Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1865-06-01
VOLUME XVI.


the dagger must have stuck out from your
belt it has torn my dress sadly )" and she
put her hand out Of sight into a large hole
at the side.
"Then shall shout Guard Guard ~
excitcdly uttered my aunt land shall
struggle on to the next carriage window,
going along upon her knees as she spoke,
where they'll support Inc till the train
stops, as it did i'll the case of that noble
young lady Or" she went on, hanging
upon the couch-arm, If it shouldn't, and
any accident should happen, shall perish
III my own defence" Saying this, Aunt
Tab tossed up her arms, and fell length
ways upon the hearth-rug.
"Thc newspapers would be full of it y
admirngIy sighed. that old noodle Mrs.
Leeson who had pin between her teeth,
and was slyIy gathering up her torn dress.
saw it all My aunt, l knew, had re-
ccived an invitation to go on a visit into
Lincolnshire, and she had crazed herself
over the newspaper accounts of the dan
gers to which ladies were exposed on the
railway. until, under the foolish encourage
ment of her companion, she was having re-
course to these ridiculous schemes Of pres
ervation and the two were then engaged
4
tacks and defenccs Ny aunt was now
gathering herself up from the rug, and |
gently reclosed the door | had not lodged
in the same house with my relative very
long: but knew her well enough to un-
derstand that any open interference on my
part would only make matters worse. But
what was to be done? The very next day
she was to start for Lincolnshire and |
T. Il Al. H., .f,yl ,,l
ling with those notions in her head, and
weapons of those descriptions in her hands,
something not included in the rehersals
would be certain to result. As ill-luck, too
would have it, Cousin Ned, who, like my
self, on being sent up to town, had been
placed under Aunt Tabs care, went off into
Wales holidaying nearly week ago. |
had nobody to consult with, and, of course
could not disclose this preposterous con-
duct Of my respected relative to any stran-
| ger
At dinner that day my aunt appeared
with a large red bruise on her forehead,
over the right eyebrow and i'll the course
| of talk she asked me, in an accidental way,
| how persons managed to use flexible life
preservcrs without hitting themselves in
stead of their assailants? The red mark
was at once explained. My eccentric rela-
tive had been practicing with a life preser-
yer, and had given herself tap by awk
wardly manipulating it. felt secret de-
! light on observing that Widow Lceson did
not seem to have come off scot-free she
was walking decidedly lame of one leg, and
! there were faint traces Of discoloration
near one eye She said she had knocked
herself against door and stared very
curiousy at me when | replied it was
! good Job it was not railway y-carriage door
they were 50 thick and hard, | added, by
way of explanation. In the course of that
evening, during my aunt and Mrs. Lessons
/ absence, making some purchases connec-
| ted with the morrow's Journey, | cOntrived
! to penetrate into their rooms and 10 on
! the dressng-tablc III aunt Tabs chamber |
| found an old fashioned dagger, with an
! ugly blade at the least eight inches long),
| a whalehonc connected and lead-knobbed
I life preserver, and siX-bareiled Colts re-
volvcr ] recognized each one of the muir
dcrouS implements at glance. My cousin
| Ned, who had gone demented on the volun-
teer question, had constituted his bedroom
a terrible armory of all kinds of weapons,
! offensive and defensive. The instruments
/ before me knew formed port Of his awful
/ stores, and my aunt must have helped her
! self to them since he left home Upon
/ closer examination Of the pistol ! found
/ that not less than four barrels were loaded,
/ and that caps were ready placed on all the
nipples At some personal risk, for don't
| much understand siX-barrclled rcvOlvcrs, |
managed to get one charge out, and felt
! sensible motion among my hair at sight of
the three balls which it had included 1t
was the same with the other loaded barrels
making twelve balls III all and breathed
| much frecr when had extracted the last,
and substituted a very light paper waddng
| III each case.
/ Upon the return of the two ladies from
! shopping they shut themselves up in their
/ own sitting-rOOm, and from the singular
noises which were to be heard, | felt salts
| fed more rchersaIs were in progress. Mrs.
/ Lceson could scarcely limp into supper
and my aunt's rather withcrcd arms showed
/ several patches Of color, as if from rough
grasping. During that nights uneasy
1 slumbers | was shot in railway carriages
/ two or three hundred times, and was so re-
/ peatedly stabbed with daggers, and furi-
ously beaten with lifc-preservers, that |
was quite sore when | finally awokc. |
rose fully determined to accompany Aunt
Tab on this railway excursion, taking a
ticket by the same train, unknown to hers
as to be at hand in case of emergency.-
She had an unusual air Of determination on
her strongly-marked features when I met
/ her that morning on the stairs, and looked
/ like a woman bent on heroic deeds. Mrs
! Lessons attendance made it unnecessary !
/ should offer my services by way of escort
to the railway, and took an impressive
! farewell as if going, as usual into the city
/ But the mysterious conversation between
the two at the breakfast table had only
! confirmed my resolution and, instead of
seeking the other side of Temple Bar, |
/ hurried to the Kings Cross administration,
where. cnsconsing myself behind a pillar
of the piazza, awaited the arrival of nv
aunts cab. Vehicles of all kinds came and
/ went, bells rung for numberless trains, por-
I ters gave way to momentary fits of mad
ncsss, and it was very weary waiting but
| stuck to my post Had she discovered my
tampering with the pistol, and, reIoading
it, accidentally shot herself ?-or, failing
that, had she by some mishap stabbed Mrs.
Lecson on the road, and the conveyance
/ necessarily divprrpd +O ono 0f tho boUnit