Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1856-01-02
EVENING STAR.
THE HIGHWAYMAN's BRIDAL.
A Nf0rv of fha U.o&t Ee enfnrv

THE HIGHWAYMAN'S BRIDAL.
story of the Last Century.
Mine were the days for gallant robbers,
whose fne clothes, high bearing, reckless
hardihoSd, and frequently high birth, took
away from the superficial observer much Of
| the darkness of crime actually surrounding
| their deeds and lives. You were divested Of
your rings and purses, often with a demeanor
so polished, that really it rather resembles
paying a toll to good manners than sub.
mitting to a highway rebbery-a robbery il
| is true, yet still it was more soothing to the
feelings at the time, than being knocked down
with the but end of pistol, or bullied as well
| rs plundered. Fashion, too, capricious in this
as in all else, affected some knights Of the road
| above others, and fine ladies interested them
selves amazingly about deeds Of highwaymen,
| conspicuous for handsome persons and brave
conduct, or rather daring villainy. These fair
danes were also much concerned in their he
| roes' final incarcerations and executions at the
fatal tree of Tyburn. But highwaymen had,
as everybody knows, been still more popular
in the preceding reign; yet ever and anon, as
| the profession seemed to be on the verge of
decay, and likely to dwindle down into mere
| commonplace theft and murder, some new
candidate was sure to start up and revive the
dying embers Of the road chivalry.
| One in particular was notorious enough in
his brief day, for most of the qualities L have
| described, as sometimes attributes Of these
knights of the road He was we'll connected
too, his uncle being clergymanin a high church
| appointment. His person was elegant, his
manners cOurtly, and he was rash in an ex-
traOrdinary degree. Mingling freely in fash
ionable society in his real name, his deeds Of
| robbery were the talk of the town under his as
| sumed one. His proper designation was
Richard Mowbray-that belonging to the read,
his soul source Of revenue, was Captain De
MOntmorency-a patronymic high sounding
r,H 10 anf SloN
| suspected the man Of fashion and the high
wayman to be one and the same person that
| was never known till the event which am
going to relate took place.
Richard Mowbray had spent his own small
patrimeny years before the period at which
this story commences, in the pleasures of the
town. 1t had melted into ridttos, play houses,
| fare lhorse-fesh, and hazard. He had exhaus
| ted the kindness and forbearance of his rela-
| tions, from whom he had borrowed and beg
ged till borrowing or begging had become i'm
| practicable. He had known most extremes
of life; and moreover, when debts and poverty
stared him grimly in the face, he knew not
one useful art by which he could support ex-
| istence or pay dividends to his creditors
What was to be done? He eluded Jail as
| long as he could, and one eventful night
riding on horseback, and meditating gloomily
| on his evil fortunes, he met-cevered by the
| darkness frem all discovery traveller well
| nted-plethoric-laden with money bags,
and bearing likewise the burden of excessive
fear.
1t was a sudden thought-asted upon as
| suddenly. Resistance was not dreamed Of
Mowbray made off with his booty, considera-
BILE enough to repair his exhausted finances,
and to pay his most pressing creditors. Itwas
literally rObbing Peter to pay Paul. And so
by night under the shelters Of its darkness,
did the ruined gentleman turn highwayman
People who knew his circumstances whispered
their suspicious when it became known that
Richard Mowbray had paid his debts, and
| that he himself had made more than bis Gus
tomary appearance. Now his person was clad
in the newest braveries of the day, and in his
| double character many a cong uest did he make
| for he disburthened ladies of their Jewels and
! purses in so fine manner that the defrauded
| fair ones forgot their losses in admiration of
| the charming despoiler; and Richard, in both
his phases, drank deep draughts of pleasure,
till he drained the Circean cup to its veriest
dregs. Just as even pleasure becomes weari-
| some, when festive and high bred delights
| palled on his stated passions, and the lower ex-
| tremes of licentiousness and hard drinking
rufaing, and fighting, diversified by the keen
| excitement and threats of danger which dis
tinguished his predatory existence, began to
| satiate, a new light broke on the feyerish at
mOsphere of life. He loved.
| Yes Richard Mowbray, the ruined patri-
cian-De Montmorency, the gallant highway
| man, who had hitherto resisted every good or
OWL influence, pure or earth-stained, offers 10
| its votaries-succumbed to the simple charms
| of young, unlearned, and unambitious girl
| so youthful that even her tastes and habits
| childish as they were, could be scarcely more
| so than suited to her years. Flayia Hard
court had just attained her sixteenth year
| had never been to boarding school, and loved
| nothing so much-eveR her birds and pet rab-
| bits-as her dear old father an honest country
gentleman and a worthy magistrate FIavia
had never been even to London, for Mr. Hard
| court resided at AveIing a retired village.
| about twenty miles from the Metropolis Bar.
ring fox-hunting and hard drinking, the old
gentleman himself, on his side, took pleasure
only in the pretty, gentle girl, who from the
hour of her birth, which event te erminated her
mothers existence, had made her his constant
Companion. And it was in this simple wild
flower that the gay man ofthe world, naughty,
reckless, unprincipled, impudent, irreligious,
and rash, presumed to lift his eye and elevate |
his heart; and, oh +, stranger yet, to this being
the moral antipodes of her pure self, did Fla
via Hardcourt surrender her youthful, modest |
inestimable love. 1t must have been her very
childishness and purity that attracted the des- |
perate robber-the hardened libertine, now
about to commit his worst and most ineNcusa-
BILE crime.
AS he accidentally met Mr. Hardcourt at a /
country hunt-had with others of his compau-
ions, been invited by the honest gentleman to
a rustic fete, in honor Of little Flavia's natal |
day-a day he was wont to observe to him, re-
markable for commemOrating his greatest mis-
fortune and his intensest happiness, and then |
and there the highwayman vowed to win that |
pure bud Of innocent freshness and rare frag- /
rance, or to perish in the attempt. Mr.. Rich |
ard MOwbray unscrupulous De Montmorency,
will relate how you kept your VOW.
He haunted Aveling Grange till the chaste
young heart, the old fathers beloved darling,
surrendered itself into the highwaymanSs |
keeping. Perhaps Mr. Hardcourt was not al |
together best pleased at his dear Flavia's
choice; but she was his life-his hope-and /
he trusted, even when he gave her to a hus-
band, that her love and doting affection would
still be his own. Besides, Mowbray was well
connected-b0asted of his wealth; whereas q
very moderate portion of it would be hers
He was received into moderate circles, in
which the good magistrate never pretended to
participate, and what with higher bearing.