Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1859-02-11

out the missive, ga letter for Miss Ben
son, and it's very particular thatnobody
else should see it.
The air Of mystery conveye ed in this
characteristic address, aroused Mrs.
Benson's curiosity, especially, when
she observed that it was addressed to
her daughter and not to herself as she
supposed. She returned to the parlor;;
not, however, to read Harper's Maya
zine-that Lad lost all its attractions.
"What in the world can it be?" she
thought "that they should be so secret
ab ut it ?" Can Florence be carrying
on a clandes: line correspondence !? 1t
may be something that | ought to
k, ow.''
Stimulated by her feminine curiosi-
ty, Mrs. Benson speedily concluded that
she would be false to the responsible
ties of parent if she did not unravel
the mystery. ..
"Here's pretty doing!" she exclaim-
ed as soon as she could get her breath.
$50 Florence was going to run away
and get married to that Charles Mark
ham, without so much as limiting word
to me-" s--T ..-...r q. -
She leaned her head upon her hand,
and began to consider. She was natu-
rally led to think Of her own marriage
with the late Mr.. Benson, and the hap
piness Of her welded life, and she
could rot help heaying a sigh at the
recollection.
sam always to remain thus solita-
ry?" she thought. ''I've half mind
not to show the letter to Florence, but
to run away with Charles tomorrow
night on my own account. It's odd if
l can't persuade him that the mother is
as good as the daughter" and she CLAN
ced complacently at the still attractive
face and form reflected from the mir
ror.
Just then she heard the door open,
and Florence entered. She quickly
crumpled up the letter, and thrust it in
her pocket. Florence and Charles did
not meet during the succeeding day,
chiefly in pursuance Of the plan they
had agreed to, in order to avoid suspi-
cion.
Squire Markham acted in an exceed
ingly strange manner, to his sons way
Of thinking. Occasionally he would
burst into a hearty laugh, which he
would endeavor to suppress, and pace
up and down the room, as il to walk
off some of his superintendent hilarity.
"What's in the wind 2" thought
Charles to himself. cit can't be the
Governor is getting crazy?" Some
thing was the matter, beyond doubt ;
but what it really was, he had not the
faintest conjecture.
At the hour specified, the Squire had
his carriage drawn up at the appointed
rendezvous. He began to peer anxious
ly into the dark for Florence. At
length a female form we'll muffled up,
made its appearance. Thanking her,
! in very low whisper, lest it might be
suspected that he was the wrong person,
he helped her into the carriage and
drove off.
During the first part Of the journey,
nothing was said. Both parties were
deslrous Of concealing their own ident-
ity. At length Squire Markham, con-
sidering that after all he could not mar
ny the lady without her consent, and
that the discovery must be made before
the marriage, decided to reveal himself,
and then urge his own suit as best he
might. ~
ssMy dear Miss Florence" he con-
tinued in his natural voice
"Whyn' shrieked the lady, ''1--l
thought it was Charles -
"And T." said the Squire, recogniz-
ing Mrs. Benson's voice with astonish-
ment, 81 thought it was Florence -
"Was it you, sir, who was arrang
ing to elope with my daughter 2"
"No, but I concluded it was you,
ma'am, who was arranging to elope
with my son."
"Indeed, Squire Markham, you are
wrong-the affair coming incidentally
to my knowledge l concluded to take
her place secretly, in order to Illustrate
her plans.' r
"Egad tho very idea l had my
SELF" said the Squire, laughing "but
the fact is, ma'am, we have both Of us
been confoundedly sold. The mischief
# it all is, I haze left letter home for
Charles, letting him know it, and IN
doubtedly he will take the opportunity
to run off with Florence during our alb
sence, and plume himself, the young
rascal, on the way in which l was taken
in"
81 confess that I left note, also, for
Florence to the same purport. How
she will laugh at me. What an en-
| barrassment. sag sn
81 tell you what" said the Squire,
after a moments pause, "we can car
Try out our plans after all. We each
came out with the intention Of getting
married. Why not marry each other?
and you know we can make them be-
lieve we had it in view all along, and
only intended to brighten them"
Mrs. Benson assented with a little
urging, and in the course of an hour
the twain were made one. They i'm
mediately returned, but found, as they
had anticipated, that Florence and
Charley, discovering, their departure,
had themselves stepped off in a differ
ent direction, with similar intent.
They made their appearance the next
morning, prepared to laugh heartily at