The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1867-01-04

I IliCu CldpSCu WV
again summoned to the Secreta.
rvs private apartment, where
found him closeted with MIR. Hunt
ingdou. Mr.. Huntingdon shook hands
with unofficial cordiality; and then the
secretary proceeded to state the busi'
ness on hand.
"Mr. Wilcox, you remember our Offel
to place you in Office in Alexandria The
said.
Certainly, sir" / answered.
at has been n troublesome office,
he continued, almost pettishly. I'VE
sent out Mr.. Forbes only six months
ago. on account of his health, which re-
quired warmer climate, and now his
medical man reports that his life IS not
worth three weeks purchase"
Upon Mr.. HuntingdOn's face there
! rested an expression of profound ankle
ty; and rs the secretary paused lie adj
dressed himself to me.
"Mr. Wilcox" he said, 81 have been
soliciting, us n personal favor, that you
should be sent out to take charge of the
packet agency, in order that my
daughter may have some one at hand to
befriend her, and manage her business
affairs for her. You are not personally
acquainted with her, but l know l can
trust her with YOU"
"You NAV, Mr.. Huntingdon" / said,
warmly. III will do anything can to
aid Mrs. Forbes. When do You wish
me to start J" -,
GLOW soon can you be readyr was
the rejoiner.
Tomorrow morning"
| was not married then, and / antlci'
pated no delay in setting off. Nor was
there any. l travelled with the over
land mail through France to Marseilles
embarked in vessel for Alexandra
and in q few days from the time l first
heard of my destination set foot IN the
office there. All the postal arrange,
ments had fallen into considerable IT.
regularity and confusion; for, as was
informed Immediately on my arrival
Mr.. Forbes had been in dying condl'
ton for the last week, and of course, th'
absence of master, had borne thC
usual results. took formal possession
of the Office, and then, conducted by one
of the clerks, proceeded to the dwell,
| ling of the unfortunate postmaster, ana
his no less unfortunate wife.
| 1t would be out of place i'll this mar
rative to indulge in any travellers tales
about the strange place where L was SC
unexpectedly located. Suffice 1T to say
that the darkened, sultry room into
which | was shown on enquirlng tol
Mrs. Forbes was bare of furniture, and
destitute of all those little tokens OF re-
tinement and taste which make our En-
glish parlors so pleasant to the eye
There was, however, a piano in one OF
| the dark corners of the room, open, and
with q sheet of music on it. While
| waited for Mrs. Forbes appearance, !
strollcd idly up to the piano to see what
music it might be. The next moment
my eye fell upon an antique red moroc'
co work-boX, standing on the top OF
piano,-a work-box evidently, for the
lid was not closely shut, and a few
threads of silk and cotton were hanging
out of it. In kind of drcam,-for il
was difficult to believe that the occur
renee was fact, carried the
box to the darkened window, and
there, plain in my sight, was the device
scratched upon the leather, the revolu
tionary symbol of a heart with dagger
through it. | had found the Premier
despatch box in the parlor ofthe packet
agent of Alexandria.
/ stood for some minutes with that
drcam-iike feeling upon me gazing at
the box in the dim obscure light. II
could not be real! My fancy must b'
playing trick upon me! But the
sound of light step-for, light rs il
was, l heard it distinctly as it ap
preached the room-broko my trance
and | fastened to replace the box OF
the piano, and to stoop down rs if cX
amining the music, before the doo'
opened. | had not sent in my name tt
Mrs. Forbes, for l did not suppose thai
she was acquainted with it, nor coulC
she see me distinctly, as stood in the
gloom. But | could see her. She hac
the slight slender figure, the child-likt
face, and the fair hair of Miss Ann'
Clifton. She came quickly across the
room, holding out both her hands i'll
childish, appealing manner.
"Ohw she walled, i'll tone that Went
straight to my heart, che is dead! H'
has inst died.
[ConclusiOn Tomorrow.