The Union. [volume] (Georgetown, Del.) 1863-1866, 1864-04-22
GEORGETOWN, DEL, FRIDAY, APRIL 22 1864.

IeCyn my cI0tneS 10 DruSn' NeAI momenG
the door gently opened, and a man entered |
on tiptoe. He WIS barefoot as | could |
see wl1h one eye over the hel-elothes, and |
was too well dressed to be the Roots. He
must be thief, thought, and watched.
The man advanced, with a velvet tread
like the thread of cat, to the chair where
my clothes were, and taking up first my
coat and then my trousers, telt the peck
cts; luckily, | had my purse under my pill
low. He then stepped to the dresslng-ta-
BILE, and quietly slipped my watch into his
pocket. 1 could not see the fellow face,
TOR he wore fiat travelling cap with loose
pendant ear-faps that hid his features.
l could not summon up philosophy
enough to bear the abduction OF my gold
repeater in silence, SO turned IN my bed,
coughed loudly, and groaned and yawned
as II had just awoke.
The man started, dropped my watch,
and stammering out somethlng about
Come for your boots, sir! with drunk
en- gait evidently affected, made for the
door.
don't know what impulse it was that
made me rnn to the window and not to the
door. didn't seize the rogue, but l ran
to the window, and pulled up the blind so
as to let in stream OF cold hight upon the
man $ face.
Gould believe my eyes? The thief
was Braneher! We botn' tell back like
two duelists who had exchanged mortal
shots.
Brancher"
"Gregson" He gave me d ghastly
look, ana fed, slammlng the door uenlnu
him swiftly, but with practlcel dexteflty,
toy it skut without a souud.
returned to London Aext day, ponder
ing over the strange evsnt. 1 could lind
no clue to Branoher fall He could not
be practiced thief; yet it was impossible
that he could at once have plunged into
crime. l thought Of his wlie and child
ren, and OF his pleasant home
A few hours brought me to Bybrldge.
Lucy received me with rather sad face,
J 20 Arthur" she said, dear Mrs
! Brancher is in such ilJuble! Her hus'
! ! band has written to her from somewhere
= in the North, to sell everything directly
. let the house, and join hum at Liverpool
: DO go in and comfort tler."
. went into Willow cottage, and founc
Mrs. Brancher in e'ss distress. Sh
= ther would not, or e6aid not, tell me any
Z thing about her husbands reason Tor re
- moving L went the next day and ar
J, ranged the sale for her. The sale tool
. place. She came to wish IS goodbye, ant
left.
I We heard no more Of the Branchers 70
= two months. One day, when came iron
:, the city, Lucy ran to meet me, with larg
y letter IN her hand 1t was closed with
great black seal bearing a coat-of-arms, Q
winch palm tree WAS the most conspiC
= uous feature.
- 20, do see what it is, Arthur" erie
Lucy, :" i NJ sure it Is poor MIR. Branch
>, Ell writln5.
nau never told Lucy the story of wha
Aa1 happened to me Ut the Doncaster Lie
lei.
~ sou leaning on my garden gate, as
opened the letter, anu read 1t alone.
~ ran thus:
lie LANCASTER CASTLE, No. 13, 1868.
CT My De0r Gregson IT dare say you Ii
ne tie expected ever to see my handwrltin
lie again after our unpleasant rencontre
p Ioncaster. write 10 you, because kno
YOU to be Il good, kind-hearted fellow, WI
ir, once had u regard for me. Fortune hi
Of been hard upon me, though not perhal
h. harder than | have deserved, tor to- te
mt yJu the plain truth, am, ana always wa
nj u consumnlate scoundrel; but even scoul
,ar drels are, suppose, sometimes to be pi
n led, and then, my poor wife and childre
cannot toll you more, now, but bt
Ie- YOU to come aud see me before l lea'
En- gland (this is delicate way of tellir
you that l am safe to he transported Ii
- llte). | do not ask you tor my own SAX
w. ~ but for the sake Of poor Lizzy and Il
II children, to whom you may be of use in
way you are not aware OF. Kindest +
membrance to Mrs. Gregson.
re- Believe mo to be, yours most truly,
rs HENRY FITzosMoNp BRANcHER,
US Lucy was parall5ed with astonishme
ne at this strange letter, at Cnce SO reckle
and so regretiul. Her curiosity was esq
ler clally exclted by those words or the lett
ng SO mysterious to her-"unp pleasant rencc
ief tre."
mt, What docs he mean, Arthur" 8
sht asked, with that cross.examlnlng air Il
perhaps, quite unknown to my marri
the readers. But for once was inhexlble
'et- l positively refused to tell her until
I should return from Lancaster.
md Next day. at five o'clock, stepped {
lay of railway carriage on the platform
re- the Lancaster station. Driving first TO I
the hotel to deposit my oarpst-bag (tor me-
!, I TO sleep in Lancaster), got into the
again, and told the driver to set me do
- at the prison gate.
raw As stood waiting at the door until
mi under turnkey had run to take my CT
rim to the governor, lady dressed in bla
lass and followed by two children, with ia
eft. hidden and bitterly sobbinS, drove ii
lere the door. l was sure it was Mrs. Bran
inc er and her children.
ried When the turnkey, in his cold imI
t. turnable manner, unlocked the third i
,use down the second corridor, and fune
ng). wide open in carele mechanical wa
ould found Brancher sitting on his pallet, h
.. ming 81 remember, L remember" v
loor much nonchalance. He was as Aorid
was manner as ever. He wore short