Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1857-1865, 1857-11-27
TERMs or ADVERTISING.
mlSCELLANY.
From PeteIson's Magazine.
FIVE MINUTES TOO LATE. q
ny A, l.. OTIS.


my dear Ada, have you posted that
letter." my aunt asked me. s. @i
"No, not yet. win, by-and bye.
don't feel like going now, The foreign
mail does not close until seven"
at looks like thunder storm, and then
yeu can't go"
This was all my aunt said, and left the
room. $3.50.
My cousin Randolph sat at his writing,
desk by the parlor window, and heard our
words.
No one on earth ever has been, or ever
can be, SO dear to me as my cousin.
He was an invalid, and was also suffer.
ing from some great grief the nature Of
which did not know, Myyearning ten
derness and pity, given blindly, he put
away from him, He said he dared not ac-
cept it.
This was the first day of his escape from
a sick-room, his first appearance at the
family circle at tea-time, aud now, just in
the sunset, | was so happy in his presence,
that l could not bear to leave him, even to
post letter to my darling sailor brother
When my aunt left the room, VIC were
clone.
''Comc hero, Ada, love-" he said to nc
and few to his side delighted.
"Go at once with that letter, and when
you come back l will tell you what chang
ed me from happy, strong man, to the
guilty, grief broken wretch you have al.
ways known me. Goodbye and hasten
Ada, dearest"
"Grass did not grow under my feet
In half an hour l had returned and was
sitting by his side on the bamboo settee
looking from our porch over the garden
to where the heavy purple clouds were
still sailing in the golden glory. Ran,
dolph held my hand in his, and my heart
in intense listening.
"You know that was junior partner
in the firm of Smooch & Swansea. One
of our clerks, Vincent Underhill had fallen
under suspicion of embezaling large sums
from the firm, and was on trial. All the
evidence proved him guilty, and his con.
victon was certain. No one doubted that
when his case was concluded, he would be
sentenced to the States prison Under,
hill had been iavorite companion, indeed
expressing my grief at his criminal con,
duct, and horror at his punishment, whith
in hearing of some of the porters. OBJ
served that one of them, who had been
protege of Underhill, listened intently
and turned very pale.
"That night, after had been asleep il
my boarding-house for some hours, wa
awakened by knock at my door, and wa
Informed that man must see me immedi
ately. had him sent up.
at was Kasl Weiss, the porter to whom
Underhill had been so kind. He came, il
an agony of repentance, to tell me that h
knew the real culprit; that Vincent wa
innocent, but that he had been bribed, an
threatened into swearing false testimon
against him, which he had done at the tri
al He told me that the guilty man wa
now at Albany. He was clerk who ha
voluntarily left our employment som
month before.
81 thought my plain course was, to kee
all quiet until l had secured the proofs {
guilt which Karl told me where TO find
was so afraid that my man would &c
information of Karls repentance and max
his escape, that l got up, dressed mysel
talked the matter over with my partner
who secured Karl, and set off by the cal
ly morning train for New York. 1t wa
before the days of telegraphs.
~ arrived in time, secured certain pi
pers, had the man arrested, and then spe
homoward again, All this was prompt
done, Ada. Bnt my energy tagged, an
have been paying the heavy penalty ev'
since.
@ II was tired, and worn-out for want
sloep, which had not enjoyed for thr,
nights. While in New York awaiting Il
cars, took hearty supper and ciga
When the time came for me to go, | w
deliciously resting in an easy chair, al
lad but half finished my cigar and n