Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1865-10-21
.DAfiIY LEADFR.
A LIFT IN THE WORLD.
A Tale of Love and Ladders.

. very stiff one, and the packet lev outsi,
e the harbor. We had to get on board
: boats. We got to the boat-we had
descend a, very slippery ladder. I q,
down safely, and saw that & fresh d
young lady in screams of laughter WI
following, in that natural embarrassing
about her dress which seems always
attend ON the operations Of ladies desoeh,
ing ladders or companion stairs. She ha
a dressing case in one hand, a gepecke, /,
the Germans have it, of shawls and cloal
in the other, and she came down facin
tie audience. l rah-that is, gotup-tohC
assistance, kept the dress well down; anC
though l was rising and falling like
hshermans float, owing to the rocking {
the boat, l fancy l performed a real SCI
vice. Her dressing case was slowed ava
under q bench; with the assistance of
lureh, the young lady herself was settle
into her seat with much laughter and en-
joymeht. A few miserable looking passet
gers-ghastly by anticipation -iookini
with disgust on the raw sea and open boat
and aeceptingthe ladder as though it wer
the ladder of a scaffo d, were assisted
down, and then the boat, spreading al
Indian ink colored sail, began to swirl anC
roll through the waters.
The little incident of a dressing case ant
the descent of the ladder was quite sufi.
Gent to justify a travelling intimacy. Wa
were delightfully."- pleasant during that lit.
tie voyage in the open boat. She was a
hoyden, and wished the sail to be stretched
tightly, so as to make the boat lean well
over. The sailors were inclined to crafty
her, admiring her spirit and relish for nau-
teal matters. But the rueful passengers,
I'll already, and whose travelling a D
seemed like the nightcaps OF inTalids, pro-
tested with anger and surliness against
any such tricks. We both laughed more
and more and when we got to the deli
OVERLOOKING, airy little steamer which was
lying far out we were in high good humor
with each other. l thought that she was
travelling alone; but it turned out that she
was to meet Sher brother on board, who
was to come off with the next open boat
with all the luggage. While we waited
for him, leaning over the bulwarks of the
ship, she with her parasol up, and both of
us looking across the sea towards the shore,
she told me a few little particulars about
herself. Her name was Flora Darling;
she was coming from a French school near
Paris; that is to say, from a school where
English young ladies were taken in, and
which was kept by Miss Tweaker, who in
Bradshaw's Gnide could proudly refer to
the Rev. Rupert Twells, chaplain at the
embassy, to the Rev. Beaver Bowler,
at the Watering places, and to
the Lord Bishop of Sloper's Island. How
old was her brother? 1 asked; that is,
Miss Darling's brother.
"Only fourteen" she said. Scarcely a
chaperon," she added, and with a burst
of laughter; /" only a few months from
the nursery. There was no harm in it.
One could do anything travelling you
"To be sure" I said. Darling
She started.
81 was repeating your name, Il said, smil-
ing. "a charming one-so musical and
Misunderstanding 1 shall be sayingit
the carriage all the way up to town
Darling" / put the very slightest ghost
# a pause between the two last words).-I
As it was, she looked at me ~curiously, and
,urst out laughing.
"You say it SO funnily," she said. II
lalf suspect you are very wicked. It's a
isn't it, that l must lose it some day?
50 they tell me. It's in the natural course
# things, you know
"Inevitable," l said. "You must lose
t, Darling-the name, 1 mean, 1t would
,e no more in nature" 1 added, fervently,
for you to retain hat name, than that
-ou could fly backward through that water
o the town over there"
l was a little hard set for a comparison,
,ut this did fairly well.
Il was very nearly flying backward
the steps" she said with a burst of
aughter, "only for you"
"Yes," l said; Il believe l had the hap
'iness Of saving you, Darling"
"Now," she said, in a grave voice, ~
interdict you using thatnameo Of mine,
Dr. fear of any mistakes
"You do me wrong" 1 said. "Your
,rOther-I was speaking of him. He is a
too, is he not? At least in his
way, 1 mean" 1 added hastily, amending
ny speech for fear she should think 1 put
II on the same level with herself.
The brother was a cub. He vas about
S intelligent and useful as u walking
tick. No better choice could have been
lade. We might talk all the way up
lwn as if we were alone. We had a
leasant voyage. The rest of the passen-
ers were very unwell, which contributed
good deal to the ~pleasantness, for we
ere perfectly well and laughed a good
cal at their sufferings. We got to Dover,
lnded-this time without boats, which l
a little sorry for, as 1 had begun to
Ike that operation of descending ladders,
nd passed the Customs successfully. The
gave me her keys; which, through
" skill and adroitness-that is to say,
overs of corruption-were rendered quite
necessary. We passed a splendid ex-
nination las she put it comically, seated
/ the carriage,) while the miserable pas
who had been i'll were reeling
bout, installing the Customs for their
'unks, and the officers for sailors. She
I'D me incOnidence some details. Where
as she going to in town. To that new
reat hotel just opened, where they could
ut up four hundred beds, and where there
the ladies sitting-room decorated in
le Arabesque manner by 0wen.,Jones, and
here there was a pneumatic hoist which
it sounded like a dream. Had 1 not
card all this before and my prospectus
Of two years before occurred to
lie.
"You mean" I said, "the Great Metro
limited to forty thousand shares of
pounds each. So much paid up. Why
was only talked of then"
Its a good deal talked of now" said a
entleman with whiskers like a plate
rusher. HAbout the finest thing in Lon
People 20 there who don't want To
o to a hotel-who are actually at another
otel-merely for the luxury of the thing.
t is marvellous the perfection they have
the thing to. So many thousand
ms of water on the roof"
II think 1 shall go there too" 1 said en-
lusiastically. al have a lodging secured
but 1 would far sooner go to such
hotel-where the darling-I mean Miss
'arling-gOes tool"
Sho- asEOd mo thon how long l was to
in London. 1 replied, "An indefinite
me" that it might stretch from a day to
year. On which she told me that she
determined to enjoy herself until, at
her uncle came up from the country
!, fetch her. That would be in a week or
n days or a fortnight, she did not care
ow far of.
aft" said 1, gravely, Gin the absence of
our excellent uncle, a third person would
e of any use to you, or, I should rather
", if you would allow that person to
lake himself useful to you during your
in the great metropolis, you would be
onferring a favor on him-a real favor
[ think" 1 added, aas the inmate of the
bote1-tbe DrObable iumafe no has