The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1865-05-12
the most extraordinary thing ever heard

n"so noaiu VI slmllar things, re
turned Peabody quietly, although
never experienced anything of the sol
myself. OF course, don't know wher
} she is going to; but the direction she ha
: taken is towards ST. Johns Wood"
l hastened back to my house, and wit
the air OF a man who has forgotten some
> thing, began to search in the pockets O
my great coat hanging up in the hail.
"By the by" said l, as the servant VIII
let Inc in was disappearing, 81 think you
mistress must have got it after all. Jus
run up, and tell her want to see her fo
! a minute"
Emily Jane, who had been in our ser
vice ever since We were married, turne,
: as scarlet as her cap ribbons. Sir" sal,
she, bolder than brass, Misses has JUS
stepped out; she has taken two of th
little girls for a morning walk"
"Which two!" inquired l. lookin.
this abandoned young person full in tn,
face. Her subtle spirit was cowed b,
thls course of procedure she replied thai
she dldnot know-she didn't recollect-sh
hadn't paid particular attention, but sh,
rather thought it was the two Youngest
all in breath.
SIN that case" rejoined l. pointing
with whitening scorn to the perambulater
"how comes this here! No, Emily
Jane, your mistress must have taken ou
with her to-day the same two children
that she took on Monday and on Thurs
day, when her sore throat was SO bad sh.
could not 20 out with me-"
"les, sir" replied she. it was IT,.
same two
Emily Jane," said l solemnly, sal
ways tell the truth. l know ALL Wher,
Is your mistress gone to all by herself to
day, with her hair so neatly arranged
and flower stuck in the left hand side OF
her head and that after telling me she
was too busy to move out. Concealment
is worse than useless. Where is she ,"
:. Wild horses should MT do it." return.
ell the domestic reSolutely. s. ! told her
would keep it dark, and won't betray nc
confidence as has been reposed in me
You must find it out all of your own head
sir: o dear. . dear"
Here, to my confusion, Emily Jane cas,
her apron, by Il sudden and dextrous move
ment. over her features. and in that blind
ed condition, rushed down the kitchen
stairs like a bull stung by bees
At that moment the front door bell
rung with violence such as none of our
visitors, except the captain, ever dare to
Use. My wretched heart seemed to expe-
rience little throb of JOY. He at least
| then-and | confess my suspicious had
been turned in his direction. for was it
not his profession to guard us from for
eign foes and to destroy our domestic
peace-he at least, say, unless there was
more than one dared not trust
myself to finish the reflection, but opened
the front door with my own hands.
1t was somebody in uniform, but not
the captain. telegraph 8 for Mrs. r.
squeaked the boy in his shrill, thin voice ::
"please to sign on the right, and side. -
Then dancing double shuttle on the door
step, in order to keep himself warm, he
broke forth into the ballad. There's
somebody in the house with Dinah. there's
somebody in the house l know; there's
somebody in the house with Dinah -
didn't like his impudence, and didn't
like his song, but there was nothing for it
but to submit. What could Anna Mari;,
be doing with telegraphs? From Rupert
Merrington, Cupidon Villas. st. Johns
! Wood. Pray be punctual this time.
am engaged after twelve. | trust you
will be looking your best, not pale, as on
Monday and Thursday
"There's somebody in the house with
Dinah, there's somebody in the house
know,- rushed out with the receipt
i'll my hand, and the boy snatched it ant
took to flight, for he saw that l was dan
gerous. What could this dreadful mes
sage mean, or rather what meaning coulC
it have but one' Rupert Merrington
not at all a steady sounding name, to be-
gin with the sender. too, was evidently
no business man, or he would not have
exceeded his twenty words SO foolishly
1t had Il military smack all over (and
didn't like that notion-a military smack!
Mcrrington was of course an assumed
name. The handwriting was good, and
SO far unlike the captains; but then peo
pie don't write their own telegraph mes
sages | felt that some immediate actor
was necessary, or that l should he suffo
Gated. In couple of minutes | was in ;
hanson bound for Cupidon Villas, in E:
state of mind easier imagined than describ
ed; and yet had often read description
of it in novels which professed to describ
aristocratic life, and often had seen upol
the stage (although principally in farces
the husband racked by jealous pangs.
What had there been to laugh at il
that, l wondered now? Why should tn
tenderest emotions of the human heart bt
made the subject of butfoon-. Blu
what wicked looking set of houses wer
those which was now passing. If brick
and mortar-and especially stucco-ca1
look vicious, certainly st. Johns Woo,
possesses patent for
"What number, sir shouted my dri
yer, through the little hole in the roof
''This is Cupidon Villas
81 am sorry to hear it," groaned ]
passing my pocket-handkerchief over m,
brow. Don't mind ms my good man
(for his countenance evinced much disma,