| removing what he supposed TO be Mistress Den
| yirs inducement to marry Churston! It could
| scarcely be, and yet when, thus soliloquizing,
reached home, i could not refrain from impart-
| ing to my father the substance of Joeps rawlings.
He was chief constable of the district, an hon.
orary Office in those days, and might, | thought,
speak TO Joel in tone of authoritative warn
i
ter; was quite sure Joel must have been tipsey
to have uttered such folly, and was, saw, not
in the least put out by the news of Mistress
Deny1rs approaching marriage. So About the
best thing she could do,'' he calmly observed,
" and lucky chance withal; for,'' added be,
looking steadily over his spectacles at his only
son, s' what respectable young man, Of indie
pendent means, would marry Fanny Bennett, or
Denvir, or whatever else her legal name may
/ be, after all that has come and gone ~
A brief. enlightening sentence leapt to my
| lips, and would have passed them, but for
resolute effort for what could such declara-
tion now avail. except to greatly irritate my
father' To avoid temptation, abruptly left
| the room.
4 We heard nothing further of the inmates Of
Laburnum Villa till the following Sunday even
ing. The month was September, and the equi
,octial gales of autumn had set in with unusual
violence, as the howiings of the wind round the
gables of the houses, and the booming of the
tumbling surf in the bay, unmistakably gave
token. The storm which had suddenly risen
was atits height about eight o'clock near which
time loud knocking sharply repeated at the
outer door, startled my father and myself from
the dozy thoughtfulness induced in us both by
the warmth of the fire within and the roaring
Of the tempest without. The door was an
swered, and the next minute Joel Barton stag
gered into the room, his face white as sheet,
his eyes on FIRE with excitement, and his hair
and clothes dripping with sea water.
"a IL want he estammered, in answer to our
much questioning, 81 want somebody-you,
J Master Holford--to go and break the bad news
to-to-to Mistress Denvir."
6 Bad news What news?''
+, "That little Theodore is drowned."
t g Drowned! murdered you mean, wretched
: villain!" shouted my father, at the same mo-
ment rushing up and seizing Joel.
1 -ss NJ rn1 r a.,
! iunchback, s. Let me 60, will yous The tiller
: of the boat he went on to say, after Kidding
himself of my fathers grasp, and looking the
! while unquietly at me-'s The tiller of the boat
IN which had taken him for a sail, snapped
when the storm came on, the boat shot up into
! the wind, and the Tapping Of the main-sail
I swept him over. l tried to save him, but could
not u s5 st$ ssasysgig s
More passed, but suffice it to say, that spite
: of his proteststions, my father conducted Joel
to the cage or temporary lock -up-house, and
, then proceeded to break the news at Laburnum
. Villa. | accompanied him as far as the gate
! only, for the purpose of delivering the message
Joel had charged me with to his mother. She
had become SO extremely deaf, that / could
hardly make her understand that joel was un
/, expectedly detained from home that night
r. Oh, ah ~ she at last muttered, 81 under.
$ stand; but you have nothing for mes" And
J | the bleary eyes of the old woman rested on my
hands, as if she thought had money for her
Is Nothing" | bawled, and came away. My
father did not return home till near two o'clock
D and had, as anticipated, passed thr ough very
: distressing scene. s. have also had, Charles,
Y he added, "a rather long conversation witt
: Mr.. Churston, and it is certain that the deatf
i, If the boy has broken off the expected mar
Z riage. Mr. Ghurston frankly told me, that upol
e mature reflection he had made up his mind
|, deueed suddenly, it is clear-that the unio1
could hardly fail to be an unhappy one, ant
d that he intends leaving for London tomorrow
}, There is something very odd in all this
t There is, indeed and Joel shall, as faith
= fully promised him. be informed of that fact a
!, soon it is light, This terrible business is no
i yet fathomed, depend upon it."
y My father agreed and went to bed not, how
n ever, to sleep-at least, ] did not, and by 81,
a o'clock, Joel Barton received my message Tn
reply was an earnest request to see me and m
! father Immediately We were with him in les
II than quarter of an hour, and fairly knocke
rs backwards by blunt declaration or confession
ie The instant we entered the place, that he, Joe
Barton, had drowned, murdered little Theodor
le Denvir, at the instigation of MIR. Churston! sc
d, have only had small part of the promised re
90 ward," added the wretched felon, which
~ showed to Master Holford the other day, an
r now he thinks to throw me over; but he shan
at You don't believe me, perhaps. Well, all ca
II, say, only just examine his papers before he ge
ed away, and if you don't find tcAy he tempted n
r 10 commit the dreadful deed, say that bes
e- false witness!" go We
ed We could scarcely believe our ears, but as j
e. sullenly persisted in his statement, it was n
i'll fathers duty, under the circumstances, to a
d, with decision, and off We presently set towal
Lahurnum Villa, Joel carefully guarded by ty
be constables. We were but just in time, as
was at the door, and Mr.. Churston just abo'
d; to step into it. He started and changed col
is at seeing US, but in reply to my fathers reque
,e- to speak to him privately, answered bold
d. enough that he could not lose the time. as
OIL feared missing the coach already.
ch s. You must spare the time, Mr.. Churston
was the stern rejoinder. 'You are my pr
7as oper!'
sr- "Prisoner God of Heaven! And upon VIII
his charge ?"
rce g As an accessory before the fact, to the mu
sx- der of Theodore Denvir! All! l see that it
is- an Ineligible accusation. Here, steady you
MS self by my arm, and let US go into the house
~ We ali followed, and as soon as Mr.. Ghul
lp- toms effects had been brought into the room,
'ty father fastened the door on the inside. ],
ly, then repeated his previous statement,
ok avoided, I noticed, during the recital, to io
ny Mr.. Churston in the face. As he went on. Il
a gentleman seemed to recover his cemposure, a
t when Joel ceased speaking, burst out into a
lgs rous vituperation Of the accusing witness, wh
hp vprv lbero1ly nusIifiad tv,pr fa1np