The weekly mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado County, Calif.) 1861-1862, 1862-07-19
Suspicious are crOwding upon his mind

SuOuiu iOWeT nHhSelt Oy HuCH COuUeC-
ton, are suddenly remembered and dwelt
upon.
| He pauses before his wife and sternly
demands what errand had brought that
brother of hers to his house. That bro
ther of hrrsI What a speech All
Fanny's sisterly feelings are in arms, aud
| yet she falters, for she is forced to own
that it was the want Of money. And
you told him that had these papers in
| the house." Mark cries, accusingly. With
a crimson face she angrily denies it. She
did not mention Marks affairs during
their short interview. Is it likely she
would do SOP Or if she did, would
George, poor foolish fellow that he is.
steal up stairs and rob his sl,Nrt !. wNeSS. !.
P;1;~..'la''4 J,,'no. r;blni
Impossible" Mark reterts, without
he possessed the key"
/ a'~St.s,sS, not s,se.a r>Nt, Of nv poc cket> "
sobs Fanny.
"NsD where" asks Mark, "are the
missing papers :" Their little servant
maid away for holi1ay-no one in the
house, according to Fanny's own con(es
sion. but this young man. Where are
the papers :"
Receiving for reply torrent Of tears
and proteSlaions, he filings himself on the
sofa and tries to steady his nerves 10 the
consequences Of this extraordinary loss.
Meanwhile, Fanny goes and institutes an
uuavaling search in every box and cup
board and drawer where it could be pos
sible to find parcel, although it would
puzzle her To explain how II could hnve
withdrawn itself from the secret drawer
To Jake refuge elsewhere At last she re-
turns to the parlor ;D despair. She pack
ct must have been stolcli But how?
WhenY BY whom? Getting frightened
at Marks gloomy look, she is delighted
when a tap at the door announces Il visit
or, and that visitor proves to be her
father. ...-
To him the affair is scircumstantialy de-
tailed, and Mark points out the inevitable
loss of his situation and good name if he
should he unable to produce the papers or
give any clue which might lead to their
recovery. To Fanny'S dSmay, he partic-
ularly dwelt upon her brothers visit, and
her half made endcavor to conceal it; con-
cluding by an entreaty that she will, if
retaining any affection for her husband,
tell all she knows.
But now the father intcrposcs. To
tamely hear both of his children accused
of such crime is more than his rather
irrascible temper will endure, and he en-
ters counter accusation that Mark has,
for some unworthy end, removed the par
eel himself. Words now become 50 hot
and bitter that Fanny'S distress is increas-
ed, not lessened, by this championship.
and she weeps SO bitterly and pleads so
earnestly with both, that Mark, more
touched than he would liketo confess,
abruptly leaves them to shut himself in
his chamber After some hours the sound
of his I1otStep ccasing, the anxious wife
crecps softly up stairs, and is relieved to
find him lying on the bed in an uneasy
slumbcr. Her father persuaaeS her to rest.
too, but poor Fanny shakes her head. and
still sits by his side. leaning her head on
his shoulder, and feeling more torlOrn and
miserable than it had ever been her lot to
feel before. What will poor Mark do
And what will become of her If he persist
in believing her guilty?
Equally bcwidcrcd and almost as I'M
happy as his daughter, Mr.. Roberts tries
to soothe her with promises not only to
seek George and bring him to eXcnlpate
himself, but forgive Marks haSty speech
eS. and assist him in investigating this
mysterious affair SO, at last, Fanny be-
gins to feel more cOmforted, and to wish
her father to leave her; but tired as he
conftSses himself, he cannot quit her in
such trouble, and they continue TO occu-
py the same position by the fire till night
had long given place to morning, and Mr.
Roberts eyes close involuntarily.
y footstep overhead startles them. ait
is only Mark" says Fanny, after mo-
mcnt'S listening. Poor fellow, wish
he had slept longer" -'.-
-. In the modern six roomed house every
sound is distinctly audible, and they hear
him enter the chamber where stands the
now shattered cscritoir. After a short
pause he is heard slowly descending the
stairs, and his wife raises herself from her
reclining position and smoothes her dis
ordered hair.
AS he enters the room, Mr.. Roberts
lays his hand on his daughters arm.-
LOOK, child, look !" he whispers; and
Fanny sees with astonishment that her
husband is fast aleep, and holds in one
hand the bundle of old love letters.
Setting down his candle, Mark unlocks
the front Of his large and well filled book
case, and begins deliberately taking down
one by one. the handsomely bound vol
umes Of the History of England, which
grace the highest sheli-then he draws
out number Of loose magazines, hidden
there because of their untidv appearance
, iays the old love letters Quile ut the bach
( OF ALL replaces the odd numbers, returns
the volumes to their shelf, carefully put.
ting them even, locks the glass doors, ant
is stalking away, when Fanny, with cry
/ which awakens him, snatches the key
from his hand. Rubbing his eyes anC
wondering, he sees her eager fingers drag
ging Hume and Smollct from their PROUD
position to assume an inSlorious one OF
the hearth rug and in the fender; tht
once treasured Belle Assembled arc
scattered in all directions; the highly
priced love letters receive similar usage
and then, from behind all the rest, Fanny
triumphantly takes out the small brown
paper parcel, tied with pink tape, anc
sealed with the office seal. CRYING ant
laughing in one breath. the happy little
wife is the next moment in her husbands
arms, kissing and being kissed ad Hbit"m
Little explanation was needed. The
young mans brain, excited by extreme
anxiety regarding his trust, had led tc
his cautiously rising in the night, and
unconsciously transferring the packet tc
what he afterward remembered as the
first hiding-place which had presented
itself to his mind on bringing it home the
preceding evening.
How many times he has asked forgive
ness is not recorded; but Fanny is true
woman, quick to resent, but easily ap
peased; and Mark has taken George anC
Georges affairs in hand SO heartily, thai
the young scapegrace is actually improv
ing, and there is even some hope Of Fan
Ii. L. T.. 4.