Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1856-12-20
9 Seltet Gale.
AN ADVENTURE
IN THE WRONG HOUSE.
IN Two cIIApTERs-ouAPrER 1.
BY DIR. d. MONTGOMERY BIRD.

I
old story, but as it is capital one OF its kint
we take the liberty Of laying it before on
readers--kuowing that those who have no
read il before will have some hearty laughs
and those who have, at least o succession o
smiles
81 knownot what extraordinary conjunction
Of the stars took place on the first Friday o
June, 1888, nor how my planet is particular
came to perform so many antics, in or out o.
its proper sphere. Before that day bat
never had an adventure in my life; the eur
rent of my existence had flowed as evenly and
quietly as the stream Of mill pond and no
wit or skill Of author-cratt could have spun
out my biography beyond the compass of d
single paragraph. | was born, and lived
for twenty-five years-that is all {: lived
in a village. too and my namo was las it now
iS) james j Smith There was nothing fur
tber in my history worthy Of being mention
ed; except that, at twenty-five years old
finding myself unincumbercd by any near rel
atives, and possessed Of moderate estate,
sufficient for all my reasonable wants, land l
had no unreasonable ones,) ! began to bo
weary of my rather dull and lonely existence,
| and cast about for some means OF relief. i
WAS bslGnciug between two great projects,
| one Of travel, the other OF mstrlmoDy both
indeed, in very general way, for l was not
in love with anybody, or particular place !;
when 8 letter from my old college mste and
correspondent, Harry Brown, of Virginia de-
| termined ne in favor Of the former. He was
| forming family party he invited me to join
! in Philadelphia. where he expected TO arrive
at an early day; and he promised TO bring
| along with him very charming unmarried
| cousin Of his who might perhaps, he said, as
STAT NE IN trying the other project Ne soon ss
| had the apirit fand Il renpired yr.at spiritl
10 WOO and win her sll nr wl:cb | regarded
as friendly ulearantry on the mart of nv ola
chum.
went accordiurly TO Philalelnbia and st
Uarry's suopestioN tool, lodgirys ,t a rssb
iouobls boarding borse. at wfirE he attended
stoppinp. and yIero I had desIrnrd IA nvai,
him.
1t was on Friday, in the afternoon, that I
arrived: and having established myselc in =
comfortable chamber. sailed out TO ,ae
somewhat of the city. and INQUIRE at IN. most
Office for letters frcm nv friend I received
two letters, one from Harry of a somswhat
mysterious quality: the Other from q e.ra..
fer, aud of a character still more explicable
both Of them written from Baltimore. Har-
ry informed me that he WAS on the way with
his party, and hoped 10 be in Philadelphia on
the following day and be added land this was
the mysterious part OF the lctter,j that his
aforesaid handsome cousin was about to be
snatched away from me by particular fatal
lty, yet he did not despair, he said OF my yet
winning her, provided he should Immediately
find me on reaching Philadelphia, and fnd
Lie with mettle sufficient TO undertake most
formidable, but splendid adventure.
"Confound his handsome cousin !" said |,
"whom never heard OF before, except in his
last letter; and Couiound his splendid sdyen-
lures" And with that. with the greatest
equanimity banished the mem0ry of both TO
examine aud wander over my second letter
from my unknown correspondent. 1t was US
follows:
My DEAR Boy Shall be in Philadelphia
Friday evening with E, to sign seal,
kiss and squabble, according to compact !;
place aforementioned. Shall expect you---
rings, posies, bushes and Mysteries. Always
| promised your dad | would, and | will.
Yours resolutely, Z. b.
| This letter Was formally directed 10 James
j. smith, ESD, pest restante," Philadelphia
WAS msniiestly written 10 an old mans hand !,
and as far as | could gather any sense from
its odd aud broken sense, alluded to marriage
which was in progress doubtless between
f., (wko was she y on the one part, and
| Mr. james J. Sinlth on the other. But who
was Mr.. James j Smithy Not myself car
tainly; who had never dreamed OF marriage,
except as a contingency, and had never made
serious love or proposals to any human beiu /.
No, it was apparent-and this Was conarmed
by the alluson to the aforementioned place."
we'll lknowu of course TO the person writtea to
but not TO me--that there was some other
James j. Smith besides myself in the world,
aud in Philadelphia, for whom this letter
was designed, aud to whom it was manifest
from the terms of il, the loss might prove ex-
tremely inconveuient
Under the circumstances. l perceived
had nothing to do but return it 10 the post
Office that il might reach my namesake, and
| was retracing my steps for that purpose,
when ] was interrupted by Il gentleman, or a
person dressed like n gentleman, but thought
there was something unpleasing aud sinister
in his looks, who stepped up to me, and with
(. low bow aud grinniHg smile. told me, "he
believed he had tina pleasure of addressing
Mr. James j. Smith T.
That ia certainly my name" said /, but"
you hayn't the honor of my acqusn-
tance - interrupted the gentleman. "Exact-