Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1861-08-23

MI DIIsloWe was btlll seated, apparent
: in deep and anxious meditation, and wrot
= a note, with which l dispatched the in
porter. | had now ample leisure for oh
3 serving the esuspected burglar and assassin
He was pale, intellectual looking, an,
withal a handsome young man, of abou
, six-and-twenty years of age, of slight bu
well knit frame, and with the decided al
travel stained and jaded as he appeared
of gentleman His look was troubled
and care worn, but l sought in vain fo
any indication of the starting, nervous
tremor always in my experience exhibited
by even old practitioners in crime wher
suddenly accosted. Several persons had
entered the room hastily, without even
causing him to look up. determined tc
try an experiment on his nerves, which l
was quite satisfied no man who had re.
Gently committed murder, and the day
before changed a part of the produce OF
that crime into gold at the Bank of Eng
land, could endure without wincing. NY
object was, not to procure evidence pro
ducable in court of law by such means,
but to satisfy my own mind. felt a
growing conviction, that, spite of appear
ances, the young man was guilless of the
deed imputed TO him, and might be the
victim, ! could not help thinking, either
of some strange combination of circum-
stances, or more likely, of a diabolical
plot for his destruction, essential, possibly,
to the safety Of the real perpetrators of
the crime very probably-so ran my
suspicions-trends and acquaintance of
the three gentlemen who were to be our
fellow travellers. My duty, knew, was
quite as much the vindication of inno-
cence as the detection of guilt; and l
could satisfy myself that he was not the
guilty party, no effort of mine should be
wanting, determined to extricate him
from the perilous position in which he
stood. | went out of the room and re-
mained absent for some time then sud
denly entered with q sort of bounce,
Vailed swiftly, urru WIN a uo,oi uitticd
air, straight up to the box where he was
seated, grasped him tightly by the arm,
and exclaimed roughly: So l have
found you at last p There was no start,
no indication of fear whateyer-not the
slightest; the expression OF his counte-
nance, as he peevishly replied, What
the devil do you mean ?" was simply one
of surprise and annoyance,
Il beg your pardon" l replied, "the
waiter told me friend of mine, one Bag
shave, who has given me the slip, was
here, and mistook you for him y
He courteously accepted my apology,
quietly remarking at the same time that,
that though his own name was Bristowe,
be had, oddly enough, an uncle in the
country of the same name as the person
| had mistaken him for. Surely | tho't,
this man is guiltless of the crime imputed
to him, and yet. AT this moment
the porter entered to announce the ar
rival of the gentleman l had sent for.
went out and after giving the new conner
instructions not to lose sight of Mr..
Bristowe, fastened home to make ar
rangements for the journey.
Transformed by the aid of a faxen
wig, broad brimmed hat, green spectacles,
and a multiplicity of waistcoats and
shawls, into a heavy, and elderly we'll to
parsonage, took my way with Josiah
Barnes-whom l had previously thor
oughly drilled as to speech and behavior
towards our mpanions-to the Sara
GEMS Head, few minutes previous to the
time for starting. We found Mr.. Bris- |
towe already seated, but the three
friends" l observed, were curiously
looking on, desirous no doubt Of ascer-
tanning who were to be their fellow trav-
elers before venturing to coop themselves
up in space so narrow, and, under GER
tain circumstances, so difficult of egress. !
My appearance, and that of Barnes
who, sooth, to say, looked much more Of
a simpleton than he really was-quite
reassured them, and in they jumped with
confident alacrity. A few moments af-
forwards the sail right" of the attending
ostlers gave the signal for our departure,
and away we started.
A more silent, less social party never
assisted at. Whatever amount of 'feast
Of reason each or either of US might
have silently enjoyed, not drop of "how
of soul" welled up from one of the six in
sides. Every passenger seemed to have
his own peculiar reason for declining to
display himself in either mental or phys
ical prominence. Only one or two incl
unimportant, but which
carefully noted down in the tablet of my
memory-occurred during my long, wea-